Simply Classical Journal - Winter 2019

A Publication of Memoria Press

Winter 2019

journal

A E S O P A Good Beginning

by Cheryl Swope

Beautiful Bookends

by Jennifer Tutwiler

Classical Education for Children with Special Needs

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR A SA F E DE L I V E RY

by Cheryl Swope

B

efore we drove home from the Memoria Press Sodalitas Gathering this past summer, a family friend met my daughter Michelle and me for breakfast. John has a degree in theological languages and a deep interest in philosophy, and he inquired about our work. More broadly he asked about the endeavor we call classical education that seeks to preserve and pass on the treasures of Holy Scripture and the music, art, literature, and great ideas of Western civilization.

You may know people like our friend John. He reflects before speaking. He does not interrupt. He measures his words. A contemplative conversation over sausage and eggs is never just breakfast.

As someone who reads Augustine and Virgil in his free time, John appreciates our work. He understands the need for enculturation of the young and for the passing along of all the songs and stories, heroes and histories that every child should know. This understanding is not new. Pier Paolo Vergerio addressed it in his fifteenth-century essay, "The Character and Studies Befitting a Free-Born Youth": What way of life, then, can be more delightful, or indeed more beneficial ... [than] for moderns to understand things ancient; for present generations to converse with their posterity; and thus to make every time our own, both past and future? …

For letters and books constitute a fixed record of things and are the communal repository of all things knowable … We ought at least to pass on carefully the books we have received from those who have come before us to those who will come after, keeping them whole and uncorrupted.

As we talked John began to smile. He leaned back from the table and said with simplicity, "It is as if you are all UPS drivers with a single goal: Get the package delivered safely. You deliver the package safely from one generation"—he motioned with both arms from the floor to his left in a large sweeping arc to the right—"to the next. You make sure nothing is lost along the way. You are preserving what has been entrusted to you."

This is an apt metaphor for us. Ours is a carefully wrapped package, so we ought not remove items along the way. We seek a safe delivery to our children of poetry, music, art, children's books, math and sciences, languages, and history. We help them listen, learn, and remember. In doing so, we preserve the past for generations of the future. We uphold with honor all that we have been given.

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Letter from the Editor

SIMPLY CLASSICAL JOURNAL

Winter 2019 FEATURED ARTICLES

2 4 14 17 19

CURRICULUM

6 7 16 17 18

Letter from the Editor by Cheryl Swope Beautiful Bookends by Jennifer Tutwiler Aesop: A Good Beginning by Cheryl Swope Book Notes by Michelle Swope Mothers: From the Heart

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

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

Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child

New! Simply Classical Curriculum Levels 5 & 6: Grammar, Greece, & Gratitude (p. 12)

Follow @_SimplyClassical_ today and tell us your #simplyclassicalstories!

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

Encouragement. Instruction. Community.

2019 Conventions Calendar The Memoria Press team loves hitting the road and meeting our customers face to face!

Come visit Cheryl Swope and the team at the conventions listed below to explore our award-winning curriculum and receive customized curriculum advice.

Great Homeschool Convention - Fort Worth, TX Great Homeschool Convention - Greenville, SC Great Homeschool Convention - St. Louis, MO Great Homeschool Convention - Cincinnati, OH Great Homeschool Convention - Ontario, CA

March 7-9 March 21-23 March 28-30 April 25-27 June 13-15

View our full convention schedule online: MemoriaPress.com/Conventions

presents

SAVE THE DATE!

2019

July 8-9

Join us for the Special-Needs Track with workshops led by Cheryl Swope and experienced Simply Classical users

Š Copyright 2019 (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

ClassicalSpecialNeeds.com

MEMORIA PRESS MemoriaPress.com

Beautiful Bookends

by Jennifer Tutwiler

Blessed be our God and Father: he hears the prayers of his children.

4

Heading Goes Here

ClassicalSpecialNeeds.com

I

usually enjoy planning for an upcoming school year, but last summer was different. Very different. For the first time the schedules of six school-aged children and a toddler stared back at me. All my children have various combinations of challenges: anxiety, attention, sensory, memory, emotional. With a family business and a homeschool ministry on top of it all, I could only see a list of checkboxes and too few hours to get through them.

As I wrestled with the demands of our school and work schedule, I realized that the very thing I was trying to give my children in their school day was missing from my teaching day. We needed to remember our vision: Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.

While many homeschoolers love long morning time routines, I didn't have the energy for another "big" thing. Whatever I chose to place in my day to help me remember my vision, it needed to be very, very simple. It needed to be included at both the beginning and end of my teaching day as a gentle support to the often overwhelming task of educating my children. So I set out to find my "beautiful bookends."

Morning For my morning bookend I decided to read a brief Scripture passage or reading from the centuries-old monastic prayer cycle known as the Liturgy of the Hours. It is a simple thing to include in our opening prayer and, on special liturgical days in our tradition, it also provides a short explanation of what makes that day special. I can't fully explain why I find this so beautiful, but I absolutely love it.

If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday; Then the Lord will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land.

He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails.

The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake, and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up; "Repairer of the breach," they shall call you, "Restorer of ruined homesteads.� — Isaiah 58:10-12

Jennifer Tutwiler is a second-generation homeschooler and the mother of seven children, ages 3 to 15. After experimenting with a variety of educational methods, Jennifer returned to her liberal arts roots and has been blessed to see her previously struggling children thrive in their classical homeschool.

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After this reflection, I spend a little time with my two year old, reading stories, singing songs, and pretending to be piggies and horses. I use the Memoria Press preschool curriculum (which is also Simply Classical Level A) so I can just enjoy this planned one-on-one time instead of worrying about what to fill it with. Then we begin our lessons.

Noontime The closing bookend to our mornings is to stop school at noon, regardless of how far we have made it in the day's lesson plans, and pray. Mornings are the most intensive part of my teaching day, so this bookend gives a much-needed moment of recollection. It is a simple yet beautiful continuation of the heritage captured in one of my children's favorite paintings, The Angelus. Millet's farmers have stopped their work to focus on their Creator and on the Incarnation. And so we are still, and we pray: V. (versicle) The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, R. (response) And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord, R. Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

V. And the Word was made flesh, R. And dwelt among us.

V. Let us pray.

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that, we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

V. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

While these practices speak to me in this particular season, there are other beautiful things that may minister to you. Maybe you need to light a candle, close your eyes, and inhale the scent for a few seconds.

Maybe you need to snuggle on the couch with your children and enjoy a good, non-school read-aloud book.

Maybe you need to sing a song or read a simple poem.

Whatever your bookends, they must be simple. They can be free from your "should's." They can also be free from guilt. They should refresh.

Some days you will practice your bookends and some days you will set them aside. Some days you will forget. You may change your bookends as the seasons of your life change. Sometimes, you may change them weekly. In short, there will be an ebb and flow to this practice and that's perfectly fine. This is not another obligation. These good and beautiful moments are for your soul, and all have in common one truth: Sometimes the soul simply needs to be still.

Beautiful Bookends

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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 fun. 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

Ages 6-9, chronological age or skill level

Simply Classical StoryTime Treasures

$40 each set

(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 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.

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Enrichment & Language Arts

ClassicalSpecialNeeds.com

Full-Year Classical Core Curriculum Packages for Students with Special Needs Visit ClassicalSpecialNeeds.com to obtain detailed information about each level and to take 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 $34 Supplemental Read-Aloud Set $125 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

212.14

$

PACKAGE PRICE

185

$

PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS, PHONICS, & READING Alphabet Coloring Book, My First ABC Book, Simply Classical Crafts Book One (p. 6), 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

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Simply Classical Curriculum

7

Simply Classical Curriculum

LEVEL C RETAIL

224.67

$

Curriculum Manual Only $30 Consumables Only $85 Supplemental Read-Aloud Set $335

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. 16)

CURRICULUM MANUAL Lesson Plans for One Year

My ABC of Bible Verses

ARITHMETIC & FINE-MOTOR Numbers Books 1-2, Going on Eagerly, My Very Own Scissors Book (p. 6)

ENRICHMENT Animals Animals, Simply Classical Crafts Book Two (p. 6), 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

New to Simply Classical? You need this item from Level A. Prayers for Children $4.99

Simply Classical Curriculum

LEVEL 1

Curriculum Manual Only $30 Consumables Only $70 Supplemental Read-Aloud Set $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 1 (p. 16)

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

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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. 16), Our World Jumbo Puzzle

RETAIL

450.53

$

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

ClassicalSpecialNeeds.com

Simply Classical Curriculum

Curriculum Manual Only $30 Consumables Only $125 Optional Extended Literature Set $19.50 Supp. Literature, Science, History, & Geography Read-Aloud Set $240 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. 16)

RETAIL

308.22

$

PACKAGE PRICE

LITERATURE, COMPOSITION, & GRAMMAR Simply Classical Writing: Book One (Read-Aloud Ed.) (p. 6), Simply Classical StoryTime Treasures Student and Teacher (p. 6), 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 Moose Moments: Silent E, Moose Moments: Short Vowels, Moose Moments: Consonant Digraphs, Core Skills Phonics 2-3, Phonics Flashcards, Core Skills Spelling 1, Simply Classical Spelling: Book One (p. 6)

ENRICHMENT

New to Simply Classical?

You need these items from prior levels.

275

$

Second Grade Art Cards, Animal Tales CD

CHRISTIAN STUDIES, MEMORY, & MANNERS SC Copybook 2: Manuscript (p. 16)

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

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Simply Classical Curriculum

9

Simply Classical Curriculum

LEVEL 3 RETAIL

382.37

$

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

300

CURRICULUM MANUAL

LITERATURE, COMPOSITION, & GRAMMAR

PACKAGE PRICE

$

Curriculum Manual Only $30 Consumables Only $130 Optional American History Read-Aloud Set $225 Supplemental Arithmetic Read-Aloud Set $50 Level 3 Supplemental Science & Enrichment Set $280

Simply Classical More StoryTime Treasures Student and Teacher (p. 6), 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. 6)

Lesson Plans for One Year

CURSIVE

PHONICS & SPELLING

New American Cursive 2: Famous Americans (p. 16), My Thankfulness Journal: Beginner (p. 16), 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. 6)

LATIN Prima Latina Student, Teacher, and Pronunciation CD

CHRISTIAN STUDIES, MEMORY, & MANNERS Simply Classical Copybook: Cursive (p. 16)

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. 6), 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

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Simply Classical Curriculum

ClassicalSpecialNeeds.com

Curriculum Manual Only $30 Consumables Only $130 Optional Level 2 Extended Literature Set $19.50 Optional Level 4 Extended Literature Set $25.00 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. 16), Prima Latina Copybook

Traditional Spelling I set

RETAIL

514.88

$

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 & 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. 16), 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

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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) $225 Ages 9-14 (Chronological Age or Skill Level) Levels 5 & 6 Read-Aloud Set $75

LEVELS 5 & 6

RETAIL

672.63

$

PACKAGE PRICE

515

$

500 for One-Year Pace

$

CURRICULUM MANUAL

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

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

CURSIVE

ARITHMETIC

New American Cursive 3: Scripture and Manners, My Thankfulness Journal: Intermediate (p. 16)

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

CLASSICAL STUDIES

LATIN

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

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

OPTIONAL: ADDITIONAL WRITING PRACTICE SET $100 StartWrite CD, Farmer Boy Student, Charlotte's Web Student, A Bear Called Paddington Student, Mr. Popper's Penguins Student, English Grammar Recitation I Student, Christian Studies I Student, D'Aulaires' Greek Myths Student

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Simply Classical Curriculum

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.

ClassicalSpecialNeeds.com

Grammar, Greece, & Gratitude Simply Classical Curriculum Levels 5 & 6: Grammar, Greece, & Gratitude is designed for students with ability levels ranging from ages 9-14, and can be taught at a Two-Year Standard or One-Year Accelerated pace.

Students learn vocabulary, grammar, outlining, and composition through familiar classical children’s literature. They embark on new enrichment studies in Creating Art and Music Appreciation. Students practice cursive writing through lessons in manners and reflective gratitude.

In Levels 5 & 6 you will teach Greek Myths, Latina Christiana, Christian Studies, and more. Science includes hygiene, nutrition, and natural science with lessons and experiments. In true classical form, Simply Classical Levels 5 & 6: Grammar, Greece, & Gratitude will help students learn Latin and begin to make connections across all studies.

LITERATURE, COMPOSITION, & GRAMMAR Core Skills Language Arts 3, Introduction to Composition Student and Teacher, 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

CHRISTIAN STUDIES

PHONICS & SPELLING

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

Traditional Spelling II Student, Teacher, and Practice Sheets

NEW USER ADD-ON SET $70

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

1-877-862-1097

Simply Classical Curriculum

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A Good Beginning

by Cheryl Swope

C

lassical writings possess a distinctly concise wisdom. Rather than distant relics or dusty artifacts, these treasures instruct our children in our own time.

When we want to introduce classical literature, Aesop is a good place to start.

Aesop's fables have long been considered "the ideal pedagogical vehicle, second only to the Bible when it comes to instructing young people in morality."1 They offer wise counsel from an unusual source: common animals. A sheep, fox, mouse, or tortoise convey messages our children need to hear.

Aesop's fables provide a good beginning in a classical education for any child, but for a child on the autism spectrum, or for any teen who lacks discernment, Aesop's disarming lessons are especially valuable. For example, Aesop's fables can provide instruction in social maturity and selfprotection, as in The Cat & the Old Rat: "The wise do not let themselves be tricked a second time." From The Mother & the Wolf we learn, "Do not believe everything you hear." Sometimes the truth is more palatable when heard from animals. For this reason, the overzealous teen may heed the admonition, 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.

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Aesop: A Good Beginning

"Stick to your trade," (The Wolf & the Donkey) as he contemplates the tasks or vocations for which he is best suited. A child of any age who struggles with special needs may feel consumed by his own challenges, yet with Aesop's The Hares & the Frogs he can remember this: "No matter how unfortunate we may think we are, there is always someone worse off than ourselves."

We weave Aesop's fables through our Simply Classical teaching resources. In Level C: Animals, Alphabet, & Aesop, our young children hear these stories for the first time. In Myself & Others, older students listen to Aesop's fables again and reflect on them. They copy the moral lessons in the Aesop Copybook. In all that we teach we seek to impress moral lessons of truth and wisdom upon our children's hearts and minds. As Quintilian says, I would urge that the lines, which he is set to copy, should not express thoughts of no significance, but convey some sound moral lesson. He will remember such aphorisms even when he is an old man, and the impression made upon his unformed mind will contribute to the formation of his character. ²

Consider The Lion and the Mouse. A great Lion thinks himself too great to need the help of a tiny Mouse. Many would deem the Mouse to be of little usefulness. The Mouse might himself wonder if he ClassicalSpecialNeeds.com

could ever help anyone. Yet in this fable, the tiny Mouse comes to the great Lion's aid: The Lion and the Mouse A Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little Mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across the Lion's nose. Roused from his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature.

"Spare me!" begged the poor Mouse. "Please let me go and some day I will surely repay you." The Lion was much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help him. But he was generous and finally let the Mouse go.

Some days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the toils of a hunter's net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring. The Mouse knew the voice and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net.

Running to one of the great ropes that bound him, she gnawed it until it parted, and soon the Lion was free. "You laughed when I said I would repay you," said the Mouse. "Now you see that even a Mouse can help a Lion."

No kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

We know the story is make-believe, but we are encouraged nonetheless. The lessons give us moral reference points with examples, so we can react wisely and graciously to situations in everyday life. Study Aesop with children and you will provide a beginning course in truth and virtue.

When I introduced Aesop to my children in our home, I re-introduced Aesop to myself.

Stunned by the rebukes and equipped

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by the reminders, I found myself reading "after school" beyond the assigned lessons. Wisdom for work, neighbors, enemies, friends, and personal integrity springs forth with surprising penetration.

Homeschooling parents or classroom teachers who strive to do more than can be accomplished in a day would do well to heed this reminder that sensible, patient restraint yields far more: The Boy and the Filberts A certain boy put his hand into a pitcher where a great plenty filberts were deposited. He grasped as many as his fist could possibly hold, but when he endeavored to pull it out, the narrowness of the neck prevented him. Unwilling to lose any of them, but unable to draw out his hand, he burst into tears and bitterly wailed about his bad fortune. An honest fellow, who stood by, gave him this wise and reasonable advice: "Grasp only half the quantity, my boy, and you will easily succeed."

Do not attempt too much.

The moral in all of this, for young and old alike, is: Aesop's fables give us all a good beginning in wisdom!

1 Springer, Carl P.E. Luther's Aesop. (Truman State University Press, Kirksville, Missouri, 2011), 35.

2 Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, 1:1.

Heading Goes Here

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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.

ClassicalSpecialNeeds.com

Character Building Ages 4-13 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

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 ClassicalSpecialNeeds.com.

BOOK NOTES

Treasure Island

by Robert Louis Stevenson

A Book Review by Michelle Swope This is a story well worth its weight in gold about lost treasure, sacrifice, and passion, not to mention mutiny on the high seas.

Its humble beginning lies deep on the pages of time about a boy's subservient ways throughout a humdrum life of washing, cleaning, and sweeping to serve many a fellow man!

One night the boy's adventures begin with a fellow man's recipience of the Black Spot—a pirate-sailor's death sentence. After the man's death, the boy (Jim Hawkins) begins his perilous journey with the dead man's map, and throughout the story learns the meaning of honesty, bravery, and, at the utmost, the final lesson on how to become and be a man.

"Fifteen men on a dead man's chest" will only whet your taste for adventure as you wish you, too, could be a part of that devilmay-care group aboard the Hispaniola.

Happy tales!

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 recent release, God's Harvest.

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Character Building

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Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child

by Cheryl Swope | Text $24.95 | eBook $22.00 We are pleased to offer this newly updated, revised, and expanded edition of Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child to celebrate the book's five-year anniversary. We appreciated receiving requests for updated resources, new information to assist special-needs inclusion in classical schools and cottage schools, and more tips for teaching all children classically. With thanks to all who responded so warmly to the original book, we offer this new edition to help you: • 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 child with special needs • 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

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Revised Edition Coming Soon!

Mothers: From the Heart Simply Classical Reviews

C AT H E R I N E

E M I LY

Long before we realized that our oldest child was on the autism spectrum, I knew I wanted to give him, and any other children that came after him, a classical education. After my son's diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome at age 4, I wondered if such an education would be possible for our family. When his younger brother was diagnosed with dyslexia several years later, I began to lose sight of that original goal as we all struggled day to day in our homeschool.

Reading Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child not only brought me back to that vision but convinced me that children with special challenges need a classical education as much or even more than typical children. Within one semester of following Cheryl's personalized recommendations for adapting the Memoria Press Core Curriculum, our son with dyslexia was accepted into a classical school where he has become a confident, straight-A student. Our son on the autism spectrum, with expert guidance and Memoria Press materials, has also blossomed as a homeschool student and a young man.

The positive effects of an inspiring curriculum that orders our homeschool days have expanded to our entire household. Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child was simply one of the best books I have ever read about parenting and classical education in general. Cheryl's insights have inspired me to educate all seven of my children—from the preschoolers to my older children with and without special needs—in a beautiful and orderly way.

Several years ago, I bought a copy of Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child because I was drawn to the classical model of education. However, I also had a child who struggled to learn. I was desperate to read stories of other moms who had successfully educated their children who had special needs. At that time, all of my homeschooling friends were gushing about how quickly their children learned to read or how much math their children knew. Meanwhile, I was struggling with a child who consistently forgot how to count to 10!

Reading Simply Classical was a breath of fresh air. It gave me the encouragement I needed to homeschool a child with special needs. Our daughter, Ava, has benefited greatly by being at home. She struggles with a multitude of issues, but because she can learn at home, she is progressing without being labeled as "slow" or "difficult." She grows every day, and we are happy to say that next school year she will be starting in the Simply Classical Curriculum, beginning her Latin studies, learning about mythology, and continuing to advance at her pace in math, reading, and writing.

Our story does not end, though, with helping our daughter. Simply Classical and the strategies we learned gave us the encouragement to begin a journey of adopting a child with special needs, a child who had been waiting for a family for more than four years when we adopted him. Our son, Rowan, came home at the age of five from China, and six months later we began Simply Classical Level A: Readiness, Rhythm, and Rhyme with him.

He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and developmental delays in China, but knowing that we could follow a well-designed path of study with him alleviated some of the fears of saying yes to him.

Today, we read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? with Rowan, and he was repeating the words with us! On day one of Level A he didn't even know what a book was, and now he can point out animals, say what sounds they make, and he is beginning to ask us to read to him. Thank you, Michelle Swope, for encouraging your mom to tell your family's story. You have become part of a bigger story and of our story in particular. It's thanks to you that our daughter is succeeding and we have welcomed home our son who would not have otherwise had a family.

MARGARET At six my daughter had no interest in learning and was not willing to do anything until I tried the Simply Classical Curriculum. She now loves to learn. My daughter zoomed through A and B and is now on Level 2. We have had great success with the gentle approach of the Simply Classical Curriculum. This curriculum is derived from the inspiration of the book Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child by Cheryl Swope, which I would recommend to anyone. Whether your child is diagnosed, different, or apparently average, there is much wisdom for you in these pages.

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Mothers: From the Heart

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