Their flagship product, Teaching the Classics is an eight-hour seminar for parents, teachers, and readers. It gives them a tool for reading literature that acts like a pair of glasses which are to be worn whenever you read a book. This method shows how every story has the same structure, and it provides a long list of questions that will equip the teacher or parent to begin a Socratic Dialogue. By using dialogue a teacher can help the student engage with the story in a way that challenges his own views and opinions, rather than asking the student to assess a story whereby he just applies his paradigm to the text. Teaching the Classics also reviews literary devices and their importance to understanding classic literature.

This program is for all grades and beyond. In fact, it’s easiest to start to learn how to teach with dialogue using kids’ picture books. A shorter story means less that gets in the way of spotting the key elements. But we can use this with texts as complex as Tolstoy or Tolkien. Beyond the seminar, the only thing you need is a desire to learn, and a good book.

Once you have completed the seminar, Center for Lit helps us choose books for each grade level in their book Read Roadmaps. This guide also gives us a summary of each book and short notes for the teacher as tips for Socratic dialogue.

If you want to have complete lesson plans for select books, you can use the Ready Readers. The Ready Readers Series have texts for Elementary to High School, even one for The Chronicles of Narnia. Each Reader provides several lessons for each book and they cover specific questions mapped out for the teacher, all within the scope of what was discussed in the seminar Teaching the Classics. You must watch the seminar to understand the scope of what these books are doing. I highly recommend the Ready Readers as a reliable support for teaching literature in the form of a Socratic dialogue.

Quick Facts:

• Teaching the Classics is the central piece of this program. It’s all you need.
• Teaching the Classics is a DVD seminar with a workbook that can be done as a group. You will need to purchase additional workbooks for each viewer.
• Reading Roadmaps is a K-12 booklist with summaries of Teaching the Classics story chart.
• Ready Readers are open and go lesson plans for selected titles.
• This method can be used on any text, you do not have to use the Reading Roadmaps or the Ready Readers.

by Hester VanBraeden

Hester is a second-generation home-educating parent who is keenly aware that her own education is not complete, and comfortable that it probably never will be. She has many years of experience with children, books, and curriculum. She loves to travel to worlds and times beyond the present with her children through many books. Hester and her husband have four children and live in the lower mainland of BC.

The post Curriculum Spotlight – Center for Lit appeared first on Classical Education Books.

Emma

The Scarlett Pimpernel

The Swiss Family Robinson

Little Women

My Antonia

Eight Cousins

Where the Red Fern Grows

Anne of Green Gables

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The post Love and Friendship Book Stack (Ages 8-12) appeared first on Classical Education Books.

Advent has a long and interesting history with various traditions popping up throughout.  Advent means “coming” in Latin.  Today Christians use the season of advent to celebrate the coming of Jesus into the world and it is also symbolic as the church waits for Christs’ return.

It is common to light a candle and read from the scriptures on the four Sundays leading up to Christmas Day.  There are numerous ways that a family can use this season to teach their children about Christ’s birth and his return. I encourage you to develop traditions that mark this time.  The traditions can be used to draw you away from the overwhelming pace that is so typical of this season.  They will remind you and your family about the joyous anticipation that awaits believers.

This package will take you through 24 days of Advent with a wonderful 25th book to open on Christmas Day. Each book has been carefully selected to help kids think about waiting and preparing. It includes classic tales of the season, from the real story of Saint Nicholas, The Nutcracker, and of course the tale of a Grinch who stole Christmas. It ends with a beautiful book that tells the story of Christmas using art masterpieces and texts directly from Scripture. This package will have a little something for everyone to revisit every year.

Package includes:

The Littlest Watchman
Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
The Little Fir Tree
Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend
White Snow, Bright Snow
The Little Drummer Boy
The Christmas Story
Christmas around the World
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
The Mitten
Christmas Day in the Morning
The Little Match Girl
The Nutcracker (W/CD)
Christmas in the Big Woods
Papa Panov’s Special Christmas
Katie’s London Christmas
The Polar Express
An Orange for Frankie
The Miracle of St. Nicholas
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Snow
Good King Wenceslas
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
A Promise Kept

The post Advent Book Calendar appeared first on Classical Education Books.

The more I read, the more I want to read and realize that I will never get through my list. That doesn’t stop me from reading, but sometimes I wonder if my time is spent wisely on one text versus another. This is particularly true about the literary canon where I want to read every single word. But even if I knew where to start, I would never get through it all. And I’m sure it would only make me ask more questions as I wonder about context and relationship to other texts that are not included in the literary canon.

The perfect solution to this problem would be a tutor or a guide to help me navigate that great and worthy body of thought. That is why I get pretty excited about Old Western Culture and the program that they have created. They feature the esteemed Dr. Wes Callihan, an approachable, wise teacher who has extensive insights and knowledge into the Great Books.

In these lectures, he comfortably approaches each topic from his leather armchair, ceding the screen for the occasional picture or piece of art that illustrates his point. He shares with us his knowledge of the text and how it integrates with the rest of the humanities, and he shows us how these works echo through history and thought turns to action. Later units include other presenters, but it’s hard to improve on Dr. Callihan’s friendly expositions.

Curriculum Overview

In this program, the Great Books of Western Culture are split into four different eras: The Greeks, The Romans, Christendom, and Early Moderns. Each era is divided again into four parts, each part dealing with an aspect of the era equalling a total of 12 units. The Great Books will be covered, but only excerpts will be selected as required reading. You can be sure those are the excerpts that are worth your time.

DVDs

The lectures, or rather, delightful monologues as I like to call them, are presented on DVDs with 12 lectures per DVD.

Readers

There is required reading for each lecture which is where the Readers become very handy. The Readers for each unit are the selected readings all compiled into one volume. Sure, you could buy the individual works of Augustine, Anselm, or Aquinas. But you could also buy just the one volume published as the Reader for each unit which will contain all the required reading. If you’re like me that will save time both in hunting down texts and organizing them so you can find them when you need them.

Workbook

Finally, if you want to engage with the content you can purchase the workbook applicable to each unit which will help you to ask questions and further digest the content.

Adaptability

It’s easy to look at this entire program and get overwhelmed once again. Even bite-sized lessons, when piled high can look like a mountain. Yes, it’s nicely organized and arranged, but even this is a commitment beyond our ability. It’s our dream to have each of our kids do something like this program during their high school years, but what if we are homeschooling from one year to the next? What about wanting to do this for ourselves so we can at least engage with our teenagers on these issues?

I suggest that we don’t let those questions hold you back. This program is perfectly organized, as we established, so maybe you need to take it one unit at a time. Pick something you want to learn. Is it Nicene Christianity? Poetry and Politics in the Modern Era? Or the writings of the Reformation? Even one of these units would be an amazing course. Maybe you can find time for two. Three? It’s possible.

We could even take this further. This doesn’t need to be about your homeschool or your own education. This could be a unit study for your youth group at Church. Or a study group with other adults. This is a fully credited high school course, but it can be anything you want it to be.

Each of us wishes we could have the education that our children will have. Well, I’m suggesting that we don’t have to wish any longer. We can start right here. It’s only 12 units, and a good time with our teenagers as we learn together in community with our Church, our homeschool group, or just as a family.

Quick facts:

• Each unit includes a DVD, Reader, and Workbook.
• You don’t need to do the workbook.
• An option is to just watch the DVD.
• Watch reviews on Youtube of Dr. Callihan’s teaching style here.
• This is not a four-year commitment. It is only a commitment to one unit (and then the next…).
• The Readers provide easy access to the text.
• The Workbook completes the program as a course for high school.
• Each lecture is around 30 minutes long.

by Hester VanBraeden

Hester is a second-generation home educating parent who is keenly aware that her own education is not complete, and comfortable that it probably never will be. She has many years of experience with children, books, and curriculum. She loves to travel to worlds and times beyond the present with her children through many books. Hester and her husband have four children and live in the lower mainland of BC.

The post Curriculum Spotlight – Old Western Culture appeared first on Classical Education Books.

Whether books are the foundation to your child’s learning, something you use to supplement curriculum, or you simply value what books bring into your home, CEB’s Book Stacks are something we’ll be pulling together on a regular basis to help you educate your children.

Making Memories

Themes are fun and a key ingredient to making memories.  I use them regularly in life and book themes are no exception.  I pull out all the fall-themed picture books off our bookshelves every September, we have a bin of Christmas books that gets hauled out in December, and I love finding books that coordinate with the other things we have going on.  Our trip to an ocean cabin included a bin full of ocean-themed activities: picture books, puzzles, games, and coloring sheets.  What stuffies do you bring on an ocean vacation?  Well, the mermaid and sea star of course.  During our family read-aloud time of The Green Ember, it just made sense to find picture books about Rabbits.  This year my plan is to purchase books about bacteria, viruses, and pandemics.

Boundaries Help Creativity

Themes introduce boundaries.  We don’t often think of boundaries as enhancing creativity or opening up our world, but they do.  A few years ago, we had a fun and creative time planning our meals for Valentines’ Day when we decided that everything had to be red.  And there was that year we had silent reading themes: Mondays were for science, Tuesdays were for history, Wednesdays were for fiction, and Thursdays were for bible stories.  This was a good strategy to encourage reading outside of the “go-to” genre.

Books are a Curriculum Complement

Homeschool Mamas have a special relationship with books. We know that there is a heap of learning that can be pulled out of living books.  I find myself leaning more and more on books particularly in the primary years.  It’s such a sweet and gentle way to learn.  I encourage you to weave living books into your curriculum where you can, especially when you notice a child being drawn into a particular topic.

Benefits of Living Books

-spark curiosity

-are a delight

-present facts as part of a storyline

-lead to greater retention

-are exciting

-are whole books

-draw a reader in

-make the subject matter come alive

Immersion

Immersing a child in a topic is a great way for them to learn. This Winter Book Stack has so much to offer.  Snow is Falling, Snowflake Bentley and Snowman-Cold=Puddle are all science books.  Robert Frost’s Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening is a poetry book, Winter on the Farm is a social studies book, and Snow is a Language Arts book where you can introduce your children to what it means to write lyrically. I love how the pictures in Owl Moon capture the feeling of a winter’s night and White Snow Bright Snow captivates the delight children feel when it starts to snow. Katy and the Big Snow is a sweet fictional account in which your child can share in Katy’s shining moment experience, The Mitten is a traditional Ukrainian story, and in Brave Irene, you’ll be sending your child out on an adventure as the main character faces a snowstorm.  How fun would it be to have these books on hand for the next snow week?

Add a snowflake craft and you’ll have a week to remember.

I hope you enjoy this Book Stack.  We can’t always add the book suggestions that you all have.  We sure love to hear about them though and add them to our Wishlist.

by Adrianne Curwen

Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children.  She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there.  Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new.  She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.

The post Introducing CEB’s Book Stacks appeared first on Classical Education Books.

Send the boys in your life on an adventure with these books.  Visit a graveyard with Tom Sawyer, battle wolves in The Green Ember, or run away to Catskill Mountains in My Side of the Mountain.  If you have a reluctant reader then head off on the adventure with him and try a read-aloud.  Get caught up in the emotions of Lassie Come-Home, travel back in time to Egypt in The Cat of Bubastes, or maybe you want to spend some time in the fantasy land of Middle Earth in The Hobbit.  What’s left?  King Arthur, Little Britches, The Bronze Bow, Homer Price.  You could order a few copies of the same book and try a book club.

by Adrianne Curwen

Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children.  She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there.  Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new.  She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.

The post Book Stack for Boys appeared first on Classical Education Books.

Books have much to offer our girls. These titles are packed with adventure, life lessons to explore, emotions to face, and new things to learn.

Embark on a conversation about how we should treat others and the regret that follows when we don’t do the right thing, as you read The Hundred Dresses. Introduce your daughter to another culture in Where The Mountain Meets the Moon. And have fun with Caddie Woodlawn as you travel back to the 1860s.  Is your girl all about horses?  Then you need to get your hands on Misty of Chincoteague.  I have a girl that was so intrigued by the fact that she kept forgetting Heather was a rabbit in The Green Ember. Meet the Melendy children in The Saturdays as they come up with a clever way of getting the most out of their Saturdays. Or how about planning a girl’s movie night?  Don’t forget to read the book first. You have a few to choose from: The Secret Garden, Heidi, Anne of Green Gables, and Charlotte’s Web.

by Adrianne Curwen

Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children.  She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there.  Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new.  She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.

The post Book Stack for Girls appeared first on Classical Education Books.