The Veritas Approach to Literature

Reading great literature is an important part of a child’s education at Veritas. Reading literature that has endured the test of time, the classics, is important for many reasons:

• Books create warm emotional bonds between adults and kids when they read books together.
• Books help kids develop basic language skills and profoundly expand their vocabularies.
• Books are interactive; they demand that kids think. Fiction and nonfiction books widen our consciousness.
• Books develop critical thinking skills.
• Books develop and nourish kids’ imaginations, expanding their worlds.
• Books let kids try on the world before they have to go out into it.
• Books help us to understand ourselves, to find out who we are.
• Books help children and adults to open up, to move beyond self-absorption and connect to other people.
• Books answer questions.
• Books create questions.
• Books provide the opportunity to share cultural experiences.
• Books entertain and offer a great escape.
• Books inspire us to dream.[1]

Children love learning from the rich stories of the past. At Veritas, they will learn to love language and expression, they will understand the art of storytelling. Children who are immersed in good literature as young children develop creative minds and an enjoyment of lifelong reading. Who doesn’t remember Charlotte’s Web, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Tom Sawyer, and The Chronicles of Narnia with great fondness?

Kindergarten and first grade start slowly and build as students mature. By second grade, they’ll read about 10 books a year. Most are children’s classic literature. Veritas’s comprehension guides are used to teach children how to read for comprehension, fluency, learn how to discern the plot, who the characters are, and much more. Most of all, literature courses inspire a love of reading. Fun, hands on projects are used to help inculcate such a love.

The literature program is enhanced by students’ accelerated mastery of language through studies in Latin and Grammar and Writing. These advantages translate into reading books earlier than many of their peers and before many educators think possible.

This benefit is further leveraged as they move beyond grammar school and into studying the Great Books through the Omnibus curriculum.

When you think about it, literature, even for the young student, is much more than just reading.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss

[1]“Why Do Kids Need Books?” The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance, http://thencbla.org/advocacy/why-do-kids-need-books/. Accessed 6 Mar. 2019.

The Veritas Approach to History

A history program was how Veritas began. After reading Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning, our interest in classical education from a Christian worldview was piqued. While building a classical school and looking for curriculum, we realized the value of teaching young children a comprehensive timeline of history. We wanted to connect it to learning the content of the Bible, as well. (Learn more about that at the Bible Course Options pages.)

Children in 2nd grade are ready to start learning a timeline. Before that, some groundwork should be done. In Kindergarten, family histories and holidays can orient children to the basics of a timeline. In 1st grade, students are taught a simplified version of American history to take advantage of their growing understanding of place and time.

Beginning in 2nd grade, students are ready for a formal study of history. We begin in the beginning, from creation. Each year from 2nd to 6th grades, students will study 32 events. In those five years, they’ll have learned 160 events. Our approach has students regularly reviewing what they’ve learned, too. This works remarkably well because, as classical educators point out, it’s how they are wired. At this time in their development, they love learning through memorization.

The five-year history cycle is described in the chart below:

 

Grade	Series
2nd	Old Testament and Ancient Egypt
3rd	New Testament, Greece, and Rome
4th	Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation
5th	Explorers to 1815
6th	1815 to the Present

 

After five years, students know dates and crucial facts about 160 events. Some programs fail to teach more than key events’ dates. Students may learn that the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 buried Pompeii. Without more details, though, they may not realize its connection to the New Testament. Similarly, students may learn that World War I raged from 1914 to 1918 and World War II from 1939 to 1945. Without more details, students will miss learning basic differences of how the wars were fought (their aircraft and weapons, for example). Missing those kinds of details, students won’t see how the wars’ key features fit into a larger historical context. Laurie and I will never forget visiting the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum when our oldest son was 12. He quickly recognized which aircraft belonged to which war.

While ideal to start at the beginning, it’s not necessary. In a homeschool with two or more children, you might consider teaching everyone at the same level. Integrated learning for art projects, field trips, etc. can be more effective this way. If younger children start after the first year, they can simply circle back to the beginning later. Children who have less than five years to complete the cycle can complete it in a condensed form. They can move through more than one series per year. They spend less time learning details, but they commit the core timeline to memory. We also have an option, called History Transition that condenses all five years into one.

Our approach to history in grammar school has served many students well. Maybe that’s why it’s one of the most awarded programs around.

The Veritas Approach to History

A history program was how Veritas began. After reading Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning, our interest in classical education from a Christian worldview was piqued. While building a classical school and looking for curriculum, we realized the value of teaching young children a comprehensive timeline of history. We wanted to connect it to learning the content of the Bible, as well. (Learn more about that at the Bible Course Options pages.)

Children in 2nd grade are ready to start learning a timeline. Before that, some groundwork should be done. In Kindergarten, family histories and holidays can orient children to the basics of a timeline. In 1st grade, students are taught a simplified version of American history to take advantage of their growing understanding of place and time.

Beginning in 2nd grade, students are ready for a formal study of history. We begin in the beginning, from creation. Each year from 2nd to 6th grades, students will study 32 events. In those five years, they’ll have learned 160 events. Our approach has students regularly reviewing what they’ve learned, too. This works remarkably well because, as classical educators point out, it’s how they are wired. At this time in their development, they love learning through memorization.

The five-year history cycle is described in the chart below:

Grade	Series
2nd	Old Testament and Ancient Egypt
3rd	New Testament, Greece, and Rome
4th	Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation
5th	Explorers to 1815
6th	1815 to the Present

 

After five years, students know dates and crucial facts about 160 events. Some programs fail to teach more than key events’ dates. Students may learn that the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 buried Pompeii. Without more details, though, they may not realize its connection to the New Testament. Similarly, students may learn that World War I raged from 1914 to 1918 and World War II from 1939 to 1945. Without more details, students will miss learning basic differences of how the wars were fought (their aircraft and weapons, for example). Missing those kinds of details, students won’t see how the wars’ key features fit into a larger historical context. Laurie and I will never forget visiting the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum when our oldest son was 12. He quickly recognized which aircraft belonged to which war.

While ideal to start at the beginning, it’s not necessary. In a homeschool with two or more children, you might consider teaching everyone at the same level. Integrated learning for art projects, field trips, etc. can be more effective this way. If younger children start after the first year, they can simply circle back to the beginning later. Children who have less than five years to complete the cycle can complete it in a condensed form. They can move through more than one series per year. They spend less time learning details, but they commit the core timeline to memory. We also have an option, called History Transition that condenses all five years into one.

The Veritas Approach to History

A history program was how Veritas began. After reading Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning, our interest in classical education from a Christian worldview was piqued. While building a classical school and looking for curriculum, we realized the value of teaching young children a comprehensive timeline of history. We wanted to connect it to learning the content of the Bible, as well. (Learn more about that at the Bible Course Options pages.)

Children in 2nd grade are ready to start learning a timeline. Before that, some groundwork should be done. In Kindergarten, family histories and holidays can orient children to the basics of a timeline. In 1st grade, students are taught a simplified version of American history to take advantage of their growing understanding of place and time.

Beginning in 2nd grade, students are ready for a formal study of history. We begin in the beginning, from creation. Each year from 2nd to 6th grades, students will study 32 events. In those five years, they’ll have learned 160 events. Our approach has students regularly reviewing what they’ve learned, too. This works remarkably well because, as classical educators point out, it’s how they are wired. At this time in their development, they love learning through memorization.

The five-year history cycle is described in the chart below:

 

Grade	Series
2nd	Old Testament and Ancient Egypt
3rd	New Testament, Greece, and Rome
4th	Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation
5th	Explorers to 1815
6th	1815 to the Present

 

After five years, students know dates and crucial facts about 160 events. Some programs fail to teach more than key events’ dates. Students may learn that the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 buried Pompeii. Without more details, though, they may not realize its connection to the New Testament. Similarly, students may learn that World War I raged from 1914 to 1918 and World War II from 1939 to 1945. Without more details, students will miss learning basic differences of how the wars were fought (their aircraft and weapons, for example). Missing those kinds of details, students won’t see how the wars’ key features fit into a larger historical context. Laurie and I will never forget visiting the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum when our oldest son was 12. He quickly recognized which aircraft belonged to which war.

While ideal to start at the beginning, it’s not necessary. In a homeschool with two or more children, you might consider teaching everyone at the same level. Integrated learning for art projects, field trips, etc. can be more effective this way. If younger children start after the first year, they can simply circle back to the beginning later. Children who have less than five years to complete the cycle can complete it in a condensed form. They can move through more than one series per year. They spend less time learning details, but they commit the core timeline to memory. We also have an option, called History Transition that condenses all five years into one.

Our approach to history in grammar school has served many students well. Maybe that’s why it’s one of the most awarded programs around.

The Veritas Approach to History

A history program was how Veritas began. After reading Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning, our interest in classical education from a Christian worldview was piqued. While building a classical school and looking for curriculum, we realized the value of teaching young children a comprehensive timeline of history. We wanted to connect it to learning the content of the Bible, as well. (Learn more about that at the Bible Course Options pages.)

Children in 2nd grade are ready to start learning a timeline. Before that, some groundwork should be done. In Kindergarten, family histories and holidays can orient children to the basics of a timeline. In 1st grade, students are taught a simplified version of American history to take advantage of their growing understanding of place and time.

Beginning in 2nd grade, students are ready for a formal study of history. We begin in the beginning, from creation. Each year from 2nd to 6th grades, students will study 32 events. In those five years, they’ll have learned 160 events. Our approach has students regularly reviewing what they’ve learned, too. This works remarkably well because, as classical educators point out, it’s how they are wired. At this time in their development, they love learning through memorization.

The five-year history cycle is described in the chart below:

 

Grade	Series
2nd	Old Testament and Ancient Egypt
3rd	New Testament, Greece, and Rome
4th	Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation
5th	Explorers to 1815
6th	1815 to the Present

After five years, students know dates and crucial facts about 160 events. Some programs fail to teach more than key events’ dates. Students may learn that the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 buried Pompeii. Without more details, though, they may not realize its connection to the New Testament. Similarly, students may learn that World War I raged from 1914 to 1918 and World War II from 1939 to 1945. Without more details, students will miss learning basic differences of how the wars were fought (their aircraft and weapons, for example). Missing those kinds of details, students won’t see how the wars’ key features fit into a larger historical context. Laurie and I will never forget visiting the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum when our oldest son was 12. He quickly recognized which aircraft belonged to which war.

While ideal to start at the beginning, it’s not necessary. In a homeschool with two or more children, you might consider teaching everyone at the same level. Integrated learning for art projects, field trips, etc. can be more effective this way. If younger children start after the first year, they can simply circle back to the beginning later. Children who have less than five years to complete the cycle can complete it in a condensed form. They can move through more than one series per year. They spend less time learning details, but they commit the core timeline to memory. We also have an option, called History Transition that condenses all five years into one.

Our approach to history in grammar school has served many students well. Maybe that’s why it’s one of the most awarded programs around.