The Trivium

The Classical methodology is based on the Trivium, which is made up of three distinct developmental stages of education.  The following is a brief description of how the Trivium, comprised of the Grammar stage, the Dialectic (or logic) stage, and the Rhetoric stage, is implemented at Christiana.

Grammar Stage

The first of the three stages, the grammar stage comprises the first four years of elementary school, give or take a few months or a year.  The K-3rd grades are geared towards preparing the children for the fourth grade year where academics become more enhanced and focused.  In the younger (K-3) years the students are given lots of exposure to many different areas of content.  They focus on recovering lost classical tools such as memorizing, narrating and retelling stories, as well as outlining and constant review. These tools are applied and practiced especially in the areas of history, science and language arts. Student’s minds are opened to the joy of learning with lots of hands on and interactive activities.  They memorize and recite poetry as well as prayers and songs in Latin (public speaking skills).  Sign Language is also a favorite among this group.  Music and Art appreciation provide more stimulation and practice of the classical learning tools.  We do NOT teach them phonics and/or spelling at the Academy.  This is done at home with the curriculum choice of the parents to ensure the individual rate and needs of the child are met.  Children are on so many different levels in the areas of Math and Phonics, that those subjects are best studied at each child’s individual rate at home.  Some practice of basic math skills in the form of games and drills is provided, but families choose and implement their own curricula for Math.  Beginning in third grade, students are given a Math study hall so they won’t need to return home at the end of the day only to do their math!  Students in the third through 7th grades bring math pages from home to work on during math study hall and there is a math monitor to help with problems.  The math monitor begins each study hall with 15 minutes of games and drills to encourage the memorization of math facts, which are basic to the math education at this age. 

Homework Assignment Sheets are sent home on Mondays for all grades but Kindergarten.  The homework for 1st grade is only in History, and the assignments throughout the grammar stage are carefully designed to become increasingly challenging through the Grammar stage years.  Light homework is assigned for 2nd graders on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Friday is seen as a day for catching up, chores, and field trips etc.  This stage is characterized by an intense involvement with varied and exciting stimuli designed to intrigue and delight the young growing mind.

Dialectic Stage (Logic)

The next group, (4th/5th – 7th/8th) is not given the wide variety that the younger ones experience, as they need to spend their class time in a more focused and deeper study of the core subjects of Latin, Spanish, Science, History, Grammar, and Writing.  Again we do NOT teach Math or Reading.  As mentioned above, math study hall is provided for students in the 3rd through 7th grades, with a monitor working on drills for the first 15 minutes of the class.  The History classes are inclusive of period Literature which is incorporated into the class discussion. The children get an excellent, in depth education in all of the above fields according to the Classical Method which means a deep and analytical look at each topic for study.  Our focus is largely on learning to think, and practicing communication skills, both written and oral.  The classes are well integrated across subjects.  Developing writing skills is integral to our program as well as paramount to a student’s success in all subjects, especially history and science.  Furthermore, Latin grammar is understood better in light of English grammar studies, and visa versa.  As in the Grammar stage, Homework Assignment Sheets are handed out in each class on Mondays.  They detail what is to be covered in class on Monday and Wednesday, as well as what is to be done at home on Tuesday and Thursday. Increasingly in Middle School, students have more homework to do on Fridays as well. This stage is characterized by a growing love of learning, articulated by newly formed opinions, and a gradual recognition and acceptance of responsibility for the desired education.

Rhetoric Stage

The final stage, high school, is the rhetoric stage.  During this phase, the students are learning to take all the information they gathered together with their opinions, and now put them eloquently into words, in both written and oral forms.  Their reading load increases as they enter into the “Great Books” years.  In the rhetoric stage students are applying all that they have learned to the world around them, and especially in their classes, where discussion will be taking place on a regular basis!  Parents must, at this point in their children’s education, be willing and able, or at least willing, to hold lively discussions with their rhetoric stage children about the Classics they are reading as their students seek to understand and apply all that they have read and discussed in class.  Rhetoric students will continue in their scientific studies and languages, but will be getting in touch with where their strengths lie, and will be able to spend some time studying topics of their own choice as they near the end of the high school years. Their study of logic and rhetoric is integral to their thought processes as they develop and stretch their minds.  It enables the clear and concise writing with which they will be equipped for life.  As their worldviews are being shaped, their faith is faced with the realities of the society and world around them, and they need encouragement, challenge, and understanding as they continue to form themselves in this final stage of Primary education.  By this time, their love of learning and debate is solidified and their foundation is firm.