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Writing and Rhetoric 1

This course is designed to help 4th–5th graders discover delight in writing and begin to develop effective tools and methods for writing well. The course uses the imitation and practice method utilized by the award-winning Writing & Rhetoric series to impart essential tools for writing to students. The first semester follows Book 1: Fable, which uses fables to teach students the practice of close reading and comprehension, summary (both aloud and in writing), and amplification. In the second semester, the course follows Book 2: Narrative I, which uses a variety of longer stories that expand the skill set learned in the first semester. This semester also includes more—and longer—writing assignments. This course encourages a delight for story and writing in each student through engaging class sessions and personal feedback.
This course is designed to:

  1. Expose students to the form of fables and narrative writing as well as culturally important examples.
  2. Model fluent reading for students and give them practice reading short texts.
  3. Give students practice copying texts accurately.
  4. Strengthen working memory through dictation, thus improving storage and manipulation of information.
  5. Increase understanding of the flexibility of and copiousness of language through sentence manipulation.
  6. Facilitate student interaction with well-written texts through question and answer and through exercises in summary and amplification.
  7. Give students opportunities to creatively imitate sentences, whole fables, and narrative sections.
  8. Introduce the concepts of main idea and character traits.
    Introduce the concepts of plot (beginning, middle, and end), dialogue, and description.
Image of text book for Writing and Rhetoric 1

Required Materials:
Books and supplies are not included in the purchase of the course.

Optional Resources:

These audio files allow students to engage their sense of hearing and their listening intelligence as Dr. Christopher Perrin, along with the Writing & Rhetoric series editor, Christine Perrin, deliver the fables, parables, and myths aloud in a thoughtful manner.

Alison Grace Johansen is teaching Introduction to the Art of Poetry, Formal History of Poetry, Writing & Rhetoric Level 4, and Well-Ordered Language Level 1. She earned her Juris Doctor from the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, Pa., and her Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Richmond. She worked as a journalist in Washington, D.C., for over 13 years before pursuing writing and editing in all forms of media. She hopes to help inspire her students to discover the many ways they can use their own words to express themselves with truth, goodness, and beauty. Alison lives in Virginia with her husband and two children. Her dedication to her faith and children influences every part of her life, from teaching Sunday school and writing a children’s picture book, to exploring the beauty of God’s world with her family. If they aren’t birdwatching and enjoying a walk outside, you might find them reading together or playing their favorite instruments: the piano, flute, guitar, ukulele, and drums! You can learn more about Alison in her Scholé Academy video  and blog post about fortitude in poetry. [email protected]

Kara Lobley, enjoys finding answers and imparting those discoveries to everyone. This passion for truth inspired her to earn her bachelor’s degree in history at Patrick Henry College (PHC), in Purcellville, VA. The classical experience at PHC and her own experience being homeschooled outside the classical tradition (K-12) showed Kara the beauties of each approach. She delights in witnessing how classical homeschooling equips students to identify and discover “the true, the good, and the beautiful” in the world around them and to share those revelations with others.
Kara began working with children as a high schooler at children’s theater camps and at her church’s Vacation Bible Schools. During college and post-graduation, she spent five years as a high school writing tutor and one year as a preschool teaching assistant. Kara has spent the past three years teaching lower school Well-Ordered Language and Writing and Rhetoric with Scholé Academy and is excited to return for a fourth year this year. Outside of the classroom, Kara can be found reading, hiking, or singing. [email protected]

Rebekah Furubotten holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a Creative Writing emphasis from Western Washington University and is a lover of literature, beauty, and the story of Jesus. Gathering friends to talk about books is one of her favorite things in the world, especially when the story is filled with gorgeous imagery, interesting characters, and artful writing. As she has homeschooled her four children over the past twelve years, instructed at a classical co-op, and taught an acclaimed writing program to neighbor kids alongside her own, she has sought to display God’s Truth, Beauty, and Goodness in every subject, especially the literature they read. Loving their neighbors is an integral part of her family’s weekly rhythms, and you can find Rebekah hosting book clubs and parties for children and adults where they can discuss stories, ask good questions, and deepen their understanding of what they read and what makes good writing, good. Rebekah lives in Olympia, WA with her husband, four kids, and two dogs. When she isn’t teaching, chauffeuring, or reading, Rebekah enjoys making memories with her family, writing, cooking, moving her body, and redecorating her house. [email protected]

Quarter 1

Writing and Rhetoric Book 1: Fable

  1. What are Fables?
  2. What are Summary and Amplification?
  3. What is the Role of Anthropomorphism in Fables?
  4. Why is elocution important to storytelling?

Quarter 2

Writing and Rhetoric Book 1: Fable

  1. Exercises with Copiousness.
  2. Practice Summarizing Stories.
  3. Amplify Stories.
  4. Identify the Moral of a Story.
  5. Write Your Own Fable. 

Quarter 3

Writing and Rhetoric Book 2: Narrative I

  1. Types of Narratives.
  2. What is a Parable?
  3. How does Point of View Affect a Story?
  4. Identifying the Main Idea in a Text.
  5. Amplification with Dialogue.

Quarter 4

Writing and Rhetoric Book 2: Narrative I

  1. Using Description to make a story more interesting.
  2. Combining Dialogue and Description.
  3. How does conflict help keep the reader’s attention?
  4. Write your own Narrative Conflict (Beginning and end of the story provided)

Red checkmarkComputer: You will need a stable, reliable computer, running with a processor with a speed of 1 GHz or better on one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X with Mac OS 10.7 or later; Windows 8, 7, Vista (with SP1 or later), or XP (with SP3 or later). We do not recommend using an iPad or other tablet for joining classes. An inexpensive laptop or netbook would be much better solutions, as they enable you to plug an Ethernet cable directly into your computer. Please note that Chromebooks are allowed but not preferred, as they do not support certain features of the Zoom video conference software such as breakout sessions and annotation, which may be used by our teachers for class activities.

Red checkmarkHigh-Speed Internet Connection: You will also need access to high-speed Internet, preferably accessible via Ethernet cable right into your computer. Using Wi-Fi may work, but will not guarantee you the optimal use of your bandwidth. The faster your Internet, the better. We recommend using a connection with a download/upload speed of 5/1 Mbps or better. You can test your Internet connection here.

Red checkmarkWebcam: You may use an external webcam or one that is built in to the computer. Webcam Recommendations: Good (PC only) | Best (Mac and PC)

Red checkmarkHeadset: We recommend using a headset rather than a built-in microphone and speakers. Using a headset reduces the level of background noise heard by the entire class. Headset Recommendations: USB | 3.5mm

Red checkmarkZoom: We use a web conferencing software called Zoom for our classes, which enables students and teachers to gather from around the globe face to face in real time. Zoom is free to download and easy to use. unnamed-e1455142229376 To download Zoom:

  1. Visit zoom.us/download.
  2. Click to download the first option listed, Zoom Client for Meetings.
  3. Open and run the installer on your computer.
  4. In August, students will be provided with instructions and a link for joining their particular class.

Red checkmarkScanner: In this class, students frequently submit homework assignments by scanning pages from their workbooks. Students and/or their parents should have easy access to a scanner and the ability to use it.

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