Lessons from America

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

Over the last 40 years, classical Christian education has been recovered and renewed in North America. What has been learned in this process? Dr. Perrin presents key lessons gleaned from this resurgence. Educators from around the world seeking to recover this ancient tradition will find these lessons insightful and helpful.

Chris Perrin

Christopher Perrin, MDiv, PhD, is the CEO with Classical Academic Press, and a national leader, author, and speaker for the renewal of classical education. He serves as a consultant to classical Christian schools, classical charter schools, and schools converting to the classical model. He is the director of the Alcuin Fellowship, former co-chair of the Society for Classical Learning, an adjunct professor with the honor's program at Messiah College, and previously served for ten years as a classical school headmaster.

The Seven Liberal Arts: Liberty and Justice For All

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We have heard of the liberal arts – but can we name them? We live in a fuzzy moment in which even college professors at “liberal arts” colleges often cannot name the seven liberal arts, nor tell us precisely why they are called “liberal” and why they are called “arts.” In this seminar, we will name and describe them all. (Hint: They are contained in the Trivium and Quadrivium.) We’ll also learn why they are “liberating” arts and fully-capacitated to do what only humans can do. (Hint: This has much to do with mastering words and numbers.) We will also note the ways that a liberally-educated person can become just and bring about meaningful justice in our world.

Chris Perrin

Christopher Perrin, MDiv, PhD, is the CEO with Classical Academic Press, and a national leader, author, and speaker for the renewal of classical education. He serves as a consultant to classical Christian schools, classical charter schools, and schools converting to the classical model. He is the director of the Alcuin Fellowship, former co-chair of the Society for Classical Learning, an adjunct professor with the honor's program at Messiah College, and previously served for ten years as a classical school headmaster.

Voting for Nazis: Cultivating Empathy in The Secondary History Classroom

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Teaching European history to 15- and 16-year-olds presents dual challenges. One must get students genuinely invested in events of the past before getting them to empathize with people and situations they perceive as different from themselves. There are two significant barriers that must be overcome: lack of humility and possession of too much information. Without humility, empathy is restricted to those most like ourselves. If we can, in turn, recognize aspects of our own humanity in those we deem villainous or least like us, we are better equipped to recognize aspects of our own humanity in anyone and everyone. Nazi Germany therefore presents a perfect historical situation for this approach — secondary students invariably have pre-existing knowledge and pre-conceived judgments about this period of history. Finding aspects of their own humanity in these undeniable villains of modern history forces students to reevaluate their historical worldview and, in turn, their relationship to the present.

Alana Speth

Alana Speth teaches European history at The Covenant School in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she constantly endeavors to instill a sense of connection between her students and the past. As a voracious reader and learner, she was well-versed in the liberal arts before beginning an earnest study of classical education upon joining The Covenant School’s faculty and attending SCL’s annual conference in 2014. A native of rural Pennsylvania, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Smith College and a master’s degree from The College of William and Mary. She lives in a century-old farmhouse in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, surrounded by books.

Using Primary Sources to Teach History at the Grammar Stage

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Many teachers at the Grammar stage feel intimidated by teaching history and wonder if there is a way to make it more interesting. Introducing primary sources into your history curriculum will help your students understand and engage history in deep and meaningful ways. Participants will learn how to add flavor to their history curriculum using recitation pieces, field trips, recorded interviews, music, art and museum resources available online. You’ll learn general principles that can be applied to U.S. or world history curriculums with practical, hands- on resources and ideas that can be directly applied to The History of US, The Story of the World, BiblioPlan and the Veritas Press history cards.

Barbara Seidle

Barbara Seidle is currently the Class Four teacher at The Wilberforce School in Princeton Junction, New Jersey. After spending almost a decade homeschooling her own children and teaching some homeschool history classes, she made the switch to teaching in the classical school environment seven years ago. She has taught history in 1st, 3rd and 4th Grade. Her love of history grew out of her time homeschooling and has continued to grow each year. Barbara has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The College of New Jersey, and she holds New Jersey teaching credentials. When she is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her husband of over 20 years, and their three children, who are in high school and college. She loves writing, reading, cooking, eating and traveling. Barbara is the founder of The Hannah More Project, a website dedicated to helping Christians become more active in justice ministries both locally and globally.

Using Classical Art Pieces to Integrate History and Biology

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Art is a powerful way to capture the ideas of a time period. Come and see mini versions of presentations I have done with my ninth-grade biology class to help my students understand the development of science and biological thought throughout the flow of history.

Robbie Andreasen

Robbie Andreasen joined the Geneva faculty in 2007 and teaches Biology (ninth grade) and Anatomy & Physiology (twel h grade). Robbie has a contagious passion to study the intersection of faith and science, and his students have come to expect a challenging, active classroom characterized by their teacher’s love and enthusiasm for learning. This is also true when he teaches Sunday School or gives a children’s homily at his church. Robbie received a BS in Marine Science and Biology from the University of Miami and an MA in Bioethics from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He was the upper school recipient of the 2013 Paideia Award for Teaching, which recognizes excellence in teaching.

Did Rome Fall? And Other Historical Questions That We Need to Ask But Seldom Do

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Historical “facts” do not speak for themselves. They have meaning only when we place them into a narrative frame. As Christian educators we need to teach our history students to interrogate the historical narratives that frame our conceptions (and misconceptions) of the past: Was there a Renaissance? The Middle Ages occurred in the middle of what? Did the Puritans dominate the culture of colonial New England? Did the generation gap widen in the 1960s?

Christopher Schlect

Christopher Schlect, PhD, has worked in classical and Christian education for over 25 years. As Fellow of History at New Saint Andrews College, he teaches courses in ancient and medieval civilizations, US history, American Christianity, medieval education, and Classical Rhetoric, among other subjects. He has also taught introductory and advanced courses in U.S. history and Ancient Rome at Washington State University. He is the Director of New Saint Andrews College’s graduate program in Classical and Christian Studies. He taught history and the Bible at Logos School in Moscow, ID, for many years, and serves classical and Christian schools around the country through his consulting and teacher-training activities. His published writings appear in various school curricula and other outlets. Schlect’s research in 20-century Protestant church life has earned numerous competitive grants and fellowships, and he has presented his research at meetings of the American Historical Association, the American Society of Church History, the American Academy of Religion, and the Idaho Council for History Education. He was recently named the 2016–17 distinguished lecturer for the Association of Reformed Colleges and Universities. His historical work includes service as a ranger for the U.S. National Park Service, where he specialized in Protestant missions to the Nez Perce people and interpreted historical sites and material culture for members of the public. Schlect is a teaching elder at Trinity Reformed Church (CREC) in Moscow, ID. He and his wife, Brenda, have five children, all products of a classical and Christian education. They also have one grandchild.

Is Everything Better with Bacon?

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We will explore the origin and spirit of modern scientism in Francis Bacon’s 17th Century project to establish human mastery over the universe

David Innes

David Innes is a the chair of the program in politics, philosophy and economics at The King’s College in Manha an where he seeks to integrate faith with the study and teaching of politics. He makes that integration in class and in his book, Le , Right, and Christ: Evangelical Faith in Politics (2011). Professor Innes teaches the Foundations of Politics course in the Core as well as advanced courses in modern and Christian political thought and political economy. Though a theorist and a Francis Bacon scholar, Prof. Innes writes a weekly column at WORLDmag.com on current political issues. In addition to his work on Bacon, he has also published in The City, The Washington Times, QIdeas.com, Patheos.com, and Relevant magazine. He earned his Ph.D. from Boston College and has taught previously at Assumption College and Stonehill College in Massachusetts, and Geneva College in Pennsylvania.

Humane Letters: Integrating History and Literature

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In this pedagogical workshop, veteran humanities teacher Rick Trumbo will explain how the Veritas School Humane Letters: Antiquity course combines history, literature, and writing instruction in a single, double period course. He will include illustrations and ideas from his Ancient Humanities text. Teachers will also share ideas, practices, and questions they have about interdisciplinary teaching. This workshop is intended for teachers new to interdisiplinary teaching and for those who wish to better integrate writing and literature into their history courses.

Rick Trumbo

Rick Trumbo teaches humanities, Bible, logic, and Latin at Veritas School in Richmond, Virginia. Mr. Trumbo has a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from Hampden-Sydney College. He has also earned a Master’s degree in Humanities from the University of Richmond. Mr. Trumbo joined the faculty at Veritas School in 2007 as a veteran teacher of 31 years. He enjoys helping students make connections and gaining insights into ideas. He especially enjoys lively discussions around books. Mr. Trumbo is a ruling elder in the PCA. He and his wife, Linda, have six children. They worship at Crown and Glory Presbyterian Church in Richmond.

The Centrality of Virtue in the Ancient Understanding of Education

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In the contemporary discourse about education, discussion of virtue as the goal of education is strikingly absent. When “virtue education” is mentioned, it is generally treated as an add-on to the curriculum, not as the overarching goal of everything that is studied. This conception
of education, however, stands in stark contrast to the ancient understanding that the primary purpose of education is is the cultivation of students into virtuous human beings. While this understanding of education can be seen across a wide swath of thinkers throughout history, in this seminar we will examine two key ancient thinkers: Plato and Aristotle. In focusing on their understanding of the purpose of education, we will explore the central role that virtue plays in their thought and how we can apply their insights today.

David Diener

Dr. David Diener began his formal post-secondary education at Wheaton College where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and Ancient Languages. After putting his philosophical training to work by building custom cabinets and doing high-end nish carpentry for an Amish company, he moved with his wife to Bogotá, Colombia, where they served as missionaries for three years at a Christian international school. He then a ended graduate school at Indiana University where he earned a M.A. in Philosophy, a M.S. in History and Philosophy of Education, and a dual Ph.D. in Philosophy and Philosophy of Education. A er teaching for one year at The Stony Brook School on Long Island he moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where he served as Head of Upper Schools at Covenant Classical School. He now is the new Headmaster at Grace Academy in Georgetown, Texas.

The Grammar of Integration

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

Like many Grammar School teachers, we are always looking for ways to design meaningful learning activities that integrate our curriculum across disciplines. We want our students to recognize the interconnectedness between what they are learning in history, literature, art, math, science, Bible, etc. Teaching an integrated curriculum is important for a number of reasons, not least of all because it demonstrates to students in a tangible way that all knowledge should be viewed as a coherent whole. Given that all truth has God as its single source, the study of God and His creation through the different disciplines should be undertaken as a unified enterprise. Thus developing activities that ingrain this unity is important for helping students to learn the nature of truth and its relation to our Creator.

In addition to finding projects that foster cross- disciplinary integration, we also seek to develop activities that are as hands-on as possible. While such activities are particularly helpful for students with certain learning styles, we have found that all Grammar students learn best by doing. Providing students with hands-on kinesthetic activities encourages their active engagement
in the learning process and also aids them in practically understanding the implications of abstract ideas. We also have found that through hands-on activities we are able to help students make connections between what they are learning in class and practical aspects of their life outside of school.

Developing activities that meet these dual goals of cross-disciplinary integration and hands-on learning is not particularly difficult, but it does require intentionality and planning. The rest of this article consists of a series of such activities that we have developed and found to be particularly effective. These activities are organized chronologically around various historical themes. For each theme we have listed a short series of activities categorized by the curricular disciplines they represent. Most of these activities can easily be adapted to be age-appropriate for various grade levels as needed. Our ideas certainly are not exhaustive but are rather a springboard for further brainstorming. We hope that what follows provides you with some practical ideas that you can implement, or that it at least gets you thinking about how to develop other activities that encourage hands-on and cross-disciplinary learning.

Creation

Natural History: Grow a garden from seeds either in an outside container or by starting seedlings in egg cartons in the classroom.
Math: Plant and observe the growth of plants by measurement in inches or centimeters from beginning of growth and record data on bar or line graphs.

Art: Journal sketches of plant growth at each stage. Grammar/Composition: Have students write a paragraph about their observations on the goodness of God through creation with reference to Genesis 1:11.

Reign of Tutankhamen

Literature: Read and research Howard Carter and his discovery of King Tut’s tomb as well as King Tut himself; look at Stanton and Hyma’s Streams of Civilization to study the discovery of beans buried with King Tut that were planted and harvested even to this day.

Natural History: Read about mummification in Aliki’s Mummies Made in Egypt and identify the various stages of mummification; take this a step further by mummifying chickens or hot dogs in class. (Consult an Egyptologist or Google for the steps for mummifying.)

Art: Draw a pyramid on manila paper or sculpt out of clay; make copies of different types of hieroglyphics, allowing students to create messages or name plates, etc.; students also can create cartouches of their names using hieroglyphics.

Bible – Help students make connections between this period in Egyptian history and biblical events happening at the same time such as Joseph being sold into slavery; discuss how through God’s plan He saved the people of Israel from starvation when the famines came.

Greece Colonized, Democracy Begins

History: Have students work in groups and research the beginnings of Greek government using Stanton and Hyma’s Streams of Civilization chapter 6 or Bauer’s Story of the World chapter 22; then study the foundations of elections and voting worldwide, assigning each group a different section of government and allowing them to demonstrate the process by holding a mock election. Natural History: Study how overpopulation and the need for new food sources led the Greeks to turn to the sea for food; discuss food cycles and methods for increasing crop production. Art: Use real (dead) fish to dip in paint and make fish paintings; discuss how the Greeks turned to the sea as a source of food because of growth and overpopulation.

Reign of Caesar Augustus

Literature: Have students read about Octavian & Mark Antony; read about and discuss the officials who served under Caesar Augustus as explained in Haaren and Poland’s Famous Men of Rome.

Natural History: Study and grow grains used during this period such as corn and wheat in a galvanized container inside the classroom.
Math: Record data observations on the growth of the grains in inches or centimeters and create bar or line graphs with the results.

Art: Bring in examples of fully grown grains (wheat, corn, rice, barley, oats, etc.) and create a mosaic.
Bible: Help students make connections between this period in Roman history and biblical events happening at the same time such as the birth of Christ.

Marco Polo

Geography: Draw or create maps depicting the Silk Road from China to Imperial Rome and identifying trade routes through the Holy Land, Persia, and eventually to China. Literature: Read together The Travels of Marco Polo and then have students journal their own journey through the school year (the first day of school, field trips, vacation, special events, etc.).

Natural History: Bring in examples of the different kinds of spices from home, the grocery store, or a spice shop; bring in ginger root and grow it in the classroom by putting it in water until roots appear and then planting it in dirt much like a sweet potato plant.

Bible: Research the missionaries who went to influence the Eastern religions of the time, some of whom are mentioned in The Travels of Marco Polo.

The Renaissance

Literature: Read about and research Leonardo DaVinci

from Stanton and Hyma’s Streams of Civilzation, chapter 16, Hillyer’s A Child’s History of the World, chapter 66, or internet sources; identify his birth place, his educational experience, his inventions, and his monumental influence on today’s society.

Art: Have students observe and create sculptures, architecture, and paintings (for example, The Mona Lisa or The Lord’s Supper) of the time by copying the works as best as they are able or by applying the artistic principles from the Renaissance to create their own original works.
Natural History: Study and research inventions made during this time period (printing press, the flying machine by DaVinci, the bicycle, etc.) and create new inventions; study the human body by having students research and then sketch or create models of the heart, eye, and other major organs of the body
Bible: Help students make connections between this period in European history and the Protestant Reformation; have students read and discuss Martin Luther’s “Ninety-five Theses”; another good reference is Hillyer’s A Child’s History of the World, chapter 67.

Colonial Trading with England

History: Assign each student a colony from the original thirteen colonies; they should research the area where it was located, what crops were grown, what groups of people lived there, etc.; learn about mercantilism between England and the colonies; assign the leader of each colony to individual students and have them write a report and then give an oral presentation to the class.
Natural History: Discuss and bring examples of the types
of crops grown during this time period (examples: tobacco, cotton, indigo, and wood products). Grammar/Composition: After discussion, have students write a comparison paper on the use of various crops in commerce in that time period and how they are used today.

Parliament Acts Unjustly

History: Research the Boston Tea Party, identifying the source of the trouble, how the colonists handled the conflict, etc. Some resources include Johnny Tremain and Bauer’s The Story of the World.
Natural History: Study sugar, bring in examples of sugar cane, and discuss the importance of sugar to the colonies; discuss and bring in examples of different types of tea; grow your own tea plants in the classroom. (This can be done by going to your local nursery to buy Chamomile or other types of plants.)

Drama: Act out the story of the Boston Tea Party, incorporating various elements of the story that have been studied.

Black Leadership Emerges in the South

Literature: Read and discuss biographies of Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver.
Natural History: Study, illustrate, and identify the parts of the peanut and peanut plant; grow peanuts and research all the uses of peanuts; make peanut butter from peanuts and then use it to bake peanut butter cookies.
Natural History: Research Carver’s findings on crop rotation and their economic significance; name the uses of peanuts; have students dissect a peanut and show visuals of the stages of growth of the peanut.
Art: Have students make drawings of the various stages of growth of the peanut.

World War II

Literature: Read and discuss the events leading up to and during this war time with highlights on Adolf Hitler; America entering the war; and the persecution of the Jewish people (novel suggestions: Diary of Anne Frank, The Hiding Place, Number the Stars, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas); research accounts of Pearl Harbor, identifying why and when the US entered the war.
Natural History: Study and research Victory Gardens and their purpose during war time; plant your own Victory Garden in a plot of land on your campus, in a public park (with permission from your local authorities), or in a window box garden; identify the various styles of airplanes used by the Allies as well as their enemies using pictures of the planes. Composition and Grammar: Have students write a paper on what they would do if there was a surprise attack on America today and how it would change their lives.

Modern America

Economics: Research our standards of living compared to

other countries; study our greatest exports and what imports we are dependent upon; after identifying our strengths as
a nation, take time to identify the weakness of America and discuss how we need a Savior who forgives and is gracious to us. (For example, the passage in Matthew 6 about storing up treasures on earth could be studied in conjunction with what Americans (or other countries) most value. How do the strengths/weaknesses of our country relate to what God considers a strength/weakness?)

Natural History: As a leader in today’s world of medicine, research plants used for medicinal purposes and investigate which ones would grow in your classroom; have students grow these plants and observe the growth.

Math: Record and journal the growth of the plants in inches or centimeters and create bar or line graphs using the data. Art: Make scientific sketches of the plants and label the parts used for medicine.

We hope these few examples will be a helpful resource for you as you plan projects for your class. All of them can be modified or expanded in order to meet the needs of your students as you bring your curriculum alive and seek to integrate it in meaningful ways.