Simply Classical Journal - Summer 2020

A Publication of Memoria Press

Summer 2020

journal As Much of Infinity as My Intellect Could Apprehend

by Cheryl Swope

When Math Doesn't Come Easily

by Kathy Kuhl Finding Meaning

by Larissa Nusz

Classical Education for Children with Special Needs

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

I

received a lovely note the other day thanking me for an article Cheryl Lowe—not I—had written. With two people in one publishing house named Cheryl, things can become confusing.

Let there be no mistake: I was but a quiet mother of toddler twins in Missouri when Cheryl Lowe founded Memoria Press in 1998. Two years later, when she founded Highlands Latin School, I was still scrambling to grasp where my own teacher training had been correct, and where it had not. But Mrs. Lowe was already moving to resuscitate an understanding of the educational needs that are common to man, and she was meeting those needs with determined, elegant excellence.

More than a decade later, after reading her articles, teaching from her ecclesiastical Latin books, and enjoying her study guides for the Famous Men series, I began to realize that I owed her my gratitude. She was one of the few voices that seemed able to unite classical and sacred studies with wisdom and clarity. I especially appreciated Mrs. Lowe's answer to the question, "Why should Christians study the Greeks and Romans?"

Rereading the Apology of Socrates has made me realize why the Gospel is called the Good News, and how good it was to the Greeks, as well as the Jews. The Jews couldn't live up to the Law, and the Greeks couldn't live up to Socrates.

Scripture shows us our true human condition in a way the Greeks did not and could not—our relationship to God, that we are sinners, a fallen race in need of redemption, that sin separates us from God, that God loves us and offers us grace and salvation, a free gift!

In 2011 I wrote Mrs. Lowe a letter of thanks, telling her that the fruit of her efforts had been revealed in my own children. When she embraced my idea for a guidebook to help bring her mission of a classical education to children with learning differences, behavioral difficulties, and other challenges, she gave life to my book Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child.

I met her for the first time in 2012. By 2014, together we had begun to create Simply Classical teaching resources for children with autism, Down syndrome, and specific learning disabilities. My desire is to remain true to her vision.

In a classical education we place high standards before our children. We must ensure that these same children receive the merciful news that they are loved, forgiven, and redeemed in Christ Jesus. As Mrs. Lowe reminded us: This is the good news that has been revealed in Scripture and the person of Jesus Christ, and nowhere else. Where the Greeks went wrong, Scripture sets us right.

I remain grateful for Mrs. Lowe and for her right ordering of teaching within a classical education. Let us continue in her footsteps for the sake of all children in our care.

2

Heading Letter from Goes the Here Editor

SimplyClassical.com

SIMPLY CLASSICAL JOURNAL

Summer 2020 FEATURED ARTICLES

2 4 14

CURRICULUM

Letter from the Editor by Cheryl Swope Finding Meaning by Larissa Nusz As Much of Infinity as My Intellect Could Apprehend

by Cheryl Swope

17 18

Book Notes by Michelle Swope

6 7 16 17

Enrichment, Language Arts

Ages 3-9

Simply Classical Curriculum Packages

Ages 2-14

Cursive, Copybooks, Thankfulness Journals

Ages 4-12

Character Building

Ages 4-13

For students older than 14, contact CherylSwope@memoriapress.com for free customization.

When Math Doesn't Come Easily by Kathy Kuhl

Use coupon code 5SUMMERSCJ20 for $5 off your next order!

Follow @_SimplyClassical_ on Instagram and tell us your #simplyclassicalstories!

NOW AVAILABLE! Simply Classical Curriculum Levels 7 & 8

SimplyClassical.com/Forum A free forum for all things Simply Classical.

Encouragement. Instruction. Community.

SODALITAS & TEACHER TR AINING

Online Conference Save the Date!

JULY 8 –10 Join us for the Special-Needs Track with workshops led by Cheryl Swope and experienced Simply Classical users.

© Copyright 2020 (all rights reserved) Publisher | Memoria Press Editors | Cheryl Swope & Martin Cothran

Managing Editor | Dayna Grant Copy Editor | Ellen R. Hale Graphic Designers | Aileen Delgado & Jessica Osborne

SimplyClassical.com

MEMORIA PRESS MemoriaPress.com

FINDING MEANING

by Larissa Nusz

H

ow long can you stare at hieroglyphs you can't decipher before you shrug your shoulders, smile, and move on? Without a cipher, or the ability to translate the pictograms into meaningful sounds or images, they would be just fancy lines and dots to you.

I sometimes imagine that to the child with a language impairment, everything looks and sounds like an unintelligible foreign language.

I remember teaching my eldest daughter a lesson on cuneiform. At first glance, the stacks of triangular prisms set deep into clay looked like bird tracks at the seashore.

By the end of the week my daughter was spelling out "God is love" in cuneiform in moist Virginia clay. What started out as unconnected input became a meaningful, eternal assurance. That is the beauty of ordering knowledge. It brings meaning to the wide and diverse inputs we experience by the millions on a daily basis.

When my son was first diagnosed with a language delay, I tried in vain on my own to get language to become meaningful for him. The symbols I showed him—in books and in our world—seemed to pass him by. After a wasted year at a preschool that was a poor fit for him, I turned in desperation to the internet, where time after time parents recommended the Simply Classical Curriculum. I prayed and prayed, mostly that the Lord would tell me not to homeschool him.

Surely, if teachers and therapists with advanced degrees couldn't coax my son out of his shell of silence, how could I? How could I defend another wasted year in that critical window of language formation? I had already brought my eldest daughter home, and we were having so much fun! How would I handle the added struggle of instructing a child in work he had no interest in doing?

My father, a pastor, was my greatest encourager; he saw my eldest daughter's success under my tutelage.

Yet I was unable to envision the same result for my child with language delay. Assenting to my father's godly wisdom, I stepped out in faith to teach Simply Classical Curriculum Level B to my son.

Those first months were humbling. Stories were pushed away. Sitting was a challenge. Speaking was hard won. But the low-stakes repetition of memory verses and ready answers to recitation questions built success for my reluctant talker. I saw how the curriculum laid a most beautiful foundation in literature, language, and ideas. I watched my son explode in language, interests, and maturity as I followed this curriculum designed to meet his specific learning needs.

Larissa Nusz and her husband live in Virginia with their children, whom they homeschool with meaning. Larissa can be found on our Simply Classical forum, SimplyClassical.com, as Enbateau.

1-877-862-1097

As I read more about the rationale behind classical Christian education, I decided I wanted the same cohesive curriculum for my whole family. I switched to Memoria Press Second Grade for my eldest. I had noticed how every detail included in my son's curriculum was relevant to what he would learn as he advanced through the grades, and, knowing there were gaps in my daughter's knowledge, I spent the summer prior to beginning second grade in First Grade Enrichment and Rod & Staff Arithmetic 1. When my son sat on my lap to hear his sister's stories, he would interject with connections to books we had read in his studies. This curriculum had unlocked his ability to read deeply, and my mommy-educator heart was singing.

I listened as my son spoke spontaneously, measured in word but with purpose. He went from two-word sentences to ten-word sentences with introductory phrases and transition words. I directly attribute this to the rich children's literature that Memoria Press promotes. I appreciated the sensible apologetic for avoiding empty, stream-of-consciousness children's books in favor of those with elevated dialogue, rich vocabulary, and varied syntax. Soon, he was asking to sit in on his sister's morning recitation, and he soaked up seasons, presidents, coins, and continents. He could finish, "the sun..." with "rises in the east and sets in the west," pointing out our sunlit kitchen window's eastern exposure. My quiet little boy knew things, and he finally wanted to tell me about them.

Here, at the end of the year, I sit in delight at how much different his world is now that he knows things and can talk about them. He knows symbols, letters, plants, and animals. He knows of a world outside of his own, a blessed gift unto itself. This child has favorite books, and he loves to try to retell the storylines without erupting into peals of laughter.

Inspired by the beautiful children's literature we studied through Memoria Press, my husband and I took our children on a storybook tour of Maine. My children pet a blue-ribbon pig at the Blue Hill Fair of Charlotte's Web fame. They hiked the rugged wilderness setting of coastal Maine depicted in Island Boy. My eldest experienced the joy of clamming the same week she lost a tooth, much like Sal in One Morning in Maine.

We toured Buck's Harbor, savoring the salt-crisp olive focaccia of the still-standing market as the children clamored for ice cream like Sal's little sister Jane. We picked wild blueberries near the cottage we rented and giggled that we, too, ate more berries than we brought home. What made the trip truly special was all of the connections they made. They saw things they learned through children's books, and those things—no longer hieroglyphs—suddenly had meaning.

Finding Meaning

5

Enrichment Ages 3-5,

Ages 7-9,

chronological age or skill level

Ages 3-5,

chronological age or skill level

chronological age or skill level

$19.95

$9.95 ea.

(Book One or Book Two)

$6.00 ea.

Scissors Books 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. 8) or may serve as a useful precursor to Simply Classical Crafts. Both books feature perforated pages and large "cutting boxes" to promote the child's success.

Simply Classical Enrichment: Level 3 This guide helps you teach American history, poetry, music, art, and science through the Simply Classical Level 3 American History Read-Aloud set, maps, classical music selections, and art cards.

Everything is scheduled for you weekly with thoughtful discussion questions, science activities, and topics for art and music appreciation that will enrich your year and 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 delight. Enjoy each of your creations and the time spent together making them!

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

$14.95 ea.

(Book 2 only)

Simply Classical Spelling: Books 1 & 2

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.

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 ✓ Strengthen listening skills ✓ Build spelling confidence

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

Ages 6-9, chronological age or skill level $40 each set

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

Blossoming readers need more than practice; they need to discover the riches of a good story.

With simplified exercises in word study, composition, and oration, these delightful guides provide a joyful introduction to children's literature. Teach essential language arts skills as your students encounter stories of tenderness, bravery, and kindness. Created especially for struggling learners or students with special needs, these adaptations of the Memoria Press originals are each subtitled "A Guide to Reading Deeply and Writing Skillfully through a Collection of Four Stories." The Teacher Guides provide sample answers modeled in complete, well-formed sentences.

6

Enrichment & Language Arts

SimplyClassical.com

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

Simply Classical Curriculum

LEVEL A PACKAGE PRICE

225

$

Readiness, Rhythm, & Rhyme Ages 2-3 (Chronological Age or Skill Level)

Curriculum Manual Only $30

• • • • • • • • • • • •

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

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

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

Simply Classical Curriculum

LEVEL B

Curriculum Manual Only $30 Consumables Only $25 Supplemental Read-Aloud Set $130 CURRICULUM MANUAL Lesson Plans for One Year

Essentials, Etiquette, & Ear Training Ages 3-4 (Chronological Age or Skill Level) 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?

RETAIL

213.14

$

PACKAGE PRICE

185

$

PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS, PHONICS, & READING Alphabet Coloring Book, My First ABC Book, Simply Classical Crafts Book One (p. 18), Alphabet Flashcards

ARITHMETIC & FINE-MOTOR

ENRICHMENT

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

My First Body, 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!

New to Simply Classical?

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

1-877-862-1097

Simply Classical Curriculum

7

Simply Classical Curriculum

LEVEL C RETAIL

230.96

$

Curriculum Manual Only $30 Consumables Only $85 Supplemental Read-Aloud Set $370

Animals, Alphabet, & Aesop Ages 4-5 (Chronological Age or Skill Level) CHRISTIAN STUDIES, MEMORY, & MANNERS

PACKAGE PRICE

200

$

PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS, PHONICS, & READING Alphabet Books 1-2, Classical Phonics, First Start Reading A Student Book, First Start Reading Teacher, Simply Classical Letters & Numbers Desk Charts (p. 19)

My ABC of Bible Verses

CURRICULUM MANUAL Lesson Plans for One Year

ARITHMETIC & FINE-MOTOR Numbers Books 1-2, Going on Eagerly, My Very Own Scissors Book (p. 18)

ENRICHMENT

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

Animals Animals, Simply Classical Crafts Book Two (p. 18), 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

LEVEL 1

Curriculum Manual Only $30 Consumables Only $70 Supplemental Read-Aloud Set $175 Supplemental Science & Enrichment Set $135 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 1 (p. 19)

New to Simply Classical? You need these items from Level C. Classical Phonics $16.95 Letters & Numbers Desk Charts $12.95 First Start Reading Teacher $14.95

8

Sentences, Sums, & Stories Ages 5-6 (Chronological Age or Skill Level)

Simply Classical Curriculum

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

ENRICHMENT Kindergarten & First Grade Art Cards, Hailstones and Halibut Bones, A Child's Book of Poems, The Days Gone By CD, My Nature Journal (p. 19), Our World Jumbo Puzzle

RETAIL

457.61

$

PACKAGE PRICE

350

$

ARITHMETIC & FINE-MOTOR Rod & Staff Arithmetic 1 Student (part 1), Teacher, Flashcards, Practice Sheets, 100 Bugs!: A Counting Book, This First Thanksgiving Day

SimplyClassical.com

Simply Classical Curriculum

Curriculum Manual Only $30 Consumables Only $125 Optional Extended Literature Set $21 Supp. Literature, Science, History, & Geography Read-Aloud Set $250 Comprehension, Calculations, & Character Supp. Arithmetic Read-Aloud Set $50 Ages 6-8 (Chronological Age or Skill Level)

LEVEL 2

CURRICULUM MANUAL Lesson Plans for One Year

CURSIVE Cursive Practice Sheets, New American Cursive 1 (p. 19)

RETAIL

278.71

$

PACKAGE PRICE

LITERATURE, COMPOSITION, & GRAMMAR Simply Classical Writing: Book One (Read-Aloud Ed.) (p. 18), Simply Classical StoryTime Treasures Student and Teacher (p. 18), Little Bear, Little Bear's Visit, Blueberries for Sal, Caps for Sale, At the Farm

ARITHMETIC & FINE-MOTOR Rod & Staff Arithmetic 1 Student (Part 2), Speed Drills

PHONICS & SPELLING I Can Read It! Book 2, Core Skills Phonics 2-3, Phonics Flashcards, Core Skills Spelling 1, Simply Classical Spelling: Book One (p. 18)

ENRICHMENT

New to Simply Classical?

You need these items from prior levels.

250

$

Second Grade Art Cards, Animal Tales CD

CHRISTIAN STUDIES, MEMORY, & MANNERS SC Copybook 2: Manuscript (p. 19)

Classical Phonics $16.95 Arithmetic 1 Teacher $20.95 Arithmetic 1 Practice Sheets $16.50 Arithmetic 1 Flashcards $17.80 A Child's Garden of Bible Stories $11.99

"I just wanted to say what a blessing this curriculum has been. I have seen such tremendous progress with my eight-year-old son. I suspect he has ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. Reading for him had been such a struggle. Now I am so much more hopeful and have such a sense of relief. His reading, printing, and spelling have improved. So for those of you debating about trying this curriculum I highly recommend it." — Elise

1-877-862-1097

Simply Classical Curriculum

9

Simply Classical Curriculum

LEVEL 3 RETAIL

386.87

$

Literature, Latin, & Liberty Ages 7-9 (Chronological Age or Skill Level)

LITERATURE, COMPOSITION, & GRAMMAR

PACKAGE PRICE

300

$

Curriculum Manual Only $30 Consumables Only $130 Optional American History Read-Aloud Set $275 Supplemental Arithmetic Read-Aloud Set $60 Level 3 Supplemental Science & Enrichment Set $290

Simply Classical More StoryTime Treasures Student and Teacher (p. 18), Billy and Blaze, The Story About Ping, Keep the Lights Burning Abbie, Stone Soup, Wagon Wheels, Prairie School, Prairie School Student and Teacher, Simply Classical Writing: Book Two (Read-Aloud Ed.) Student and Teacher (p. 18)

CURRICULUM MANUAL Lesson Plans for One Year

CURSIVE

PHONICS & SPELLING

New American Cursive 2: Famous Americans (p. 19), My Thankfulness Journal: Beginner (p. 19), 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. 18)

LATIN Prima Latina Student, Teacher, and Pronunciation CD

CHRISTIAN STUDIES, MEMORY, & MANNERS Simply Classical Copybook: Cursive (p. 19)

ARITHMETIC & FINE-MOTOR 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

ENRICHMENT SC Enrichment: Level 3 (p. 18), Map of the U.S. Sticker Picture Book, States & Capitals Flashcards

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

You need these items from prior levels.

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

10

Simply Classical Curriculum

SimplyClassical.com

Curriculum Manual Only $30 Consumables Only $130 Optional Level 2 Extended Literature Set $19.50 Optional Level 4 Extended Literature Set $26.00 CURRICULUM MANUAL Lesson Plans for One Year

Simply Classical Curriculum

LEVEL 4

Mammals, Multiplication, & Myths Ages 8-10 (Chronological Age or Skill Level)

CURSIVE

PHONICS & SPELLING

New American Cursive 2: Famous Quotations and Scripture, My Thankfulness Journal: Beginner (p. 19), Prima Latina Copybook

Traditional Spelling I set

RETAIL

530.78

$

PACKAGE PRICE

400

$

LITERATURE, COMPOSITION, & GRAMMAR

LATIN

Animal Folk Tales set, The Courage of Sarah Noble set, Little House in the Big Woods set, Second Grade Literature Dictionary, Core Skills Language Arts 1 and 2

Prima Latina DVDs, Prima Latina Flashcards

ENRICHMENT Heroes, Horses, and Harvest Moons: A Cornucopia of Best-Loved Poems, Vol. 1 CD, Don't Know Much About the 50 States, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty & the Beast, King Midas and the Golden Touch, Cupid & Psyche, Persephone, Pegasus, The Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War, Mammals Student, Mammals Teacher, The World of Mammals, What Is the Animal Kingdom?, What Is a Mammal?, My Nature Journal (p. 19), Composition & Sketchbook II

ARITHMETIC

NEW USER ADD-ON SET $83

Rod & Staff Arithmetic 2 Student (Unit 4) and Student (Unit 5), Flashkids Flashcards: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division

New to Simply Classical? You need these items from prior levels.

1-877-862-1097

Rod & Staff Arithmetic 2 Teacher Manual Units 3-5, Prima Latina Student, Prima Latina Teacher, Prima Latina Pronunciation CD, States & Capitals Flashcards, Map of the U.S. Sticker Picture Book, Classical Phonics, Phonics Flashcards

Simply Classical Curriculum

11

Simply Classical Curriculum

Curriculum Manual Only: Two-Year Standard Pace $45 Curriculum Manual Only: One-Year Accelerated Pace $30 Consumables Only $140 Grammar, Greece, & Gratitude Optional Simply Classical American History Set (for independent reading) $275 Ages 9-12 (Chronological Age or Skill Level) Levels 5 & 6 Read-Aloud Set $90

LEVELS 5 & 6

RETAIL

696.68

$

PACKAGE PRICE

530

$

515 for One-Year Pace

$

ARITHMETIC

CLASSICAL STUDIES

CURRICULUM MANUAL

Rod & Staff Arithmetic 3 Student, Teacher, Blacklines, Speed Drills, Supplemental Worksheets, and Supplemental Worksheets Key

D'Aulaires' Greek Myths Text, Teacher, and Flashcards, Timeline Program, Courage and a Clear Mind CD

Lesson Plans: Two-Year Pace or One-Year Pace (Two-Year Pace contains extra review!)

LITERATURE, COMPOSITION, & GRAMMAR Core Skills Language Arts 3, English Grammar Practice Student and Teacher, Introduction to Composition Student and Teacher, English Grammar Recitation, English Grammar Recitation I Teacher, English Grammar Recitation Flashcards, Composition & Sketchbook III, Farmer Boy novel and Teacher, Charlotte's Web novel and Teacher, A Bear Called Paddington novel and Teacher, Mr. Popper's Penguins novel and Teacher, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Poetry for the Grammar Stage Student and Teacher

LATIN

CHRISTIAN STUDIES

ENRICHMENT

Latina Christiana Student, Teacher, and Pronunciation CD, Latina Christiana Review Worksheets, Latina Christiana Review Worksheets Key

Christian Studies I Teacher, Memory Verse Flashcards, Old Testament Flashcards, The Golden Children's Bible

Creating Art, Music Appreciation I, States & Capitals Student, States & Capitals Teacher, God's Protected World Student, God's Protected World Teacher

PHONICS & SPELLING

CURSIVE

NEW USER ADD-ON SET $70

Traditional Spelling II Student, Teacher, and Practice Sheets

New American Cursive 3: Scripture and Manners, My Thankfulness Journal: Intermediate (p. 19)

New to Simply Classical? You need these items from prior levels.

Demo Clock, States & Capitals Flashcards, Prima Latina/Latina Christiana Flashcards, Classical Phonics, Phonics Flashcards, Addition Flashcards, Subtraction Flashcards, Multiplication Flashcards, Division Flashcards

OPTIONAL: ADDITIONAL WRITING PRACTICE SET $100

Many of our studies in Levels 5 & 6 are conducted orally, as students with special needs often encounter difficulties with writing despite an ability to learn challenging content. We have assembled this set of workbooks for any student who needs or wants additional writing practice.

12

Simply Classical Curriculum

SimplyClassical.com

Curriculum Manual Only: Two-Year Standard Pace $45 Curriculum Manual Only: One-Year Accelerated Pace $30 Consumables Only $65 Levels 7 & 8 Read-Aloud Set $68

Simply Classical Curriculum

LEVELS 7 & 8 Poetry, Pleiades, & Promises Ages 11-14 (Chronological Age or Skill Level)

CURRICULUM MANUAL

LATIN

SPELLING

CURSIVE

Lesson Plans: Two-Year Pace or One-Year Pace (Two-Year Pace contains extra review!)

Simply Classical Latin Games & Puzzles Workbook and Key

Rod & Staff Grade 4 Spelling Student and Teacher

Copybook Cursive II

RETAIL

606.54

$

PACKAGE PRICE

440

$

425 for One-Year Pace

$

LITERATURE, COMPOSITION, & GRAMMAR The Moffats novel and Teacher; My Side of the Mountain novel and Teacher; Homer Price novel and Teacher; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe novel and Teacher; A Promise Kept; Good King Wenceslas; Papa Panov’s Special Christmas; Poetry for the Grammar Stage Anthology; Carry On, Mr. Bowditch; Detectives in Togas; Mystery of the Roman Ransom; The Trumpet of the Swan; Rod & Staff English 4 Student, Teacher, Worksheets, and Tests

ARITHMETIC

ENRICHMENT

Rod & Staff Arithmetic 4 Student, Teacher (Parts 1-2), Tests, Speed Drills, Speed Drill Packet

Book of Astronomy Student and Teacher; Glow in the Dark Constellations; Draw 50 Animals; Geography I Text, Workbook, and Teacher; The United States Review Student and Teacher; Geography Flashcards; Music Appreciation CD; Story of the World, Vol. 1: Ancient Times

CLASSICAL STUDIES Famous Men of Rome Text, Teacher, and Flashcards

CHRISTIAN

NEW USER ADD-ON SET $125

Christian Studies II Teacher

New to Simply Classical? You need these items from prior levels.

Old Testament Flashcards; Golden Children’s Bible; Timeline set; Poetry for the Grammar Stage Student and Teacher; English Grammar Recitation; English Grammar Recitation Flashcards; Music Appreciation I

OPTIONAL: ADDITIONAL WRITING PRACTICE SET $70

Many of our studies in Levels 7 & 8 are conducted orally, as students with special needs often encounter difficulties with writing despite an ability to learn challenging content. We have assembled this set of workbooks for any student who needs or wants additional writing practice.

1-877-862-1097

Simply Classical Curriculum

13

As Much of Infinity as My Intellect Could Apprehend

by Cheryl Swope 14

SimplyClassical.com

On

the Feast of St. John the Evangelist in 1571, a baby boy named Johannes Kepler came into the world. Born prematurely, he was weak and sickly as a child. By the time he was born he had two brothers and a sister. When Johannes was five years old, his father left the family.

When Johannes was six years old, his mother, the daughter of an innkeeper, took young Johannes to a high place to view the Great Comet of 1577 which had attracted astronomers from around the world.

At age nine, Johannes observed a lunar eclipse, later relating being called outdoors to see the spectacular event. His mother could not have known the impact these events would have.

Childhood smallpox left Johannes with crippled hands and weak vision that limited his observational abilities, but the spark of interest in astronomy and mathematics kindled by his mother remained. He was said to have captivated the attention of travelers to his grandfather's inn by his mathematical insights.

In 1589, after Johannes had completed grammar school, Latin school, and seminary, he began further studies in theology and philosophy. Proving himself a great mathematician and astronomer, in a student disputation Kepler defended heliocentrism both from theoretical positing and from theological understanding.

Kepler discovered laws of planetary motion after years of arduous experimentation and observation.

In Mathematics: Is God Silent?, author James Nickel notes that Johannes Kepler also became one of the first to use Napier's logarithms to calculate the orbits of the planets. Kepler united theory with theology, experience with experimentation, and observation with ontology. In Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae, one of Kepler's works published between 1618-1621, he evidenced the influence of theology upon his mathematical understandings: For He Himself has let man take part in the knowledge of these things and thus not in small measure has set up His image in man. Since He recognized as very good this image which He made, He will so much more readily recognize our efforts with the light of this image also to push into the light of knowledge the utilization of the numbers, weights and sizes which He marked out at creation. For these secrets are not of the kind

Cheryl Swope is the author of Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child and Memoria Press' Simply Classical Curriculum, as well as editor of the Simply Classical Journal.

1-877-862-1097

whose research should be forbidden; rather they are set before our eyes like a mirror so that by examining them we observe to some extent the goodness and wisdom of the Creator.

Albert Einstein, in his 1934 Essays in Science, regarded Kepler's approach to mathematics and astronomy as a basic principle of scientific work and commented: "Knowledge cannot spring from experience alone but only from the comparison of the inventions of the intellect with observed fact."

Johannes Kepler embodied a liberal education: grammar school, Latin school, mathematics and astronomy, history and literature, philosophy and theology. Kepler properly ordered them all.

Eleven years before he died, Johannes Kepler wrote this in Harmonices Mundi (The Harmonies of the World): I give thanks to Thee, O Lord Creator, Who hast delighted me with Thy makings and in the works of Thy hands have I exulted. Behold! Now, I have completed that work of my profession, having employed as much power of mind as Thou didst give to me; to the men who are going to read those demonstrations I have made manifest the glory of Thy works, as much of its infinity as the narrows of my intellect could apprehend.

Johannes Kepler's story informs us today. We need not heed the pragmatists and exclude language arts in order to embrace mathematical arts. We need not heed the secularists and exclude theology in order to embrace science. We need not heed the fatalists and exclude advanced studies to cater to our children's weaknesses.

As we study nature and arithmetic, mathematics and astronomy, music and theology, together with our children we can proclaim the humble words of Johannes Kepler: Great is our Lord and great His virtue and of His wisdom there is no number: praise Him, ye heavens, praise Him, ye sun, moon, and planets, use every sense for perceiving, every tongue for declaring your Creator. Praise Him, ye celestial harmonies, praise Him, ye judges of the harmonies uncovered ‌ and thou my soul, praise the Lord thy Creator, as long as I shall be: for out of Him and through Him and in Him are all things; for both whose whereof we are utterly ignorant and those which we know are the least part of them; because there is still more beyond. To Him be praise, honor, and glory, world without end. Amen.

We can give our children evidence of the glory of God's works, as much of His infinity as the narrows of our intellect can apprehend.

As Much of Infinity as My Intellect Could Apprehend

15

Copybooks & Cursive New American Cursive

Simple, clear, & effective!

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

• • • • • • •

by Iris Hatfield Ages 6-12, chronological age or skill level

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 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 Nature Journal

My Thankfulness Journals

by Cheryl Swope

These journals let students practice 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.

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.

(New American Cursive font)

by Cheryl Swope

Ages 5-8, chronological age or skill level

Ages 9+ chronological age or skill level

$8.95 ea.

Aesop Copybook $8.95

Book 1, Manuscript Book 2, Manuscript or Cursive Book 3, Cursive

Aesop's Fables $14.99

Simply Classical Copybook Series:

Aesop Copybook Set $20.00

Book One, Two, and Three by Cheryl Swope Strengthen penmanship, spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, fine-motor skills, and memory through the time-honored tradition of copybooks.

Students learn habits of accuracy, neatness, and patience while receiving 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.

Aesop Copybook

by Cheryl Swope

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

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Penmanship

Ages 4-7, chronological age or skill level $12.95

The Aesop Copybook is a lovely companion to Aesop’s Fables. It will strengthen your student's writing and composition skills while giving the opportunity to contemplate the timeless wisdom of Aesop's fables and learn from the gentle moral instruction they provide. The simplicity of the New American Cursive style and the brevity of lessons will assist students to become stronger, more capable thinkers and writers. Teaching instructions are included.

SimplyClassical.com

Character Building Ages 4-13 Guide Books $19.95 ea.

Book One Core Set $52 Book One Read-Aloud Set $100 Book Two Core Set $22 Book Two Read-Aloud Set $95 Book Three Core Set $55

Myself & Others: Lessons for Social Understanding, Habits, and Manners

Book Four Core Set $48

by Cheryl Swope These 14-week sets provide simple, standalone 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 provides lessons with 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 readings with inspiring stories for delight, moral imagination, character, and virtue To view guide samples and full book set lists, visit SimplyClassical.com.

BOOK NOTES

A Book Review by Michelle Swope The Door in the Wall is a fictional story about Robin, the son of a lord, during the Middle or "Dark" Ages. The story begins with death and frustration.

Robin has lost the use of his legs due to a recent illness. With his mother gone to attend to the queen and his father gone to war, and with the servants taken by plague or too timid to stay, Brother Luke, a monk, takes Robin under his wing and teaches the lad patience.

Eventually, in God's good time, Robin is able to go and serve the liege lord to whom he has been pledged. And lo, when the castle falls under attack it is Robin who saves the castle and its inhabitants and he is reunited with family amid the joy of serving lord, city, and king.

Through it all Robin learns the proverb: "When the Lord shuts a door, you'll find the wall within, and if you look about hard enough there is sure to be a window open and ready; ready and waiting." How fitting for our times today.

The Door in the Wall

Happy tales!

by Marguerite de Angeli

*This book will be included in Simply Classical Levels 9 & 10.

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

1-877-862-1097

Character Building

17

When Math

DOESN’T Come Easily

by Kathy Kuhl

M

ost adults can recall feeling a momentary panic in a math class at one time or another, but some children feel despair about math daily. They may struggle through math lessons for many reasons: attitude, handwriting difficulty, poor number sense, language-based learning disability, or difficulties with memory, fear, or discouragement. We can address these effectively in many ways.

Handwriting Difficulty Here are quick strategies for handwriting struggles: • Teach correct numeral formation to reduce stress on hand and arm.

• Use number stamps and an inkpad instead of writing.

• Turn notebook paper sideways. Use the lines to keep the digits aligned.

• Align numbers with enlarged graph paper or create this yourself.

• Allow math dictation software.

• Provide graphing calculators for algebra and beyond.

Students can demonstrate changing slope and y-intercept and see effects without laboriously plotting each point.

• Practice math facts with non-written exercises: games, flashcards, oral recitation.

Kathy Kuhl, author of Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner and Encouraging Your Child, is a friend to Simply Classical and can be found at LearnDifferently.com. Kathy lives in Virginia with her husband with whom she enjoys traveling worldwide, including visiting their grandchildren.

18

When Math Doesn't Come Easily

Number Sense Some children suffer from poor number sense.

Does your son understand that "four" = "4" = "this many" (4 physical objects)? If your student divides 100 by 8 and gets 125 (instead of the correct answer of 12.5), does he think to question how the quotient can be larger than the dividend? Here are some ways to improve number sense: • Build bundles of craft sticks to teach place value: ones, tens, ten tens to make a hundred, and ten hundreds to make a thousand. Then build numbers, add, and subtract with them.

• Give varied measurement cups for pouring water (or sand in a sandbox).

• Use games with dice and dominoes to teach subitizing (rapid recognition of how many objects are in a small group without counting).

• Build numbers with base ten blocks, then add and subtract with them.

• Cut paper plates or tortillas into half-circles, one-, two- and three-quarter circles, and one- and twothirds circles. Show two pieces and ask which is larger.

Give practice in finding equivalent fractions and then adding with them.

• When introducing integer arithmetic, have your child step up and down stairs to act out addition and subtraction. Begin at a landing, representing zero. For example: 6 + -2 means go up six, then down two.

SimplyClassical.com

Language-Based Learning Disabilities Language difficulties can hamper math, especially when trying to comprehend a new procedure. Here are some tips:

• Don't jump to conclusions about your child's abilities.

New developments in neuroscience help us understand and teach to the difficulties that many students face.

Memory and Math Facts

• Teach the language of mathematics slowly and explicitly with simple computations. Use OrtonGillingham principles, which help teach reading to students with dyslexia, with your math instruction.

• Use triangle or "triplet" flashcards to teach multiplication fact families, e.g., 3 x 5 = 15, 5 x 3 = 15, 15 ÷ 3 = 5, 15 ÷ 5 = 3 can all be taught from the 3—5—15 triangle card.

• Note discrepancies of language: We have tenths and fourths, but not two-ths.

• Teach math facts using stories. Give each digit its own character: 1 might be a giraffe, 2 a swan, etc.

• Incorporate hand motions.

• Use mnemonics. Conduct an internet search for "math mnemonics" for ideas.

• Have students highlight or underline words in word problems that correspond to math operations: "Six people were in the car and two got out—that's subtraction."

• Have children act out many examples of one kind of word problem with toys.

• Practice the example problems yourself before teaching to make sure they are not unnecessarily hard.

• Focus practice on just one step of a difficult procedure.

• Highlight key elements of multi-step problems with colored markers or pencils.

• Let the student build physical examples of concepts. For example: Introduce the concept of ¾ by building ¾ of a square with pattern blocks or constructing ¾ of a circle by placing 3 circle quarters together. Label with both words and numbers, and with the fraction bar both horizontal and diagonal, as in ¾ and ¾.

1-877-862-1097

• Teach skip-counting using chants or songs.

• Give untimed practice.

• Tape a number line on the desktop, and let fingers walk up and down to solve problems.

• After daily practice of math facts, allow the student to use a times table or practice basic calculator functions.

In all of these struggles, attitude can affect learning.

Does your child think every success is a fluke and every failure is proof of inability? Maybe you dread math yourself, and your attitude is infecting your children.

Attitudes can be addressed and adjusted, but it takes time, encouragement, and often a fresh approach.

Galileo wrote: "Mathematics is the language in which God has written the universe." As we explore math we see patterns God has built into the world. He created a universe where numbers can describe the movements of the planets, the spiral of a nautilus, and the growth rate of cells. Look for the patterns. Play with numbers. Relax and enjoy mathematics!

When Math Doesn't Come Easily

19

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Memoria Press

10901 Shelbyville Road Louisville, KY 40243

Simply Classical:

REVISED EDITION

A Beautiful Education for Any Child

by Cheryl Swope

Text $24.95 Ready to be encouraged? We are now offering this second edition of Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child with revised content, updated resources, and new information for classical schools and cottage schools. You will find more tips for teaching all children classically, more stories of real children, and more inspiration for your own journey.

ISBN 9781547700325

90000 >

9 781547 700325