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.

OMNIBUS IS A GREAT BOOKS CURRICULUM THAT TEACHES STUDENTS THE LESSONS FROM THE PAST IN ORDER TO LIVE IN THE PRESENT.

Teaching children to think biblically about everything is one of the hardest jobs parents and teachers have. Learning from the past to live in the present might be second hardest. By tapping some of the greatest thinkers alive, Veritas produced the Omnibus, a Great Books curriculum for grades 7-12 that grounds students in their faith. Omnibus is a Latin term meaning “all-encompassing.” Each year of the Omnibus curriculum combines history, theology, and literature to help students grow in their appreciation of the unity of all knowledge.

The Omnibus includes six years with two simultaneous courses per year. The Primary books course focuses closely on primary-source historical works and events from the time period covered. The Secondary course offers balance and a lighter workload, with a greater focus on literature and theology. Taken together, students will earn three credits: one each in history, theology, and literature. For example: As part of Omnibus I Primary, students delve into the works of Plato, dealing with the Socratic Method. In Omnibus I Secondary, some reading includes modern works by Peter Kreeft, presenting fictional conversations between Socrates, abortionists, and university professors. This integrated, classical approach equips students with both an in-depth knowledge of history and the Great Books, while training them in the skills needed to process and articulate the meaning of this knowledge through the prism of a Christian worldview. Students completing all six years of Omnibus Primary and Secondary courses will have the added benefit of the in-depth study of all 66 books of the Bible.

When first learning about the Omnibus some are concerned with difficulty and enjoyability. We take particular care to fit the stage of the learner. The readings for the Omnibus can seem overwhelming. Students should be encouraged to learn to skim some sections—Herodotus’s Histories is an example—and to enjoy the richness of others—Homer’s Odyssey, for example. Class types and exercises are varied enough to capture all imaginations.

Omnibus covers three historical time periods, cycling through them twice, as follows:

Click HERE to see how credits are best recorded on transcripts.

Many ask, “Can we do only a year or a few years, or only primary, or only secondary courses?” Our answer is the same: Any study of the Great Books to learn to think biblically about everything will be of great value.

Whether you plan to do all twelve classes over six years or only one, students will benefit for the rest of their lives by joining the “Great Conversation.” Learning can happen in all three formats: You Teach, Self-Paced, and Live Online.

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.

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.