The Teacher's Almanac

In 7th grade, we are working through the book The Lost Tools of Writing. If you haven't heard of this book before I highly recommend it. The book instructs students on how to write a persuasive essay. As the year progresses, they learn new concepts that help with invention, arrangement, and elocution.  Last week, we discussed the idea of agreement . First, the class learned that while it is necessary to state your thesis statement, it is also important to address those who might disagree with what you are claiming; so you need to include a  counter-thesis. Then we addressed the idea of agreement.  Agreement is the process of thinking through something that both groups agree on. What is something that those who agree with your thesis AND those who agree with your counter-thesis would agree on? The book has students work through a brainstorming process so that they can come up with an agreement.  The idea of agreement is something that we should all understand. I wo...

Today I tried a new thing in 8th grade English... Annotating With a Purpose . We are currently working through John Steinbeck's The Pearl  and they were tasked with reading one of the chapters as homework last night. Before class I copied a five page section from what they were assigned to read last night. They had already read this material once so it was fresh in their mind. I chose to copy the pages so that they could highlight the actual text, rather than take notes on a separate sheet of paper. Later they mentioned that they really enjoyed that aspect of it. I handed them the copied pages and told them that they were going to focus on three things, which I wrote on the board: When they came across a phrase or idea that caught their eye, either because they thought it was well written, or because it made an excellent point, they were told to highlight the phrase and put a (!) next to it.  When they came across a phrase or idea that brought a question to their min...

We recently began reading The Pearl , by John Steinbeck in 8th grade English. For those who haven't read it (I hadn't before last week), The Pearl is a a short story (novella) that is also a parable. As the gospels are full of parables, I thought this would be an excellent opportunity for deeper biblical integration. While biblical integration is something I try to do to some extent in every class, the kind of biblical integration that encompasses an entire class period can only be done ever so often. Today was one of those days. I began by breaking the students into groups of three and then had each group select one of the following three parables from Matthew: Parable of the Sower - Matthew 13:1-9 Parable of the Weeds - Matthew 13: 24-30 Parable of the Talents - Matthew 25: 14-30 Yesterday in class, we discussed the definition of a parable as well as some of the key characteristics that all parables have. Today, with that information fresh in their minds, eac...

Despite what my blog has revealed up to this point, I do teach a few classes besides 8th grade English! One of those classes is rhetoric speech. Last week we were looking at how Cicero had his students organize their speeches. He divided them into six main parts: exordium, narratio, partitio, confirmatio, refutatio and peroratio (these are the original Latin terms). Once we defined each section, I read them the following text from Acts 22. Acts 22   English Standard Version (ESV) 22  “Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.” 2  And when they heard that he was addressing them in  the Hebrew language, [ a ]  they became even more quiet. And he said: 3  “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated  at the feet of  Gamaliel [ b ]   according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers,  being zealous for God  as all of you are this day.   4  I persec...

In 8th grade this week we are finishing up our second Sherlock Holmes story. A few weeks ago we read The Hound of Baskerville and tomorrow we will finish The Sign of Four. I came across this article from The Gospel Coalition (which if you don't read you should-they are excellent!) and couldn't wait to incorporate it into today's class. 10 Tips on Solving Mysterious Bible Passages from Sherlock Holmes You can find the full article at the link above, but it basically gives the reader ten tips (which include quotes from Holmes) about how to dive into scripture and observe like Sherlock. Below is an example (tip # 2): 2. The kind of looking that solves mysteries. Holmes: “You have frequently seen the steps which lead up from the hall to this room.” Watson: “Hundreds of times.” Holmes: “Then how many are there?” Watson: “How many? I don’t know!” Holmes: “Quite so! You have not observed. And yet you have seen. That is just my point. Now, I know that the...

This week we are focusing on grammar in my 8th grade English class. Nothing gets 8th graders more excited than grammar right?! Wrong. One of the things we're spotlighting this week is how to use commas correctly. In an attempt to make this topic more interesting, I came across this funny meme and decided to show it to the students. One of the Essential Questions for this section of the course is: Why does it matter how we communicate with others? The meme above answers this so well, but in a fun, creative way that will get their attention (hopefully). I started thinking of ways I could biblically integrate this lesson and the above meme got me thinking... Commas DO matter!  Especially if you're the sinner on the cross and Jesus is telling you something pretty important. Luke 23:43 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” What would this verse look like if one of the commas were shifted to the righ...

Biblical Integration is not just prayer.  Over the past few years, this concept has been reinforced at many of our training sessions. And it's so true! But, while saying a prayer at the beginning of class isn't Biblical Integration, I do feel like it serves an important purpose Last year, I began trying something different when it comes to class prayer. On the first day of class, I have all my students write their name on an index card (are you beginning to get how much I love index cards !). Each day, when class begins, I draw a name at random and ask them what I can pray for. A few students say "nothing", but most of them will fill you in on something going on in their life. I also noticed that last year, as the year went on, students who were initially hesitant became more open. I do this for a few reasons.  1. It helps you get to know the students. Early in the year, I'm still trying to master names and this is a big help! Additionally, I w...

First days back are always so full of possibilities, aren't they! The kids are excited and ready to learn. The teachers are organized and ready to change the world. If only we can bottle that first day feeling and bring it out in mid-February when things get dicey... This semester I've added a few English courses which have required me to use my brain a bit more. I've actually really enjoyed the process of working through the lesson plans and getting a feel for what these first few weeks will look like. Since I am frequently asked, "What IS classical education?" I thought it would be fun to create this blog as a means to answer that. I by no means know fully what classical education is, but I have experienced it from many different perspectives over the years. I'm continually learning more and will share as I go. Hopefully, if you're out there trying to decide how to educate your children, this will help in some way.  Classical education can be done a...