The Latin-Centered Curriculum: A Homeschooler's Guide to a Classical Education


Andrew A. Campbell - 2006
    In addition to a useful scope and sequence for how a Latin-centered classical education can be accomplished in a home or private school, Campbell explains why the central principle behind classical education is the study of Latin and Greek.Campbell provides a short history of the modern classical movement, examines the predominant role of Latin in a classical education, and explains how the other pieces of the classical curriculum fit together. He provides the practical application to Tracy Lee Simmons' statement that a "Classical education is a curriculum grounded upon Greek, Latin, and the study of civilization from which the arose."In addition to chapters on Latin, Greek, and logic, Campbell covers the various content areas of classical education, such as English studies, classical studies, Christian and modern studies, with sections on arithmetic, science, and mathematics.But this is far from a purely theoretical book. In a chapter entitled, "Scope and Sequence," he gives a practical overview of what a Latin-based classical curriculum looks like from Kindergarten to 12th grade. With helpful charts and explanations, this book constitutes a manual for the Christian educator who wants a complete understanding of what is involved in a classical education.The most important section in the book, may well be the chapter titled "Multum non Multa." This is the principle sometimes expressed by the maxim, "Less is more." It is the idea that, rather than throwing multiple subjects at students and burying them under a mountain of unconnected disciplines, educators should instead employ an integrated focus on a few important core disciplines and related subject areas.The best education, Campbell points out, is simple but deep.

Games for Writing: Playful Ways to Help Your Child Learn to Write


Peggy Kaye - 1995
    Peggy Kaye, renowned teacher and author of the widely praised Games for Math, Games for Reading, and Games for Learning, now gives parents more than fifty ways to help their children become skilled, confident, and enthusiastic writers.

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons


Siegfried Engelmann - 1983
     Twenty minutes a day is all you need, and within 100 teaching days your child will be reading on a solid second-grade reading level. It’s a sensible, easy-to-follow, and enjoyable way to help your child gain the essential skills of reading. Everything you need is here—no paste, no scissors, no flash cards, no complicated directions—just you and your child learning together. One hundred lessons, fully illustrated and color-coded for clarity, give your child the basic and more advanced skills needed to become a good reader.

The Core: Teaching Your Child the Foundations of Classical Education


Leigh A. Bortins - 2010
    Today, many children graduate without this essential knowledge. Most curricula today follow a haphazard sampling of topics with a focus on political correctness instead of teaching students how to study. Leigh Bortins, a leading figure in the homeschooling community, is having none of it. She believes that there are core areas of knowledge that are essential to master. Without knowing the multiplication tables, children can't advance to algebra. Without mastery of grammar, students will have difficulty expressing themselves. Without these essential building blocks of knowledge, students may remember information but they will never possess a broad and deep understanding of how the world works. In The Core, Bortins gives parents the tools and methodology to implement a rigorous, thorough, and broad curriculum based on the classical model, including:- Rote memorization to cement knowledge - Systematic learning of geography, historical facts, and timelines - Reading the great books and seminal historical documents instead of adaptations and abridged editions - Rigorous training in math and the natural sciences

Educating the Wholehearted Child


Clay Clarkson - 1996
    A commonsense, disciple-based biblical approach to home schooling using real books and real life. Filled with Scriptures, anecdotes, insights, ideas, methods, lists and charts to make living and learning at home natural and enjoyable.

Honey for a Child's Heart: The Imaginative Use of Books in Family Life


Gladys M. Hunt - 1969
    Now in its fourth edition, Honey for a Child’s Heart discusses everything from the ways reading affects both children’s view of the world and their imagination to how to choose good books. Illustrated with drawings from dozens of favorites, it includes an indexed and updated list of the best new books on the market and the classics that you want your children to enjoy. Author Gladys Hunt’s tastes are broad, her advice is rooted in experience, and her suggestions will enrich the cultural and spiritual life of any home.

Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition


Karen Glass - 2014
    The medieval and Renaissance teachers valued their insights and lofty goals. Christian educators such as Augustine, Erasmus, Milton, and Comenius drew from the teaching of Plato, Aristotle, and Quintilian those truths which they found universal and potent. Charlotte Mason developed her own philosophy of education from the riches of the past, not accidentally but purposefully. She and the other founding members of the Parents’ National Educational Union in England were inspired by the classical educators of history and set out to achieve their vision in modern education. They succeeded—and thanks to Charlotte Mason’s clear development of methods to realize the classical ideals, we can partake of the classical tradition as well. The classical tradition as it informs teaching is good not because it is old or “classical,” but because it works; and what works, whether old or new, is best. That’s the Mason message admirably conveyed by [Karen] Glass. —David V. Hicks Classical education is an education of the heart and conscience as much as it is an education of the mind. This book explores the classical emphasis on formation of character and links Charlotte Masons ideas to the thinkers of the past. This is not a “how to” book about education, but a “why to” book that will bring clarity to many of the ideas you already know about teaching and learning.

Socratic Circles: Fostering Critical and Creative Thinking in Middle and High School


Matt Copeland - 2005
    In Socratic Circles: Fostering Critical and Creative Thinking in Middle and High School , author Matt Copeland provides real-world examples and straightforward answers to frequent questions. He creates a coaching guide for both the teacher new to Socratic seminars and the experienced teacher seeking to optimize the benefits of this powerful strategy. Socratic Circles also shows teachers who are familiar with literature circles the many ways in which these two practices complement and extend each other.Effectively implemented, Socratic seminars enhance reading comprehension, listening and speaking skills, and build better classroom community and conflict resolution skills. By giving students ownership over the classroom discussion around texts, they become more independent and motivated learners. Ultimately, because there is a direct relationship between the level of participation and the richness of the experience, Socratic seminars teach students to take responsibility for the quality of their own learning.Filled with examples to help readers visualize the application of these concepts in practice, Socratic Circles includes transcripts of student dialogue and work samples of preparation and follow-up activities. The helpful appendices offer ready-to-copy handouts and examples, and suggested selections of text that connect to major literary works.As our classrooms and our schools grow increasingly focused on meeting high standards and differentiating instruction for a wide variety of student needs and learning styles, Socratic seminars offer an essential classroom tool for meeting these goals. Socratic Circles is a complete and practical guide to Socratic seminars for the busy classroom teacher.

The Case for Classical Christian Education


Douglas Wilson - 2002
    In this greatly expanded treatment of a topic he first dealt with in Rediscovering the Lost Tools of Learning, Douglas Wilson proposes an alternative to government-operated school by advocating a return to classical Christian education with its discipline, hard work, and learning geared to child development stages.As an educator, Wilson is well-equipped to diagnose the cause of America's deteriorating school system and to propose remedies for those committed to their children's best interests in education. He maintains that education is essentially religious because it deals with the basic questions about life that require spiritual answers-reading and writing are simply the tools. Offering a review of classical education and the history of this movement, Wilson also reflects on his own involvement in the process of creating educational institutions that embrace that style of learning. He details elements needed in a useful curriculum, including a list of literary classics. Readers will see that classical education offers the best opportunity for academic achievement, character growth, and spiritual education, and that such quality cannot be duplicated in a religiously-neutral environment.

Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling


John Taylor Gatto - 1991
    This Special Collector's Edition celebrates 100,000 copies or the book in print, and the book's on-going importance and popularity.

Mere Motherhood: Morning times, nursery rhymes, and my journey toward sanctification


Cindy Rollins - 2016
    Thirty years and nine children later, Cindy has become a popular blogger, podcaster, and award winning teacher. This is her story. It's a story of big families and cross-country moves, and small-town living. It's about great books and morning times and nursery rhymes. It's the story of a dedicated mother's journey toward the Truth and the family she brought along with her.

The Liberal Arts Tradition: A Philosophy of Christian Classical Education


Kevin Clark - 2013
    Instead, this booklet describes the liberal arts as a central part of a larger and more robust paradigm of classical education that should consist of piety, gymnastic, music, liberal arts, philosophy, and theology. The booklet also recovers the means by which classical educators developed more than just intellectual virtue (by means of the seven liberal arts) but holistically cultivated the mind, body, will, and affections. A must-read for educators wanting to take a second big step toward recovering the tradition of classical education.

The Unhurried Homeschooler: A Simple, Mercifully Short Book on Homeschooling


Durenda Wilson - 2016
    If you have ever felt this way, you’re not alone! Most of us need to be reminded of the “why” of homeschooling from time to time—but The Unhurried Homeschooler takes parents a step further and lifts the unnecessary burdens that many parents place on themselves.Drawing on twenty years of homeschooling her eight children, Durenda Wilson gently reminds parents about the things that really matter, as she offers a clear portrait of what a life-giving home life can be during the homeschooling years. Reading The Unhurried Homeschooler is like having coffee with a trusted friend. You’ll be encouraged as you learn to do what God has put before you. This book will lighten your load while helping you learn how to raise life long learners and ENJOY the homeschool years with your kids.

The Unschooling Handbook: How to Use the Whole World as Your Child's Classroom


Mary Griffith - 1998
    Without bells, schedules, and rules about what to do and when, the knowledge they gain through mindful living and exploration is absorbed more easily and enthusiastically. Learning is a natural, inborn impulse, and the world is rich with lessons to be learned and puzzles to be solved.Successful unschooling parents know how to stimulate and direct their children's learning impulse. Once you read this book, so will you!

Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child


Anthony M. Esolen - 2010
    This practical, insightful book is essential reading for any parent.