Table of Contents
Acknowledgments 15
What The Well-Trained Mind Does: An Overview 17
Practical Considerations: Using The Well-Trained Mind without Losing Your Own 21
Supplementing Your Child's Education: The Well-Trained Mind and Full-Time School 23
Prologue: The Story of a Classical Home Education
1 Uncharted Territory: Jessie 33
2 A Personal Look at Classical Education: Susan 41Part I The Grammar Stage: Kindergarten through Fourth Grade
3 The Parrot Years 51
Now or Never 53
How to Teach the Poll-Parrot Stage 54
Priorities 55
4 Unlocking the Doors: The Preschool Years 56
Preschool: Birth to Three 57
Kindergarten Years: Four and Five 60
Resources 70
5 Words, Words, Words: Spelling, Grammar, Reading, and Writing
How to Do It 78
General Instructions for Grades 1 through 4 79
Overview of Language Work 95
Resources 97
6 The Joy of Numbers: Math 109
The Way Children Think 110
Math Tables: A Defense 112
How to Do It 114
A Caution 117
Schedules 117
Resources 118
7 Seventy Centuries in Four Years: History and Geography 123
Seventy Centuries in Four Years 125
What If You're Starting in the Middle? 127
How to Do It 127
Resources 139
8 Making Sense of the World: Science 167
Priorities 168
Textbooks 169
How to Do It 169
Resources 186
9 Dead Languages for Live Kids: Latin 199
Why Latin? 200
How Does Latin Work? 201
How to Do It 203
Schedules 205
Resources 205
10 Electronic Teachers: Using Computers and Videos 207
11 Matters of Faith: Religion 211
Resources 213
12 Finer Things: Art and Music 214
Art 215
Music 216
Resources 217Part II The Logic Stage: Fifth Grade through Eighth Grade
13 The Argumentative Child 239
Building on the Foundation 241
Logic and the Trivium 242
Logic in the Curriculum 243
How to Teach the Logic Stage 244
Priorities 245
14 Snow White Was Irrational: Logic for the Intuitive 247
How to Do It 249
For the Logically Challenged 250
Resources 257
15 The Language of Reason: Math 260
How to Do It: Fifth and Sixth Grades 262
The Shift to Upper-Level Math 264
Resources 268
16 Why 1492? History and Geography 272
Organizing the Material 272
How to Do It 279
Resources 300
17 Thinking Straight: Spelling, Grammar, Reading, and Writing 328
How to Do It 329
Spelling and Word Study 330
Grammar 333
Reading 336
Writing 352
Schedules 353
Resources 356
18 Making Deductions: Science 374
Your Goals 375
Texts 376
Schedule 377
The Notebook 377
How to Do It 379
Resources 389
19 Looking into Other Worlds: Latin and Languages 402
Teaching Options 403
Which Languages? 404
Which Texts? 404
When Do I Do It? 406
Schedules 407
Resources 410
20 Away with Abusive Fallacies! Religion 414
Resources 416
21 The History of Creativity: Art and Music 418
Art 419
Music 422
Schedules 424
Resources 425
22 Magic Boxes: Using Computers and Videos 432
Software 433
The Internet 434
Videos 435
Resources 436
23 Moving toward Independence: Logic for Life 440Part III The Rhetoric Stage: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade
24 Speaking Your Mind: The Rhetoric Stage 451
A General Guide to the Rhetoric Stage 452
The Study of Rhetoric 453
How to Do It 454
Debate 457
Schedules 458
Resources 458
25 Skill with Words: Grammar and Writing 461
How to Do It 462
Schedules 468
Resources 469
26 Great Books: History and Reading 472
How to Do It 474
Writing Projects 482
University Sources for Great-Books Curricula 486
Schedules 489
Resources 490
27 Comfort with Numbers: Math 500
Possible Sequences 501
Outside Help 504
Advanced Placement 506
Schedules 506
Resources 507
28 Principles and Laws: Science 511
An Overview of Rhetoric-Stage Science 512
How to Do It 513
Outside Help 517
Schedules 518
Resources 520
29 Learning Other Worlds: Foreign Languages 526
Which Languages? 527
Texts and Courses 528
Schedules 530
Resources 533
30 Mastering the Magic Box: Computer Skills 538
Generally Speaking 538
Practically Speaking 541
Schedule 542
Resources 542
31 Apologizing for Faith: Religion 545
Resources 547
32 Appreciating the Arts: Art and Music 549
Art 550
Music 553
Schedules 554
Resources 555
33 The Specialist 559
General Guidelines 560
Flexibility 563
Specific Guidelines 564
Evaluation 567
Schedule 568
Resource 568
34 Some People Hate Homer 569Part IV Coming Home: How to Educate your Child at Home
35 The Kitchen-Table School: Why Home-Educate? 579
Why Should You Home-School? 580
Encouragement for Parents 582
First Steps 584
Taking Your Child Out of School 585
The Realities of Home Schooling 586
A Personal Word from Jessie 586
Resources 588
36 The Confident Child: Socialization 589
37 The Character Issue: Parents as Teachers 594
Resources 597
38 And Just When Do I Do All This? Schedules for Home Schoolers
How Much Time Does It Take? 600
Yearly Planning 601
Weekly Planning 602
Daily Planning 603
Jessie's Method of Organizing: A Personal Account 604
Good Use of Time 606
Home Schooling with Babies and Toddlers 606
Sample Schedules for Home Schoolers 608
Resources 614
39 Paper Proof: Grades and Record Keeping 616
Notification 617
Elementary School and Middle School: Portfolios 617
High School: Transcripts 618
Diploma 624
Resources 625
40 The Yardstick: Standardized Testing 627
Yearly Testing 628
AP and CLEP Exams 631
PSAT, SAT, and ACT 632
Resources 634
41 Where's the Team? Athletics at Home 639
Resources 641
42 The Local School: Dealing with Your School System 643
Resource 646
43 Yelling for Help: Tutors, Online Resources, Correspondence Schools, Cooperative Classes, and Colleges and Universities 647
Tutors 648
Online Resources 649
Correspondence Schools 651
Cooperative Classes 651
Community Colleges and Local Universities 652
Resources 652
44 Going to College: Applications for Home Schoolers 656
Planning for College 657
Choosing a College 659
The Application Process 660
The Portfolio 661
One Successful Application 661
A Word about Early Admissions 663
Resources 663
45 Working: Apprenticeships and Other Jobs 666
Resources 668
46 More Stuff: The Annotated Catalog List 669
General 670
Elementary Grades 670
History 671
Classics, Latin, Logic 671
Shakespeare 671
Language: Reading, Writing, Grammar, and So Forth 672
Science 673
Mathematics 674
Used-Curricula and -Book Vendors 674
47 The Final Word: Starting in the Middle 676
Appendix 1 Taking an Oral History 683
Appendix 2 Home-Education Organizations 687
Appendix 3 National Science Competitions 705
Appendix 4 Sources 711
Selected Bibliography 725
Index 727