A Classical Education
Creating Critical Thinkers for the 21st Century
Learn through Reading
“I have a passion for teaching kids to become readers, to become comfortable with a book, not daunted. Books shouldn’t be daunting, they should be funny, exciting and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives a terrific advantage.”
- Roald Dahl (British novelist, short-story writer, poet,
screenwriter, and wartime fighter pilot)
Helping you establish your own Classical Education curriculum
English Literacy Learners
Private or Group Lessons Online
Approach
A Classical Education leads students through the history of civilization through great stories.
Students create a timeline beginning with the birth of civilization and work through the great empires using historical fiction as a guide. The inclusion of a unit study approach provides that other disciplines can be added in, such as math, science and government, using a range of activities and materials.
My goal is to support you as a family in teaching your own children, but we can also set up groups online and locally to share our projects and learning together. Readings adapted to appropriate levels.
Approach
Children love stories. As they read fiction, they are captured by the characters and events and the details remain in their minds. They naturally learn grammar, intonation and new vocabulary. As they retell what they have read, they learn to think through common life situations and find reasonable solutions.
This program combines books with movies to bring the story to life and deeply engage the student. It is for both English native speakers and foreign learners. Students must be reading at target language level.
The History Timeline
Book-Movie Lists
Session One - Early Civilizations:
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The Garden (first signs of life)
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Mesopotamia (including Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria)
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Ancient Egypt (from early dynasties through the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms)
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Indus Valley Civilization (notably the Harappan culture)
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Early China (Shang and Zhou dynasties)
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Ancient Greece (from early city-states through the Hellenistic period)
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Rome (from the Republic to the Empire, concluding with the fall of Rome)
Ages 8–12
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Because of Winn-Dixie (by Kate DiCamillo, film 2005)
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The Secret Garden (by Frances Hodgson Burnett, films 1993 and 2020)
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (by C.S. Lewis, film 2005)
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Balto (by Meghan McCarthy, film 1995)
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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (by Mark Twain, film 2000)
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Freedom for Addy (American Girl series)
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Holes (book by Louis Sachar, film 2003)
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Old Yeller (by Fred Gipson, film 1957)
Session Two - Middle Ages to Americas:
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Feudal Europe (Middle Ages, c. 500–1500 CE)
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West African Empires (Mali and Songhai, c. 1200–1600 CE)
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Asian Dynasties (Tang, Song, and Ming in China, c. 618–1644 CE; Ottoman Empire, c. 1300–1922 CE)
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Americas (Mississippian culture, Aztec Empire, Inca Empire, c. 1000–1533 CE)
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Age of Exploration (c. 1400–1600 CE)
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Colonial America (c. 1600–1776) CE
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The Revolution and the Constitution (1765-1789)
Ages 13-17
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Little Women (by Louisa May Alcott, film 1994)
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The Book Thief (by Markus Zusak, film 2013)
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Anne of Green Gables (by L. M. Montgomery, 2016/Anne with an E)
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Bridge to Terabithia (by Katherine Paterson, film 2007)
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The Hunger Games ( by Suzanne Collins, films 2012)
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Atonement (by Ian McEwan, film 2007)
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower (by Stephen Chbosky, film 2012)
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The Fault in Our Stars (book by John Green, film 2014
