
Grades 6 - 8 – Logic
By this age many students love to argue and can now be trained to think things through using scripture as a foundation and a guide. Dialectic is the art of reasoning, discussion of the truth of opinions, contention or debate. A student begins to better see relationships between ideas and begins to really make ideas his own.
A year of formal logic is included at this point. Students learn to spot departures from the rules of good reasoning using Dr. Ransom’s Bestiary of Adorable Fallacies or Introductory Logic by Wilson.
In literature students read original works that mirror the time period studied each year, books such as Alfred the Great, Monmouth, and Marco Polo.
Our Kodály method music classes teach students to read and analyze music, to write and compose music and to sing with good intonation and vocal technique. Students also study art.
Students study English grammar using Shurley English and Warriner's. They learn to write prose and poetry through IEW (https://iew.com/) and imitations in writing.
Other Classes include Latin (Canon Press, Logos Press, Henle for students who reach Latin I) and math (Saxon Math 87, Algebra ½ and Algebra I). Advanced students may take Algebra II (Saxon) or Geometry (Jacobs).
History includes courses in ancient, medieval and modern history using original sources. This approach is similar to that of Veritas Press Omnibus. In bible we use books such as IEW Bible Based Writing Lessons. We also teach etiquette as part of this class using Manners Matter. Students practice what they have learned at an annual protocol dinner.
Science classes include Introductory Biology, Astronomy & Geoscience, and Introductory Chemistry and P.E. Spanish is an optional class.
When possible subjects overlap. For example, students studying the Middle Ages in history learn to write their own medieval legends during writing class. This uses students' time well and helps them learn how all knowledge is united in the truth of Christ.