Foundations
Foundations is based on the Classical Model of education. We meet weekly to introduce new memory work (or grammar of a subject) and review old memory work using Classical Conversations' Foundations Guide as the heart of the curriculum. A trained Tutor creatively introduces the memory work and leads the classroom time. The memory work is divided into 6 subjects: Timeline/History, Geography, Math, Science, Latin, and English Grammar. In addition to the memory work, students also participate in a Fine Arts project/lesson, a science project, and an opportunity to practice oral presentation skills each week.
Each week students have an opportunity to practice oral presentation skills, ranging from simple "show-n-tell" for the younger students to more structured and prepared presentations for the older students. The goal of our presentation time is for our students to become comfortable standing, talking, and presenting in front of their peers.
Each week we also have a fine arts time, covering one of the following: basics of drawing, special art projects in the style of famous artists, music theory, and finally exposure to orchestra and classical composers. Students enjoy this mixture of hands-on activities and listening skills.
Finally, each week students work with the tutor for a hands on science activity time. The goals here are for students to become familiar with the scientific method and to begin to discover God through His creation and order in subjects like chemistry, physics, astronomy, physical science, and more...
Each year students have an opportunity to participate in an optional Memory Master track, where a student strives to memorize all the information for that year and recite it to a few adults at the end of the year. Through the Memory Master (MM) track students are "pounding in" the grammar pegs of history, Latin, English Grammar, geography, math, science, and history timeline they learned throughout the year.
