Simply Classical Journal - Winter 2018

A Publication of Memoria Press

Winter 2018

journal

Growing

Shade

in the

by Cheryl Swope

A Healing House

by Susan Pearson Teaching Your Child Well

by Cheryl Swope Top 10 Reasons to Learn Cursive

by Iris Hatfield

Classical Education for Children with Special Needs

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

by Martin Cothran

M

ortimer Adler, the late editor emeritus of the Encylopedia Britannica and the Great Books of the Western World series, once commented on the approach educators should take to special-needs students. He likened students with different intellectual abilities to different-sized drinking glasses, and knowledge to milk. He said that you don't put cream in the large glass and skim milk in the small one.

In other words, you don't give students with learning challenges a weaker education merely because they cannot handle as much of it. In fact, for those students who cannot learn as well or as fast as others, it is even more important that the content you give them is rich and beautiful.

St. Thomas Aquinas once said that the slightest knowledge of the greatest things is greater than the greatest knowledge of the slightest things. Too often today's students—even the most capable of them—are given an education shallow in substance and deep in trivia.

If you do not believe this is true—that even a small amount of knowledge of great things is greater than a lot of knowledge about trivial things—you should meet Michelle Swope. As her mother, Cheryl Swope, says in Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child, Michelle has a few challenges. But instead of the diluted course of study many suggested for her because of her challenges, Cheryl chose to give Michelle an individualized classical education. And when you meet Michelle you will realize quickly how much she has benefited from this kind of education, which Cheryl discusses in her book, and which will be discussed in future issues of this magazine. Michelle speaks intelligently about a wide range of things. She can quote poetry, knows Shakespeare, and gets the joke before anyone else in the room.

It is important for teachers and parents with special-needs students to understand and appreciate what education is for: It is for the intellectual and moral formation of a human being.

Special-needs students may rank lower on some measures of academic achievement, but on the scale of humanity, they are fully equal. All human beings may not need the same education, but they need the same kind of education by virtue of their humanity.

This is what sets Cheryl Swope's approach to special-needs education apart from all others: She knows what a human being is, and therefore she knows what education is. And she knows that we all need the same kind of education in the True, the Good, and the Beautiful, even though it may need to be dispensed to different students in different amounts in different ways.

It is why we published her book and why we are publishing this magazine.

Cheryl will take charge of this space in future issues, but we at Memoria Press want our readers to know how important we think her work is and how happy we are to help her do it.

2

Letter from the Editor

ClassicalSpecialNeeds.com

SIMPLY CLASSICAL JOURNAL

Winter 2018 FEATURED ARTICLES

4 10 12 13 15

CURRICULUM

3 6 8 11 13 14

Growing in the Shade by Cheryl Swope A Healing House by Susan Pearson Teaching Your Child Well by Cheryl Swope Book Notes by Michelle Swope Top 10 Reasons to Learn Cursive by Iris Hatfield

Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child Simply Classical Curriculum Packages

Ages 2-9

Enrichment

Ages 3-9

Myself & Others

Ages 4-13

Writing, Spelling, Reading

Ages 6-9

New American Cursive, Copybooks, Thankfulness Journals

Ages 4-12

Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child

by Cheryl Swope Text $24.95 | eBook $22.00 This revolutionary book guides parents and teachers in implementing the beauty of a classical education with special-needs and struggling students. Cheryl is an advocate of classical Christian education for special-needs students. The love of history, music, literature, and Latin instilled in her own children has created in Cheryl the desire to share the message that classical education offers benefits to any child.

• • • •

Increase your child's academic success.

Restore your child's love of learning.

Regain confidence to teach any child.

Renew your vision of hope for your special-needs child.

• Receive help navigating the daunting process of receiving a diagnosis.

• Learn how to modify existing resources for your child's needs.

• Find simple strategies any parent or teacher can implement immediately.

• Appreciate a spiritual context for bringing truth, goodness, and beauty to any child.

Cheryl Swope, M.Ed. With a master's degree in special education, Cheryl holds lifetime K-12 state teaching certifications in learning disabilities and behavior disorders. She has served in public and private schools. Cheryl and her husband adopted boy/girl twins and homeschooled the children through high school. Both twins have autism, learning disabilities, and schizophrenia. Now young adults, their enduring love of literature, history, and Latin inspire Cheryl to share the hopeful message that a classical Christian education offers benefits to any child.

© Copyright 2018 (all rights reserved) Publisher | Memoria Press Editor | Martin Cothran Assistant Editor | Cheryl Swope

Managing Editor | Dayna Grant Copy Editor | Jennifer Farrior Graphic Designers | Aileen Delgado & Jessica Osborne

ClassicalSpecialNeeds.com

MEMORIA PRESS MemoriaPress.com

Growing

Shade

in the

by Cheryl Swope

One hot Missouri June when my children were very young, we decorated our front porch with a large white container of flowering impatiens. The pink and red petals with deep foliage cheered our doorstep. At the time, I knew that impatiens needed shade, but I hoped they would thrive in the full sun like other people's front-porch flowers. We closed the door and walked inside.

4

A

nyone who knows about shade-loving plants knows what happened next. Over the next few days in our blazing Midwest sun, blossoms shriveled. Foliage burned. Sobered, I carried those flowers to our shaded backyard. Few would see them now, but maybe we would witness the plants return to life from our family's backyard swing.

The Dangers of Full Sun As I was raising my young children, local playgroup friends talked about their able-minded children who earned ribbons, juggled extracurricular activities, and made good grades. I already knew my experience was not like theirs. In the afternoons after our homeschooling lessons, my children played in the backyard pretending to be Henry and Violet from The Boxcar Children in the large wooden box my husband nailed to a tree. They collected eastern tent caterpillars in glass jars. They learned, with much practice, how to have conversations. Like the impatiens, my children thrived in the sheltered retreat of our backyard.

My children did not attend a different scheduled activity every day. My daughter, especially, seemed to need far more attention, supervision, and protection than most children, not to mention specialized therapies, physicians, and extra help to learn.

Sometimes we pushed our young children more than we should have, and invariably we then witnessed dangerous or odd behaviors such as wandering, nightmares, playing with matches, and even eating laundry detergent. I did not know much, but I knew that our children would not thrive in the bright hot sun of excessive rigor, complex social demands, and overbearing pressures.

To this day, the memory of those pink and red petals guards me against overtaxing my children. It also enlivens my desire to provide a beautiful, incremental, and purposeful yet properly gentle education for all children with challenges.

Our children with challenges need the richly prepared soil of readiness, the shaded warmth of encouragement, the fertilization of regular practice, and the steady watering of good, clear instruction.

With this, our children will grow and thrive, even if few ever admire or see.

Two Sisters Over the past twenty years or so, two sisters from that first playgroup furnished a similar lesson for me. One spunky little girl with short hair, Susan, evidenced an astonishing intellect from the age 1-877-862-1097

of three. My own children's distracted minds had become so familiar to me, that I marveled when I saw the orderly block designs Susan created.

Little Susan spoke well, attentively organized her playthings, kicked balls with ease, and even opened her own bananas without squishing them. Suitably, young Susan received a full, rigorous education at our town's only private school from award-winning teachers. By graduation, Susan had earned honors and scholarships in speech, mathematics, and athletics.

She now attends a small liberal arts college hundreds of miles from home and studied a semester in Italy.

Outgoing, intelligent, and capable, Susan needed full sun from the very beginning of her life.

By contrast, Susan's big sister Amanda had long hair and a clear singing voice, but she cried easily, worried much, and preferred to play at home. She loved kittens and anything small. We marveled that the two girls were so close in age, yet so different. As a teen, Amanda had migraines, unexplained stomachaches, and social fears that kept her parents linked to their phones waiting for her anxious calls. While her sister Susan thrived in the demanding and highly social private high school, Amanda wilted. The girls' parents chased doctor appointments and medications, and they finally decided to bring her home. Amanda began sleeping at night again. Her parents insisted on a strong education at home, but allowed Amanda time to rest, read, and play with her favorite cats.

Removed from the intensity of her private school, Amanda slowly regained her strength, color, and vitality. She graduated a year after her peers, attended a small college near home, and this past summer began teaching music and theater to young children.

Children warmed to her, and she to them.

The Flowers Far into October that year long ago, those backyard flowers grew into bushes of color with bright pinks and rich reds. Still delicate, they would never thrive in the bright heat of our front porch. I knew this now with certainty.

I still remember that day. When I carried those tender, shriveled flowers to our backyard, the metaphor spoke to me in a sudden and deeply personal way. The flowers needed shade. I could not change that. My growing understanding of my children's needs brought silent emotion as I made my way to the backyard. Yet somehow the understanding also brought a glimmer of contentment. I did not fully understand the implications, but I began to accept the truth: Some children grow best in the shade.

Growing in the Shade

5

Full-Year Classical Core Curriculum Packages for Special-Needs Students Visit ClassicalSpecialNeeds.com to obtain detailed information about each level and to take readiness assessments.

LEVEL A PACKAGE PRICE

Curriculum Manual Only $30

Ages 2-3 (Chronological Age or Skill Level)

225

$

RETAIL

210.10

$

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Level A Curriculum Manual Prayers for Children Jesus Is With Me Jesus Hears Me Jesus Knows Me Big Red Barn The Best Mouse Cookie Little Fur Family Bunny's Noisy Book From Head to Toe Goodnight Moon Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?

• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? • Numbers, Colors, Shapes

LEVEL B

Ages 3-4 (Chronological Age or Skill Level)

PACKAGE PRICE

185

$

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

The Very Busy Spider Good Night, Gorilla The Tale of Peter Rabbit Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings My Very First Book of Shapes ABC: Amazing Alphabet Book Put Me in the Zoo Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb Cars and Trucks From A to Z My First Counting Book The Animals' Christmas Eve Big Dog ... Little Dog Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? My First Real Mother Goose 1 Is One

Curriculum Manual Only $30 Consumables Only $34 Supplemental Read-Aloud Program $125

CHRISTIAN STUDIES, MEMORY, & MANNERS A Child's Garden of Bible Stories, Bible Pictures to Color, Prayer for a Child, Please and Thank You Book, Big Thoughts for Little People, How Can I Help?

CURRICULUM MANUAL Lesson Plans for One Year

PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS, PHONICS, & READING Alphabet Coloring Book, My First ABC Book, Simply Classical Crafts Book One (p. 8), Alphabet Flashcards

ENRICHMENT

ARITHMETIC & FINE-MOTOR

My First Body Book, Do It Carefully, My Big Animal Book, A Child's Garden of Verses, A Child's Garden of Songs CD, Back to the Garden CD, Best First Book Ever!

Numbers Coloring Book, Adventures with Books, Everywhere We Go, Counting With Numbers

New to Simply Classical?

You need this item from Level A. Prayers for Children $4.99

6

ClassicalSpecialNeeds.com

Simply Classical Curriculum

Curriculum Manual Only $30 Consumables Only $85 Supplemental Read-Aloud Program $335 CURRICULUM MANUAL Lesson Plans for One Year

CHRISTIAN STUDIES, MEMORY, & MANNERS

LEVEL C

Ages 4-5 (Chronological Age or Skill Level)

RETAIL

218.67

$

PACKAGE PRICE

PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS, PHONICS, & READING

200

$

Alphabet Books 1-2, Classical Phonics, First Start Reading Student Book A, First Start Reading Teacher, Simply Classical Letters & Numbers Desk Charts (p. 14)

Wee Folks Bible ABC Book

ARITHMETIC & FINE-MOTOR Numbers Books 1-2, Going on Eagerly, My Very Own Scissors Book (p. 8)

New to Simply Classical? You need this item from Level A.

ENRICHMENT Animals Animals, Simply Classical Crafts Book 2, Aesop's Fables, Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever, Finding the Answers, Hearing and Helping, Christian Liberty Nature Reader Book K, Animal Alphabet Coloring Book

Prayers for Children $4.99

Simply Classical Curriculum

Curriculum Manual Only $30 Consumables Only $70 Supplemental Read-Aloud Program $150 Supplemental Science & Enrichment Set $125 CURRICULUM MANUAL Lesson Plans for One Year

PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS, PHONICS, & READING

CHRISTIAN STUDIES, MEMORY, & MANNERS The Story Bible, The Creation Story for Children, Simply Classical Copybook I (p. 14)

New to Simply Classical? You need these items from Level C. Classical Phonics $15.95 Letters & Numbers Desk Charts $12.95 First Start Reading Teacher $14.95

1-877-862-1097

LEVEL 1

Ages 5-6 (Chronological Age or Skill Level)

Fun in the Sun, Soft and White, Scamp and Tramp, Primary Phonics Readers Sets 1-3, Core Skills Phonics K-1, First Start Reading Student Books A-D, Phonics from A to Z

ENRICHMENT Kindergarten & First Grade Art Cards, Hailstones and Halibut Bones, A Child's Book of Poems, Days Gone By CD, My Nature Journal (p. 14), Animals! GeoPuzzle

RETAIL

448.83

$

PACKAGE PRICE

350

$

ARITHMETIC & FINE-MOTOR Rod & Staff Arithmetic 1 Student (part 1), Teacher, Flashcards, Practice Sheets, Best Counting Book Ever, This First Thanksgiving Day

Simply Classical Curriculum

7

Curriculum Manual Only $30 Consumables Only $125 Optional Extended Literature Set $19.50 Supp. Literature, Science, History, & Geography Read-Aloud Set $240 Supp. Arithmetic Read-Aloud Set $50

Simply Classical Curriculum RETAIL

307.24

$

LEVEL 2

Ages 6-8 (Chronological Age or Skill Level)

PACKAGE PRICE

275

$

LITERATURE, COMPOSITION, & GRAMMAR Simply Classical Writing (Read-Aloud Ed.) (p. 13), Simply Classical StoryTime Treasures Student and Teacher (p. 13), Little Bear, Little Bear's Visit, Blueberries for Sal, Caps for Sale, At the Farm

ENRICHMENT

ARITHMETIC & FINE-MOTOR

CURRICULUM MANUAL

Rod &Staff Arithmetic 1 Student (part 2), Speed Drills

Lesson Plans for One Year

Second Grade Art Cards, Animal Tales CD

New to Simply Classical?

You need these items from previous levels.

Classical Phonics $15.95 Arithmetic 1 Teacher $20.95 Arithmetic 1 Practice Sheets $16.50 Arithmetic 1 Flashcards $17.80 Child's Garden of Bible Stories $11.99

CURSIVE Cursive Practice Sheets, New American Cursive I (p. 14)

CHRISTIAN STUDIES, MEMORY, & MANNERS

PHONICS & SPELLING Moose Moments: Silent E, Moose Moments: Short Vowels, Moose Moments: Digraphs, Core Skills Phonics 2-3, Phonics Flashcards, Core Skills Spelling 1, Simply Classical Spelling: Book One (p. 13)

SC Copybook 2: Manuscript (p. 14)

Enrichment Ages 7-9,

Ages 3-5,

chronological age or skill level

chronological age or skill level $19.95

Help your child develop hand strength, fine-motor skills, and independence with one or both books in this set. In My Very First Scissors Book, the child learns to open and close his scissors to cut along thick lines which fade, grow wavy, and create shapes as the pages progress. In My Very Own Scissors Book, the activities coordinate with alphabet lessons in Simply Classical Curriculum Level C (p. 7) or may serve as a useful precursor to the Jr. Kindergarten Book of Crafts. Both books feature perforated pages and large "cutting boxes" to promote the child's success.

8

Simply Classical Curriculum

$16.95 ea.

(Book One or Book Two)

$6.00 ea.

Scissors Books

Ages 3-5,

chronological age or skill level

Simply Classical Enrichment Guide: Level 3 This supplemental guide is organized by week, and coordinates with the Level 3 Curriculum Manual. It explores in-depth the American History Read-Aloud books, and the art, music, and poetry selections that are scheduled in the Level 3 Curriculum Manual.

Included are artist biographies, background information on artistic and musical periods, suggested discussion questions, and activities to expand your child's cultural, scientific, and general knowledge.

Simply Classical Crafts The creative arts are an essential part of primary school education. These activities reinforce number and letter recognition, strengthen fine-motor skills, and foster creativity and confidence. Book One contains letter crafts from Memoria Press' Jr. K Book of Crafts. Book Two contains story crafts from Memoria Press' Jr. K Book of Crafts.

While the crafts in these books have been carefully chosen to promote skill growth and coordination, the most important component is fun. Enjoy each of your creations and the time spent together making them!

ClassicalSpecialNeeds.com

Simply Classical Curriculum

Curriculum Manual Only $30 Consumables Only $130 Optional American History Read-Aloud Set $225 Supplemental Arithmetic Read-Aloud Set $60 CURRICULUM MANUAL Lesson Plans for One Year

CHRISTIAN STUDIES, MEMORY, & MANNERS

LEVEL 3

Ages 7-9 (Chronological Age or Skill Level)

LATIN

ARITHMETIC & FINE-MOTOR

Prima Latina Student, Teacher, and Pronunciation CD

Rod & Staff Arithmetic 2 Student Units 1, 2, and 3, Teacher Units 1-2 and 3-5, and Blacklines, Write-On / Wipe-Off Demo Clock

RETAIL

394.32

$

PACKAGE PRICE

300

$

ENRICHMENT

LITERATURE, COMPOSITION, & GRAMMAR

SC 3 Enrichment Guide, Map of the U.S. Sticker Picture Book, States & Capitals Flashcards

Simply Classical More StoryTime Treasures Student and Teacher (p. 13), Billy and Blaze, The Story About Ping, Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie, Stone Soup, Wagon Wheels, Prairie School, Prairie School Student Guide, Simply Classical Writing: Book Two (Read-Aloud Ed.) (p. 13)

Copybook Cursive 3

NEW USER ADD-ON SET $95 New to Simply Classical?

You need these items from prior years.

Classical Phonics, The Story Bible, K, 1st, and 2nd Grade Art Cards, Phonics Flashcards, Core Skills Phonics 3

CURSIVE

PHONICS & SPELLING

New American Cursive 2 - Famous Americans (p. 14), My Thankfulness Journal - Beginner (p. 14), New American Cursive Desk Strip

First Start Reading Book E Student and Teacher, Core Skills Phonics 4, Core Skills Spelling 2, Sounds of the Sea, On the Trail, Simply Classical Spelling: Book Two (p. 13)

COMING SOON! SIMPLY CLASSICAL

CURRICULUM Level 4:

Mammals, Multiplication, & Myths 1-877-862-1097

In this level, the student moves from the primary stage into grammar level work. He practices more advanced spelling and writing, reads rich children's literature with greater depth, studies mammals and the animal kingdom, learns Latin 4 days per week, firms his arithmetic knowledge and begins multiplication, and he expands his classical studies to include the imaginative study of myths.

Simply Classical Curriculum

9

house

A HEALING

BY SUSAN PEARSON

"Y

ou are come to the very edge of the Wild, as some of you may know.

Hidden somewhere ahead of you is the fair valley of Rivendell where Elrond lives in the Last Homely House ‌. And so at last, they all came to the Last Homely House and found its doors flung wide." Vivid are the memories of two sets of wide eyes staring at me so many years ago as I read aloud these beautiful words from the third chapter of The Hobbit to my two boys. My emotions swept us away to Rivendell, where we imagined Elrond's "perfect" house in a valley barred from evil, a healing house.

We are told that Bilbo, his companions, and even the ponies "grew refreshed and strong in a few days there. Their clothes were mended as well as their bruises, their tempers and their hopes."

My family had been brought to the "edge of the Wild." We had entered a valley, only it was not the "fair valley," and it certainly wasn't as beautiful and environmentally alive as was Rivendell.

Therapy and doctor appointments, special diets

10

A Healing House

and diagnoses filled my days and convinced me my valley was dark. Our home had become a battleground, not hallowed ground, and a center of chaos instead of a sanctuary. I desperately needed to have this realization. We all did. I longed to create my very own Last Homely House, a healing house with doors flung wide.

We set out to reclaim hearth and home as sacred, a place to both heal and grow spiritually, mentally, and physically. We knew our efforts would be in vain unless we first established our "mission statement" for our parenting and homeschooling. Given the ages my boys were during this time, it seemed appropriate to model our goal for these formative years after those of our Lord: "Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." (Luke 2:52 NKJV) We purposed that everything we would do as a family and within our home itself would contribute to this goal of wisdom, stature, and favor in the eyes of God and man.

ClassicalSpecialNeeds.com

During the following years our family underwent a significant, yet positive, transformation. Our growth also involved a job change for my husband, an in-state move to a charming small town, and other changes, both big and small. Here are a few practices we established along the way that have become invaluable in helping us build our very own Last Homely House:

1

We begin and end every day with the Aaronic benediction over each of our sons: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be merciful to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace." (Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV)

2

We instituted morning and evening prayers with Bible readings. We converted a space in our upstairs into a family "prayer closet." There we light a candle in acknowledgment that the light signifies life and blessing. Together we stand before the Cross and pray, read, and sing.

3

We strive to maintain an atmosphere of peace and beauty by keeping the main living and study areas in our home neat and clean.

Additionally, we have found softly playing ancient, sacred Gregorian chants in the background during

most of our homeschool days to be extremely helpful, especially at the slightest indication that stress and tension are beginning to rise.

4

We take a long walk or hike as a family multiple times a week for fresh air, exercise, and for the opportunity to "walk and talk along the way." This is in addition to other structured daily physical exercise, to include strength and endurance training. The benefits, especially for children with any special needs, cannot be overestimated.

5

We seek regularly to simplify, to carve out a deeply meaningful life unencumbered by excess. This is critical for remaining faithful to our family's priorities. We spend time at least quarterly combing through closets, drawers, books, papers, and the garage to identify all that can be thrown away, given away, or sold.

We often fail each other, yet we trust in the One who truly gained wisdom, stature, and favor in the eyes of God and man. With His help we have brought a greater level of simplicity, order, and balance to our lives, and are better able serve one another and to respond to the needs of others with "doors flung wide" to our very own healing house.

Myself & Others Ages 4-13, chronological age or skill level Guide Books $19.95 ea.

Book One Core Set $52 | Book One Read-Aloud Set $95 Book Two Core Set $22 | Book Two Read-Aloud Set $92 Book Three Core Set $55 Book Four Core Set $48

Myself & Others: Lessons for Social Understanding, Habits, and Manners by Cheryl Swope This program is designed for all students. These 14-week sets provide simple lessons in common courtesy, character, and compassion that often seem neglected today. With easy-to-teach instructions, each book provides 4-day lessons that can be taught in as little as 30-60 minutes per day over a single semester or summer.

Myself & Others has five components: 1. Rules – basic social rules for daily life 2. Health – essentials for hygiene, physical and mental health, and forming good habits 3. Safety – guidelines and cautions for staying safe in various circumstances 4. Manners – instruction and practice with good manners to serve others well 5. Listening – daily literature selections for delight, moral imagination, and improved attention

Book One is a good beginning course with visual aids for all students ages 4-7.

Book Two teaches rules, manners, safety, healthy habits, and social perception in students ages 5-8.

Book Three includes structured exercises and is used in conjunction with the Aesop Copybook. For all students ages 7-10.

Book Four deepens social understanding and develops lifelong habits in all students ages 9-13.

Each book can be taught to children with special learning needs whose maturity and understanding fall in the above age ranges no matter their chronological age.

Myself & Others is a stand-alone course that can be taught alongside any curriculum in home or school.

To view guide samples and full book set lists, visit MemoriaPress.com.

1-877-862-1097

A Healing House

11

TEACHING YOUR CHILD WELL 14 Tips to Adapt Classical Education for the Challenged Learner

by Cheryl Swope A classical education curriculum can often be adapted for use with students who have learning challenges. Start with visually clean, uncluttered books with a clear, step-by-step progression and built-in review designed to help you teach for mastery. Then make any or all of the following modifications: 1. Reduce the amount of material presented in each lesson.

2. Offer additional practice before moving to the next lesson.

3. Increase the student's understanding through more frequent questioning and requiring the student to paraphrase.

4. Give more review of the content through recitations, chants, orations, or contests.

5. Provide instruction year-round with light summer sessions to prevent regression.

6. Teach material more frequently one-on-one or in a smaller group.

7. Provide literature and history selections on audio book so the student can listen multiple times, if needed.

8. Eliminate some of the required writing and allow oral answers in history and science.

9. Do not require reading aloud in areas such as history and science if this compromises understanding.

10. Teach typing to older students and allow typed assignments where appropriate.

11. Plan to extend graduation a year to provide additional academic support.

12. Consider supplementing with an online course or consider dual enrollment for a subject or two.

13. If needed, consider an alternative curriculum. The Simply Classical Curriculum was created for those students who require modification in order to learn. With slower pacing, more incremental practice, greater repetition, and multisensory input, challenged students have responded well to these full-year programs designed specifically for them. Find readiness assessments online at ClassicalSpecialNeeds.com to select suitable placement.

14. Remember these words from Mrs. Cheryl Lowe, founder of Memoria Press: "A classical education is like climbing a mountain, each child benefiting from whatever vistas he or she attains in that upward journey."

Find many more suggestions with encouragement and stories of successful adaptation from infancy through high school graduation in Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child.

12

Teaching Your Child Well

ClassicalSpecialNeeds.com

Language Arts Ages 6-9, chronological age or skill level

Ages 6-9, chronological age or skill level

Student $19.95 ea.

Teacher $10.00

$40 each set

(Book 2 only)

Simply Classical Writing: Books 1 & 2 (choose from Read-Aloud or Bible Story editions)

"What should I write? I don't know what to say." The so-called progressive approach leaves beginning writers ill-prepared for the art of writing. This series combines classical copybook, grammar rules, and composition into one carefully sequenced series of explicit instruction, so students can practice early writing skills with confidence.

Simply Classical StoryTime Treasures (Student, Teacher, Little Bear, Little Bear's Visit, Caps for Sale, & Blueberrries for Sal)

Simply Classical More StoryTime Treasures (Student, Teacher, Billy and Blaze, The Story About Ping, Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie, & Stone Soup)

Blossoming readers need to discover the riches of a good story. With simplified exercises in word study, composition, and oration, this delightful guide provides a joyful introduction to children's literature.

Simply Classical Spelling: Books 1 & 2 This series gives your struggling writer an incremental, multi-sensory approach with an oral/aural emphasis. Each week includes targeted Word Study exercises to promote linguistic awareness, cognitive flexibility, and improved spelling skills. ✓ Improve auditory discrimination ✓ Increase cognitive flexibility

BOOK NOTES

Ages 6-9, chronological age or skill level $14.95 ea.

✓ Strengthen listening skills ✓ Build spelling confidence

A Book Review by Michelle Swope

T

Little House in the Big Woods

his is the first book in a series of the life and childhood of Laura Ingalls Wilder, starting when she was a young girl, age six.

She learns what is expected of her, as was expected of her mother, Caroline. From parties with family to household duties to everyday customs as were common for a pioneer girl growing up in the 1800s, from petty jealousies to schoolmates to obedience toward family, or lack thereof, readers of this book will have fun from start to end.

I do have some cautions, which include some saucy, disobedient behavior that might not be acceptable for young eyes. There are several references to corporal punishment that might be difficult to hear for certain age levels. But this is the truest series, true to form, that I know of for this era. It is a good look into life in the West, starting in Wisconsin.

Having received and read the set of Little House books in early childhood as my first big chapter book set, I can say that this first book is very well done. You'll soon hear "more please" or such like it, if Little House in the Big Woods is read as a family. If your children read the book themselves at the dinner table because they can't put it down, it may get mussed because of repeated usage, or you may hear chuckling or snorts of laughter. This is a good book that I recommend.

by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Happy tales!

This book is included in the literature selections of the upcoming Simply Classical Curriculum Level 4.

Michelle Swope was born in 1995 with her twin brother, Michael. She likes reading, listening to music, and playing with her cat Silky. Despite having schizophrenia, autism, and learning disabilities, Michelle graduated from her homeschool in 2013 and has since written two books of fireside poetry, Through Time's Looking Glass and her recent release, God's Harvest.

1-877-862-1097

Language Arts

13

SPOTLIGHT Thankfulness Journals I was so intrigued when I saw these simple journals by Memoria Press—there are oh-so-many reasons why it's a good idea to keep a thankfulness journal. For starters, Scripture commands us to thank the Lord again and again. It helps guard our hearts from discontentment or envy, and reminds us of the many reasons we have to be joyful.

I follow the suggestion given in the opening guidelines of the book and light a candle while the children write in their journals. I like how this marks the event as special and helps create a suitable mood. Not only are they reaping so many great benefits now, but they are creating special keepsakes that I know we'll love to look back on someday!

— Angela Blau

Copybooks Ages 6-12, chronological age or skill level

Ages 4-11, chronological age or skill level

Beginner Journal $8.50 Intermediate Journal $8.50

$8.95

My Thankfulness Journals (New American Cursive font)

by Cheryl Swope

These journals let students practice their cursive writing while thinking about God's daily blessings in their lives. Each page begins "Dear Heavenly Father," and closes, "Your child," with space for the child's signature.

In between is room for students to list their blessings each day. The Intermediate Journal is a smaller font size and has less tracing as students progress.

My Nature Journal

by Cheryl Swope

Savor small moments of wonder with your child as he learns the simple beauty of nature. Create a keepsake for your child as you witness improvement in his knowledge, attention to detail, and writing skills through the exercises. Help your child make essential connections between oral language and written language, even as you assist his ability to observe and enjoy the wonders of nature.

This book can stand alone as a delightful supplement to any program.

Ages 5-9, chronological age or skill level Book One, Manuscript $8.95 Book Two (Manuscript or Cursive) $8.95 Book Three, Cursive $8.95

New American Cursive rsive

by Iris Hatfield Grades 1-4

Book 1 $22.95 Book 2 (Scripture or Famous Quotes) $22.95 Book 3 (Scripture or Famous Quotes) $22.95 Startwrite CD $29.95

Simple, clear, & effective!

• Natural right slant (easier for beginners & lefties) • Illustrations/Exercises for letter connections • Bound at the top for right or left-handers • Focus on accuracy and legibility • Simplified classic letter forms • Multi-sensory teaching methods • Takes only 15 min./day Ages 4-7,

Simply Classical Copybook Series: Book One, Two, and Three by Cheryl Swope Copybook is the time-honored activity in which students copy Scripture, maxims, poetry, and other literature selections. Copybook can assist children with special needs, even those who might otherwise find writing difficult. Through Simply Classical Copybook, students can strengthen penmanship, spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, fine-motor skills, and memory, while they learn habits of accuracy, neatness, and patience. Even more, they can receive truth and comfort from Holy Scripture. Shorter selections help accommodate for writing difficulties while providing the full benefits of copybook exercises for all beginning writers.

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Penmanship

chronological age or skill level $12.95

Letters & Numbers Desk Charts Reinforce your teaching with desk charts formatted to accompany lessons. Bold, targeted letters assist visual discrimination.

ClassicalSpecialNeeds.com

TOP 10 REASONS TO LEARN CURSIVE

by Iris Hatfield, author of New American Cursive Developing an attractive, legible cursive handwriting style certainly has great aesthetic value, but it also has numerous mental, physical, social, and practical benefits.

1. Improved neural connections. Cursive handwriting stimulates the brain in ways that typing cannot.

It improves the dynamic interplay of the left and right cerebral hemispheres, helps build neural pathways, and increases mental effectiveness. According to Virginia Berninger, a researcher and professor at the University of Washington, "Pictures of brain activity have illustrated that sequential finger movements used in handwriting activated massive regions of the brain involved in thinking, language, and working memory. Handwriting differs from typing because it requires executing sequential finger strokes to form a letter, whereas keyboarding only involves touching a key."

2. Improved ability to read cursive. When individuals cannot read cursive, they are cursively illiterate in their own language. The ability to read cursive is required in many settings.

3. Increased writing speed. The connectivity of a simple cursive style is faster to write than the stopand-start strokes of printing. Speed has been shown to increase attention span during writing. This increases continuity and fluidity in writing, which in turn encourages greater amounts of writing.

4. Improved fine motor skills. "Cursive handwriting naturally develops sensory skills. Through repetition the children begin to understand how much force needs to be applied to the pencil and paper, the positioning of the pencil to paper at the correct angle, and motor planning to form each letter in fluid motion from left to right. This physical and spatial awareness allows them to write, but more importantly, builds the neural foundation of sensory skills needed for a myriad of everyday tasks such as buttoning, fastening, tying shoes, picking up objects, copying words from blackboards, and most importantly, reading." (Cutting Cursive, The Real Cost. Candace Meyer, CEO, Minds-in-Motion, Inc.) 5. Increased retention. The act of taking notes by hand instead of on a computer encourages a student to process the content and reframe it, which leads to better understanding and retention. Studies indicate that college students remembered information better one week later when they transcribed a paragraph in cursive than when they printed it or used a keyboard.

6. Ease of learning. Printing is more difficult than cursive due to the frequent stop-and-start motion when forming letters. In addition, some printed letters look similar and are easily reversed, like the b and d, which is often confusing to children. Cursive is of particular value to children with learning challenges such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, and difficulties with attention.

7. Improved legibility and spelling ability. Cursive requires children to write from left to right so that the letters will join in proper sequence and with proper spacing, making their writing easier to read.

It also aids with spelling through muscle memory, as the hand acquires memory of spelling patterns through fluid movements that are used repeatedly. This is the same phenomenon that occurs when pianists learn patterns of hand movements through continued repetition.

8. Increased self-discipline. Cursive handwriting is complex, and is inherently associated with the development of fine-motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Learning cursive prompts children to also develop self-discipline, which is a useful skill in all areas of life.

9. Higher quality signature. Cursive handwriting will improve the attractiveness, legibility, and fluidity of one's signature.

10. Increased self-respect. The ability to master the skill of writing clearly and fluidly improves the students' confidence to communicate freely with the written word. Handwriting is a vital life skill.

1-877-862-1097

Top 10 Reasons to Learn Cursive

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PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Memoria Press

4603 Poplar Level Road Louisville, KY 40213

presents

THE ORDER

OF THINGS The Classical Tradition of Teaching the Best Things at the Right Time

July 9-10

2018

TO REGISTER: MemoriaPress.com/SG18

Join us for the Special-Needs Track with workshops led

by Cheryl Swope and experienced Simply Classical users

GATHERING AT:

Highlands Latin School Louisville, KY