Homeschool Fever

The classical method evokes the midieval style of learning that focuses on the Trivium.  It is a liberal arts education, with loads of reading some of the “best works in literature in the western world”. 

This method focuses on teaching children according to ages and their mental stages - building upon one another as the child reaches adulthood. 

1. Grammar
2. Logic / Dialogue
3. Rhetoric

The first stage is Grammar, which says that children up to age 12 need to learn and memorize many base facts (such as arithmetics, dates, etc).  It also encourages the teaching of classic languages from early on such as Latin or Greek.  History is also taught chronilogically in a 4 year rotation, with each successive rotation builds upon the last as students evolve into the higher mental stages. 

The second stage, Logic / Dialogue (ages 12-15), begins when the student starts to think more analytically.  Education during this stage shows students how to piece together the facts they know and interpret them logically. 

The third stage is Rhetoric (16+), wherein the student learns to articulate his logical thoughts in a manner that other humans will understand.  Learning debate and speech are prized during this period.  

While a student uses parts of each stage throughout life, the mental capacities for learning each stage the best appear at the forefront during the specific ages listed.  What is learned during each stage is built upon during the next.

History & the Classical Method

The rotation of historical learning is:

1. Ancient Times (1st, 5th, 9th grade)
2. Middle Ages (2nd, 6th, 10th grade)
3. Renaissance & Reformation (3rd, 7th, 11th grade)
4. Modern Times (4th, 8th, 12th grade)

During the first 4 years, students read age appropriate (written for children) based on literature written during each time period.  More advanced literature is read during the 2nd rotation, and in the final rotation (high school) students read the primary, unabridged literary source.

Science & the Classical Method

The rotation of science is matched up to when it was discovered and first used in history, and therefore will correspond with that year’s history study.

1. Biology, Classification, Human Body (1st, 5th, 9th)
2. Earth Science, Basic Astronomy (2nd, 6th, 10th grade)
3. Chemistry (3rd, 7th, 11th grade)
4. Physics, Computer Science (4th, 8th, 12th grade)

Recommended Readings:

• The Well-Trained Mind (Susie Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise)
• Teaching the Trivium (Harvey Bluedorn)
• The Lost Tools of Learning (Dorothy Sayers)

Veritas Press is a great place to look for resources in homeschooling with this method.  Other great sites for learning more about CE include Trivium Pursuit and Classical-Homeschooling.org