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Classical Composition V: Common Topic Stage DVD
SKU
063847
ISBN
9781615385348
Grade 8-10
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Teaching Method
Traditional
Teacher-centered curriculum commonly used in classrooms that may include a text, teacher manual, tests, etc.
Charlotte Mason
A methodology based on the work of a 19th century educator who maintained that children learn best from literature (Living Books), not textbooks.
Classical
A methodology based on the Latin Trivium (three stages of learning), including the grammar stage (memorization and facts), logic stage (critical thinking), and rhetoric stage (developing/defending ideas).
Unit Study
A thematic or topical approach centered around one topic that integrates multiple subject areas.
Montessori (Discovery)
A methodology based on the work of a 20th century educator that emphasizes student and sensory-driven discovery learning and real-life applications.
Other
Other methodologies
Religious Content
Secular
Contains content contrary to common Christian beliefs (i.e. evolution).
Neutral
Avoids religious or theoretical topics or presents multiple viewpoints without preference.
Christian/Religious
Faith-based or including instructional religious content.
Learning Modality
Auditory
Learns through listening, talking out loud or reading out loud.
Visual
Learns through seeing, prefers written instructions and visual materials.
Kinesthetic/Tactile (Hands-On)
Learns through moving, doing and touching.
Multi-Sensory
Curriculum that employ a variety of activities/components.
Presentation
Sequential
Curriculum progresses through well-defined learning objectives. Emphasizes mastery before moving to the next topic.
Spiral
Topics and concepts are repeated from level to level, adding more depth at each pass and connecting with review.
Conceptual/Topical
Focus is on the “why,” often with a unifying concept as well as specific skills; coverage may be broader.
Teacher Involvement
Low Teacher Involvement
Student-led materials; parent acts as a facilitator.
Medium Teacher Involvement
A mix of teacher-led time and independent student work.
High Teacher Involvement
Teacher-led lessons; may utilize discussions, hands-on activities and working together.
Additional Materials Required
No other materials needed
Everything you need is included.
Other Materials Required
There are additional required resources that are a separate purchase.
Other Materials Optional
There are additional resources mentioned or recommended but are not absolutely necessary.
Consumable
Consumable
Designed to be written in; not reusable.
Non-Consumable
Not designed to be written in; reusable.
Our Price
$55.00 $55.00 $47.75
Rainbow Savings: $7.25
Description
These instructional videos for the course Common Topic begin with a 9-minute course introduction. Then, the 10 Lessons are divided into manageable instructional videos of 2-9 minutes. The course highlights a problem, such as drunk driving, abortion, or patricide, and students will examine how each problem began, the causes, and how it can be rectified or diminished. Typically, for each assignment, there are approximately 9 videos to guide students through the contrary, exposition, comparison, intention, digression, and Rejection of Pity stages.
Publisher's Description of Classical Composition V: Common Topic Stage DVD
What if you could teach your child using the same writing program that produced such masters of the language as John Milton, William Shakespeare, and Benjamin Franklin? What if you could have the same composition curriculum used by Quintilian, the greatest teacher of ancient rhetoric, and Cicero, the greatest persuasive speaker of all time?
Jim Selby has blown the dust off the writing curriculum that was used in schools for over 1,500 years and put it in an easy-to-teach format that will revolutionize your home or private school curriculum. Presented clearly and systematically in a structured curriculum, Classical Composition will give you a clear road map to writing excellence.
Ancient writers invented a way of teaching writing known as the progymnasmata, which provided a method of teaching composition that not only taught budding writers a disciplined way to approach communication, but also helped them appeal to the heads of their audience. The progymnasmata gave them the stylistic tools to appeal to their hearts as well.
The greatest communicators of ancient times, Quintilian and Cicero among them, employed the progymnasmata to teach their students the art of communication. The 14 exercises, organized from the simplest and most basic to the most complex and sophisticated, were the core education of a classical speaker, designed to produce what Quintilian once called "the good man, speaking well.
Category Description for Complete English Programs
These materials offer complete coverage of both writing and grammar.
Category Description for Classical Composition
We might have predicted two things: 1) Memoria Press would add a series on composition to their curriculum offerings; 2) Memoria's composition program would follow the progymnasmata (series of fourteen skill steps in classical composition established by the long ago Greeks). In the typical user-friendly manner that is Memoria's trademark, that's what they've done and the first courses in the series are impressive.
A successful composition program should reflect and accomplish three goals: 1) demonstrate a basic knowledge of grammar rules; 2) hone the ability to think through a problem in such a way as to bring us to truth; and 3) communicate with an elegance of style that will persuade others that we have something important to say. Modern composition theory based on four types of writing - descriptive, narrative, argumentative and expository - has devolved from the progymnasmata but is not producing good writers. Returning to the classical progymnasmata model (Memoria uses exercises developed by Aphthonius in the late fourth or early fifth century A.D.) produces writers well-prepared for classical rhetoric.
To give you an idea of how user-friendly these courses are: Each lesson in the Fable Stage starts with reading the fable, determining the three plot components, and discovering synonyms for selected words leading to writing sentences in a varied way. The fable is then outlined and two paraphrases are written incorporating specific suggestions. Instructions for each step are provided.
What about when the instruction becomes more involved? In the Refutation/Confirmation Book, the student is led step-by-step (credit or discredit, clarity, plausibility, possibility/impossibility, consistency, propriety, expediency, and epilogue) through the process of either refuting or confirming a published position. If those steps sound scary to you, keep in mind that the student has been incrementally trained to be ready for them in the three proceeding courses. Likewise, the student is led through each of these steps with questions, written answers, and dilemmas (discussions), culminating in a rough draft directly applicable to that particular step.
The Teacher Guide for each book includes an introduction to the material to be covered, guidelines for instruction, definition of terms (important because many of the terms are unfamiliar), and lightly scripted lesson plans in a wraparound format (reduced copies of the student pages w/ answers). Appendices in some provide additional definitional and illustrative information pertinent to the course. For instance, the appendices in the Chreia/Maxim Stage Teacher's Guide provide an advanced rubric and figures of description with examples.
The Student Books provide space to complete most assignments (although some final drafts are to be completed on separate paper). Starting with Book IV (also true of the Combo Books), some brief teaching guidelines are included with the Student Book.
DVD sets (where available) feature an instructor who teaches each lesson thoroughly. Some courses may have streaming videos as an option.
Lesson Plans (where available) provide a week-by-week daily checklist for the course lesson assignments.
Each course is both this year's work and planned review for future years. About ¾ of each course's lessons are to be completed in that year and the remainder saved to be used for review. The scope and sequence for this program:
- Grades 4-6 - Fables, Narratives, Chreia/Maxim
- Grades 6-8 - Chreia/Maxim, Refutation/Confirmation, Common Topic
- Grades 9-12 - Encomium/Invective/Comparison, Characterization, Description, and Thesis/Law
For students beginning the program later than 4th grade, see Memoria Press' site for a full scope and sequence. Regardless of grade level, all students entering the program will start at the Fable stage, but students older than 8th grade will do each course in a semester, not a year.
Compared to other classical writing programs we carry, this one seems more do-able. Lessons are straightforward with good explanation and illustration. ~ Janice
Category Description for Common Topic: Book V
We might have predicted two things: 1) Memoria Press would add a series on composition to their curriculum offerings; 2) Memoria's composition program would follow the progymnasmata (series of fourteen skill steps in classical composition established by the long ago Greeks). In the typical user-friendly manner that is Memoria's trademark, that's what they've done and the first courses in the series are impressive.
A successful composition program should reflect and accomplish three goals: 1) demonstrate a basic knowledge of grammar rules; 2) hone the ability to think through a problem in such a way as to bring us to truth; and 3) communicate with an elegance of style that will persuade others that we have something important to say. Modern composition theory based on four types of writing - descriptive, narrative, argumentative and expository - has devolved from the progymnasmata but is not producing good writers. Returning to the classical progymnasmata model (Memoria uses exercises developed by Aphthonius in the late fourth or early fifth century A.D.) produces writers well-prepared for classical rhetoric.
To give you an idea of how user-friendly these courses are: Each lesson in the Fable Stage starts with reading the fable, determining the three plot components, and discovering synonyms for selected words leading to writing sentences in a varied way. The fable is then outlined and two paraphrases are written incorporating specific suggestions. Instructions for each step are provided.
What about when the instruction becomes more involved? In the Refutation/Confirmation Book, the student is led step-by-step (credit or discredit, clarity, plausibility, possibility/impossibility, consistency, propriety, expediency, and epilogue) through the process of either refuting or confirming a published position. If those steps sound scary to you, keep in mind that the student has been incrementally trained to be ready for them in the three proceeding courses. Likewise, the student is led through each of these steps with questions, written answers, and dilemmas (discussions), culminating in a rough draft directly applicable to that particular step.
The Teacher Guide for each book includes an introduction to the material to be covered, guidelines for instruction, definition of terms (important because many of the terms are unfamiliar), and lightly scripted lesson plans in a wraparound format (reduced copies of the student pages w/ answers). Appendices in some provide additional definitional and illustrative information pertinent to the course. For instance, the appendices in the Chreia/Maxim Stage Teacher's Guide provide an advanced rubric and figures of description with examples.
The Student Books provide space to complete most assignments (although some final drafts are to be completed on separate paper). Starting with Book IV (also true of the Combo Books), some brief teaching guidelines are included with the Student Book.
DVD sets (where available) feature an instructor who teaches each lesson thoroughly.
Lesson Plans (where available) provide a week-by-week daily checklist for the course lesson assignments.
Each course is both this year's work and planned review for future years. About ¾ of each course's lessons are to be completed in that year and the remainder saved to be used for review. The suggested scope and sequence for this program when completed will be:
For students beginning the program later than 4th grade, see Memoria Press' site for a full scope and sequence. Regardless of grade level, all students entering the program will start at the Fable stage, but students older than 8th grade will do each course in a semester, not a year.
Compared to other classical writing programs we carry, this one seems more do-able. Lessons are straightforward with good explanation and illustration. ~ Janice
Details
| Product Format: | Other |
|---|---|
| Brand: | Memoria Press |
| Author: | James A. Selby |
| Grades: | 8-10 |
| ISBN: | 9781615385348 |
| Length in Inches: | 7.5 |
| Width in Inches: | 5.25 |
| Height in Inches: | 0.5 |
| Weight in Pounds: | 0.35 |
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