Tag Archives: classical christian homeschool curriculum

Memoria Press Classical Composition Review

Leave a reply

If you need a Composition course for your homeschool students, then you might want to check out the Classical Composition I: Fables Set and Classical Compostion II: Narrative Set from Memoria Press.

Memoria Press is a curriculum publishing company that focuses on the Classical Education method with a Christian worldview.

Classical Composition

Memoria Press has published 9 courses in Classical Composition.  You can begin these courses as early as 4th grade and use them all the way through 12th grade if desired, or start when it best fits into your student’s homeschooling journey.

  • Fable
  • Narrative
  • Chreia/Maxim
  • Refutation/Confirmation
  • Common Topic
  • Encomium/Invective/Comparison
  • Characterization
  • Description
  • Thesis & Law

These Classical Composition courses are unique and highly successful.  They were developed by Jim Selby, a teacher from Kansas.  He found that all of his students were able to master the skills of composition with this curriculum.  When his students take these Classical Composition courses, they have “a 100% qualification rate on the optional essay portion of the college entrance exams (ACT and SAT) versus the national average of 23%” and many have “gained college credits with successful completion of the English AP exams.”  That is quite a record of achievement!

Classical Composition I: Fable Set

Student Book

Spiral Bound-Paper Back

101 pages

20 Lessons

Teacher Guide

Spiral Bound-Paper Back

Lesson Plans

Answer Key

101 Pages

Instructional DVDs 

4 DVD’s covering 20 Lessons

Retails for $85

Classical Composition I: Fables is the first course in the Classical Composition series.  Composition is learning how to write well.  The premise is that as students learn about writing and begin to understand and imitate good writers, they will master the techniques of composition and become good writers themselves.

Classical Composition 1: Fables uses short fables to teach students to become good writers.  A fable is a short story that uses animals for characters, has humor, and has a deeper message, a common truth that is wise to learn.  This common truth is called a “common place” because it can apply to everyone.

In each lesson, students will read a fable, become familiar with the contents of the fable as they study the various words and learn the meanings and synomyms of those words, make an outline of the main parts of the fable, narrate the fable from memory, the rewrite the fable with variations or paraphrases using synonyms for the key words while still maintaining the overall meaning of the deeper message.

Course Contents:

Teaching Guidelines
Introduction to the Fable Stage
Definition of Terms

Lessons:
Lesson 1 – The Ant and the Chrysalis
Lesson 2 – The Ant and the Grasshopper
Lesson 3 – The Fox and the Grapes
Lesson 4 – The Hare and the Tortoise
Lesson 5 – The Fisherman Piping
Lesson 6 – The Flies and the Honey-Pot
Lesson 7 – The Bear and the Two Travelers
Lesson 8 – The Dove and the Ant
Lesson 9 – The Thirsty Pigeon
Lesson 10 – The Dog and the Shadow
Lesson 11 – The Dog in the Manger
Lesson 12 – The Mountain in Labor
Lesson 13 – The Sick Lion
Lesson 14 – The Ass and the Lapdog
Lesson 15 – The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
Lesson 16 – The Ass and the Mule
Lesson 17 – The Frogs Asking for a King
Lesson 18 – The Mischievous Dog
Lesson 19 – The Old Woman & the Physician
Lesson 20 – The Fighting Cocks & the Eagle

Appendix:
Figures of Description With Examples
Introduction to the Progymnasmata by James A. Selby

The complete set includes the Student Book, Teacher Guide and a set of 4 DVDs.  These items can be purchased separately or as a set.  You will save money buying them together as a set.

The Student Book has the fable, plus room on 4 worksheets to complete each written exercise.

Student Book sample:

The Teacher Guide has the student’s worksheet, additional lesson helps such as vocabulary definitions and lesson structure (not a daily schedule plan), and the answers to the corresponding student worksheet included all on one page.  It also has additional teaching tips scattered throughout, a grading rubric, and plenty of room to write extra notes if needed.

Teacher Guide sample:

The DVDs brings the fable to life with an audio visual component rather than just reading from the Student Book.  The DVD set contains a set of 4 DVDs and each one contains 5 lessons from the Student Book and covers all 20 lessons of the course.  Be sure to click the link below to see and hear a sample of Lesson 1 and how the instructor presents the fable and explains the tasks to be completed.

DVD Video Sample:

Classical Composition I: Fable DVD Sample from Lesson 1 on Vimeo.

Grading:

Course grades are based on:

  • Handwriting
  • Mechanics (spelling, punctuation, grammar)
  • Content (storyline)
  • Vocabulary/Diction (word choice)
  • Figures of Description

Classical Composition II: Narrative Set

Student Book

Spiral Bound-Paper Back

156 Pages

20 Lessons

Teacher Guide

Spiral Bound-Paper Back

156 Pages

Instructional DVDs 

Retails for $85

This is the second course in the Classical Composition courses.  Classical Composition II: Narrative Set uses narratives to teach students to become good writers.  Each lesson in the Student Book begins by reading aloud a narrative.  The narrative may contain a few difficult words, and the Teacher’s Guide contains lists with definitions to go over with the student.  Through a process of writing an outline, and writing 2 rough drafts of paraphrasing and a final draft, the students will narrate the narrative in their own words to master the writing skills in this Composition course.

Course Contents:

Teaching Guidelines
Definition of Terms
Introduction to the Narrative Stage

Lessons:
Lesson 1 – The Rose
Lesson 2 – Chico and the Crane
Lesson 3 – Elijah and the Widow
Lesson 4 – Giufà—Eat, My Clothes!
Lesson 5 – The Song of the Vineyard
Lesson 6 – Giufà and the Judge
Lesson 7 – Elijah and the Prophets of Baal
Lesson 8 – Elijah and the Burning Sacrifice
Lesson 9 – Nathan and David
Lesson 10 -The Frog Prince
Lesson 11- Elisha and the Widow’s Jars
Lesson 12 – Conrad Von Tannenberg
Lesson 13 – Latona and the Rustics
Lesson 14 – A Vine Out of Egypt
Lesson 15 – The Sower
Lesson 16 – The Good Samaritan
Lesson 17 – Baucis and Philemon
Lesson 18 – The Foolish Rich Man
Lesson 19 – The King and Two Servants
Lesson 20 – The Pen and the Inkstand

Appendix:
Figures of Description With Examples
Figures of Speech With Examples

The Classical Composition II: Narrative Set includes a Student Book, Teacher Guide, and a set of 4 DVDs.  These items can be purchased separately or as a set.  However, you will save money when you buy these together as a complete set.

The Student Book has the narrative story, plus room on 6 worksheets to complete each written exercise.

Student Book sample:

Each page of the Teacher Guide has the student’s corresponding lesson page in a subset, lesson vocabulary and definitions, lesson structure (but not a daily lesson plan schedule), and the answer key included all on one page.  Some pages within the book also contain teaching tips.  The Teacher’s Guide also contains a grading Rubric, examples of figures of description, examples of figures of speech, and room to write extra notes too.

Teacher Guide sample:

The Classical Composition II: Narrative Set has a set of 4 DVD’s.  Each DVD contains 5 lessons from the Student Book covering all 20 lessons.  The addition of the DVD to this course brings the Narrative story to life with an audio visual component rather than just reading from the Student Book.  Be sure to click the link below to hear the Narrative sample from Lesson 3 and see and hear how the instructor explains the narrative composition tasks to be completed.

DVD Video sample:

Classical Composition II: Narrative Sample DVD from Lesson 3 on Vimeo.

Grading:

Course grades are based on:

  • Handwriting
  • Mechanics (spelling, punctuation, grammar)
  • Content (storyline)
  • Vocabulary/Diction (word choice)
  • Amplification (figures of description, inverting in draft, etc)

Our Experience:

We were glad to receive Classical Composition I: Fables Set and Classical Compostion II: Narrative Set for the purpose of this review.  The arrival of this course was perfect timing for my son’s English Composition course work.  These courses count for a full credit on his highschool transcript.

We have loved the Classical Education products Memoria Press has sent us to review in our homeschool.  Memoria Press has many wonderful curriculum products that can be used by homeschool families who use a variety of homeschool education methods (Classical, Traditional, Eclectic, Charlotte Mason, etc).  Classical Composition is one of those great versatile products.

My son is doing an accelerated plan to get both of these Classical Composition courses done in his final year of highschool. That means working daily on Composition instead of spacing it out a few days a week.  He has to be laser focused to work on it each day.  Hopefully at the accelerated pace, he will accomplish each Composition course in about 18 weeks. These courses are flexible and can also be stretched out for a whole school year if you don’t need the accelerated pace.   He needs to finish two courses, and perhaps even a third course, before he graduates.  So this accelerated plan is a better option for him.  Memoria Press also sent us their Classical Composition Accelerated I Lesson Plan (9 pages) for him to follow so he can complete both of these courses together in 1 year.

Though he is a strong reader, with excellent comprehension, he is not a strong essay writer.  He really has had no desire to write stories or essays, until recently.  However, this course has motivated him to want to write.

He starts each lesson out by reviewing the short lesson on video and reading it in the student book.  Then he completes the activities in the student book through out the week.  There are approximately 4 pages of activities to a lesson in Fables and 6 pages of activities to a lesson in Narrative (he has not begun the Narrative lessons yet).

The course instructor on the DVDs is Dr. Brett Vaden.  He is very easy to understand and my son and I enjoy the sound of his voice and his explanations.  Having these DVDs made a huge difference in my son’s motivation level to do the writing exercises.  Though you could do the course with only the student book and teacher guide, I would encourage everyone to get this course as a set with the DVDs because they really do enrich the learning experience.

Though Memoria Press recommends students start learning Composition as early as possible (as early as 4th grade to get through all 9 levels of their courses), the everyday reality is that most students focus on Composition as a structured course during their highschool years.  Given the research and success record of Memoria Press curriculum, it is obvious that the sooner you begin these courses, the more opportunity and more time you will have to master all the skill levels.

Memoria Press

In addition to their publishing company, Memoria Press also own a private Christian school called Highlands Latin School in Louisville Kentucky that uses their award winning curriculum.  They have scored in the top 1% of schools in the country for 9 years in a row.  The quality of the Memoria Press curriculum is top notch.  Using this curriculum, their students score an average of 3 grades above their grade level.

Memoria Press curriculum products are available to the public and are well loved by many in the homeschool community.

They have every grade level available in both a complete subject grade package format and also as individual subject products.  So you can choose what best fits your homeschool student’s needs, and search for products by subject area or by grade.

Special Offers

You can save $50 when you buy ANY TWO Classic Composition Sets (Student Book, Teacher Guide, DVDs)!  Be sure to use the coupon code CCSET at checkout.

Social Media

Keep in touch with Memoria Press through their social media links for all the latest news, special offers, and product updates:

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube

Homeschool Review Crew

Memoria Press recently sent a variety of products to The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Review Crew:

New American Cursive 1
New American Cursive 2 (Scripture)
New American Cursive 2 (Famous Americans)
New American Cursive 3 (Famous Quotes)

Traditional Logic I Complete Set
Traditional Logic II Complete Set

Classical Composition I: Fable Set
Classical Composition II: Narrative Set

Be sure to check out what others on the Homeschool Review Crew had to say about using products from Memoria Press in their home.

Please share.

Prima Latina Review

Leave a reply

The longer we homeschool the more we learn about wonderful products available for learning a variety of languages and subjects at home at any age.  We recently reviewed a wonderful product for learning beginning Latin from Memoria Press called Prima Latina Complete Set.

Prima Latina Complete Set

Student Book (workbook)

Teacher Manual

Lesson DVDs

Pronunciation Audio CD

Flash Cards

Grades 1-4

Retails $90.90

This is a terrific easy-to-use, beginning Latin resource for Elementary age students in grades 1-4.  It was designed to make it easy to transition into the next level of learning Latin.  But honestly older students and adults who have not previously studied Latin would also benefit using this beginning level program prior to moving on.

The Prima Latina Complete Set includes a spiral bound Student Book (workbook), Teacher Manual, Lesson DVD’s, Audio Pronunciation CD, and Flashcards.

All of the resources in this set coordinate together to cover 25 easy to use student friendly lessons.  You can complete this course in 25 weeks or go faster or slower at a pace that suits your needs.  The lessons include:

  • grammar appropriate for primary grades
  • 5 vocabulary words with corresponding English derivatives per lesson
  • A practical Latin phrase per lesson
  • One line of a prayer per lesson that is learned in 5 lessons
  • Easy-to-read, 2-color format
  • Reviews: The exercises in each lesson provide constant review of materials learned throughout the course.
  • Tests: Every 5 lessons, students review the material and take a test (complete with key) to ensure mastery.

Our experience using Prima Latina:

Our daughter is using the Prima Latina Complete Set we were sent for this review.  We like it so much we plan to order additional Student Books (workbooks) for the rest of our kids too.  You need a Student Book for each student because they write in it what they have learned.  However, each family would only need one complete set of the other resources that can be shared. So you could easily use this course with multiple kids in the same house if you get each one their own student book which only costs an additional $15 per student.  That is one fee for the complete set for the first student and only $15 for each additional student to learn the beginning Latin course.  For a large family like ours, with 6 kids, this is a win win!!!

Student Book (workbook):

We love this workbook!  It is so easy to read and write in.  It is spiral bound and printed on both sides of the page.  Everything is broken down into easy to understand steps.

Each lesson contains about 10 sections:

Practical Latin

Lesson

Vocabulary

Latin Prayers

Derivatives

Review Questions (and sometimes additional Questions 2)

Translation

Speaking Latin

Write and Learn

Fun Practice

At the back of the book is a vocabulary appendix that contains an alphabetized list of all the words and phrases learned, what lesson they are found in, and what part of speech.

The student goals in the Student Book are to

  1. Learn basic Latin alphabet and pronunciation
  2. Pronounce, spell, and translate approximately 125 Latin words.
  3. Learn numbers 1-10 in Latin.
  4. Learn the names of the constellations in the sky.
  5. Understand derivatives and the English words that are derived from Latin.
  6. Grammar

Teacher Manual:

The Teacher Manual is also a very easy to use resource.  It mirrors the Student Book and contains the answers to each of the questions. It also contains the vocabulary appendix, reproducible drills and tests and the answer keys, as well as a sample lesson plan, and teaching guidelines in the back.

I like the ease of use of this program.  Even though I have no previous background in learning Latin myself, following the steps in this program is easy for me to teach and learn myself as I go.  This course is great for both the student and the parent/teacher.  Older students above the suggested grade level could teach this program to themselves independently too using the Teacher Manual.

DVD’s:

The DVD’s include 3 discs, with a total of 9 hours (15-20 min./lesson) taught by instructor Leigh Lowe.  She includes a lot of vocabulary practice, explanations, recitation of words and phrases learned, and review.
She uses diagrams and on-screen notes, and examples to convey her meaning to help students understand.

Check out this example of a video lesson with the teacher Leigh Lowe:

Audio Pronunciation CD:

The Audio Pronunciation CD includes pronunciation explanation and direction for each lesson.  We found the CD to be helpful for practicing drills and learning the correct pronunciation of the songs.

Flashcards:

We like using flashcards and the flashcards in the Prima Latina Complete Set are a fun way to practice and memorize the lessons being taught.  They cover vocabulary with derivatives, Latin sayings, conjugations and declensions. The Flashcards can also be used the following year with the next level of Latin training called Latina Christiana.

Memoria Press has done a wonderful job creating this Latin course.  Prima Latina is a student friendly way to teach Latin to young students. It teaches important English and Latin grammar concepts, as well as vocabulary, sayings, prayers, hymns, and many well known constellations in the sky.

Prima Latina Complete Set is a wonderful choice for homeschool families with young children.  It may also be helpful for families with children who are still becoming familiar with English grammar as a second language too. Perhaps it would make a nice intro to Latin for bible study classes or groups. This program will also work great for families who need flexibility and for families who have students of various ages who want to learn Latin at a much slower pace than other programs.  The program is flexible and you can go as fast or as slow as you need too.  Finally it can also be used by families who have students that would like to work toward a rigorous language arts program using Latin as the foundation.  This is a great beginning Latin language resource.  Be sure to check out the next level course called Latina Christiana and the other Latin courses Memoria Press has to offer.

Social Media

Be sure to follow Memoria Press on their social media links for all the latest news and product updates.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/memoriapress/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MemoriaPress
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/memoriapress/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/memoriapress/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/104379865092561103366
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/memoriapress/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/memoriapresstrk=nav_account_sub_nav_company_admin

Homeschool Review Crew

Be sure to check out what other families on the Homeschool Review Crew had to say about using products from Memoria Press.

 

Please share.

First Form Greek Review

2 Replies

My oldest son is fascinated by ancient Greek, Hebrew, and Roman history, their cultures, weapons, and their languages.  He is in high school and working towards his graduation transcript requirements. Thankfully, Memoria Press has many wonderful curriculum options that meet his variety of interests as well as requirements. 

He was thrilled to receive First Form Greek Complete Set by Memoria Press to review in our homeschool.  This course includes everything he needs to learn the ancient Greek language and it will meet his high school transcript language requirements.  This course fit perfectly in reaching his interests and goals. 

First Form Greek Complete Set

First Form Greek Complete Set

Grades 7-12

Retail $125

The First Form Greek Complete Set includes resources for both the student and the parent teacher.  It includes everything you need for learning ancient Greek.  Even though this is a beginner / intermediate level course for older students, it is recommended for the student to have some prior knowledge of Latin Language and to have learned the Greek Alphabet. Spending extra time learning Lesson 1 in the book will also help a new student learn this program if they have no prior experience.  See the course recommendations on the website for more details.

The First Form Greek Complete Set contains the following:

For the Student:

Lessons DVD

Pronunciations CD

Student Text

Student Workbook

Flash Cards

For the Parent / Teacher

Teacher Manual

Teacher Keys

Quizes & Tests Booklet

First Form Greek covers general vocabulary and grammar in a logical organized method.  The goal after finishing First Form Greek, is for the student to have mastered:

130 vocabulary words
Six indicative active tenses of the “omega” verb
Present tense of the “to be” verb
Two noun declensions
First & second declension adjectives
Personal & demonstrative pronouns

If your student desires to go further in their Greek studies, after completing First Form Greek, they will be better prepared for further studies in Greek New Testament and Septuagint or Classical Greek and understanding of Greek authors.

Items in the Complete Set:

Teacher Manual:

The First Form Greek Teacher Manual has everything the parent teacher needs to teach this class.  You don’t need prior experience, all the answers and explanations are provided for you and you can learn as you go.

The Teacher Manual contains:

a full copy of the Student Text with answers in color,

lesson plans for each day,

recitation schedule for each week,

oral drills,

parsing and analysis of Greek sayings,

references to similar linguistic features in Latin.

additional notes.

Quizzes & Tests booklet:

The Quizzes & Tests booklet contains:

reproducible weekly quizzes

unit tests that ensure material is being mastered,

and a grading rubric for the teacher.

Teacher Key:

The Teacher Key booklet contains:

answers to the workbook

answers to quizzes

answers to tests.

DVD Set:

The set of 5 DVD’s contains:

8 hours of instructions covering

10-20 minutes step by step lessons used at the beginning of each week.

Teacher: Elizabeth Pierce

Oral Drills

On Screen Examples

Onscreen Charts

CD:

The CD contains:

Pronunciation,

vocabulary,

sayings,

grammar forms for each lesson.

Student Text:

The Student Text contains:

26 Lessons + 5 Unit Reviews,

Lessons are on two facing pages.

 The student text provides a presentation of grammar in five units that cover 26 step by step lessons.  It includes appendices with English grammar, prayers, conversational Greek, a vocabulary index, etc.

Student Workbook:

The Student Workbook is focussed on logical practice and mastery of concepts and contains:

6 pages of exercises per lesson,

Lesson exercises to be completed in 4 days

Blank drill forms

Weekly reviews of vocabulary and grammar on day 5.

Unit reviews.

Flashcards:

Flashcards contain:

vocabulary,

Greek sayings,

grammar forms.

Our Thoughts Using First Form Greek

All of the resources in this set are wonderful high quality products.   So much is included to help you be successful and master Greek language skills.   Even though they have provided everything you need, this course is not easy!  It is very challenging and learning this language is harder than it looks!

This course is very well made.  I would personally expect to find such an indepth course in college, so high school students interested in this are really blessed to have such a high quality resource to work with.  I took French 1 and 2, German 1, and some intro in Latin for singers, in college and struggled learning languages because their were few resources.  I personally would have been thrilled with all the resources that are included in this set if I had this class in college!  It is very well put together.

My son and I found the DVD lessons to be an invaluable resource for this course.  I don’t think we could get through the class without them.  I know nothing about the Greek language, and it is very helpful to have a teacher on the DVD teach the lesson and demonstrate the correct pronunciation.  I am also thankful for the Teacher Manual and Test Key, because I would be lost without them when grading and trying to search for answers to my son’s questions.

Another thing I like about the text book is that it includes scriptures and talks about Jesus and encourages our faith.  I also like that it includes several pages of culture and ancient history with photos.

My son is very intelligent and focused in his personal learning objectives.  He devours every piece of information he seeks out.  He amazes me at his desire to learn knowledge.  There isn’t a day that goes by that he hasn’t done some extensive research into a subject.

He has taken an introductory class for Latin, and has learned a few Greek phonemes.  We moved in the middle of his Greek phonemes class, but expected he knew enough about Greek to take this course and do well in it.   We both thought he was better prepared to start this class than he actually was.

He went at it full force in the beginning and gave it his best effort for a few stressful weeks.  But he soon got discouraged because learning Greek was more challenging than he planned.

I would have probably given up by now trying to learn this language in my teenage or young adult years. When something was over my head, and I felt like I was failing, I would cut ties with it unless I could find a tutor or another solution to help me learn it.  I was blessed in college to find wonderful tutors and later able to become a tutor myself because I had such good caring examples.  My perspective about learning difficult things has changed as I am much older now, and the mother of six kids.   My attitude now is “don’t sweat the small stuff” and “don’t take everything life hands you so seriously” and pray and ask for guidance and keep going until you reach your goal.

After thinking through it, he decided to let go of the pressure of trying to do a lesson a week and continue his studies at a more relaxed and slower pace.

What we found that is currently working better for him is to spend more time watching and re-watching the video lesson of the week as he begins his Greek study each day to get it into his memory before reciting the words and phrases and trying to work in his workbook.  He has everything he needs so he can work independently at his own pace.  Next to him he set up his laptop to watch the DVD lesson as much as needed, and he has his text book and workbook right there too.   After watching the DVD lesson he reads the text lesson.  Then he can work on recitation, flash cards, and write in his workbook.  I only ask him to work 1 page a day in his workbook instead of the recommended two pages.   At this slower pace, each lesson will take him two weeks to complete instead of 1 week.  That is fine with me.

He is learning at a slower pace, and most importantly, at his own pace.   That is the beauty of homeschooling, you can adjust where you study and adjust the curriculum to fit each kid’s skills and interests as needed.  He is trying to absorb as much as he can in these high school years without getting overwhelmed as he tries to complete everything on the recommended highschool transcript for college.   He is wise in his young years to not give up, to try to think outside the box, and to keep pursuing his goals.  He is learning that you can adjust, life is flexible, and don’t sweat the small stuff.

I would highly recommend this course for folks who have taken introductory courses in Greek and those who are planning to study Greek on a college level.  Memoria Press has several lower level Greek courses to get started with if you have never had Greek before.   We plan to use the Elementary Greek courses and the Greek Alphabet course for our younger kids before letting them jump into this class that our older son is doing.   Learning Greek will be a bit easier if they tackle those courses first.  Be sure to check out the website recommendations and all of the various Greek language products they have to offer for different skill levels and ages.

Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/memoriapress/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/memoriapress/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MemoriaPress
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/memoriapress/

Homeschool Review Crew

Be sure to check out what other families on the Homeschool Review Crew had to say about using products from Memoria Press with their kids.

 

Please share.