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Christ the King Lord of History
The Controversy: We're not supposed to "whitewash" the Catholic Church's role in History. The fact that there have been many bad Catholics and that bad things have been done in the name of the Catholic faith cannot be ignored. Anne Carroll seems to agree with this principle. Why the controversy then? According to Mrs. Carroll, many events that the Modern World believes should be blamed on Catholics are in fact Protestant myths, designed to make Catholics look bad, or other misrepresentations or misunderstandings of the facts. Some of her facts contradict other Catholic sources, such as the Catholic Encyclopedia, on such hot-button issues as the Spanish Inquisition. A number of Catholic homeschoolers find this very troubling. Some I've talked to have been so upset at their perception of a "whitewashing" of Catholic history that they are avoiding this text altogether. I disagree with this position because I believe that Mrs. Carroll genuinely believes that what she has written is true and that she is not attempting to hide the faults of the Church. I understand that some homeschoolers also prefer her husband, Warren Carroll's History of Christendom series, because it is highly annotated to support his claims and provide further reference.
I think it's important to understand that History is a very complex thing. For our understanding of History, we are always relying upon someone else's facts. Within the Catholic Church, there are many issues which are not agreed upon, and the Church doesn't say that you have to believe this or that side. I think this is a good concept for children (especially high schoolers) to understand. I would suggest having your children use this text, but discuss these important issues before you embark on your journey, and have them read materials from other Catholic sources as well.
Copyrights 1976/1986/1994
Christ the King, Lord of History - Answer Key
Which busy homeschooling mother couldn't use some extra time in her day? I used to avoid purchasing answer keys and other helps, thinking that the money was better spent in other ways. As my family has grown and my children's work has become more time-consuming and difficult, I have found real value and genuine time savings in having a well-produced answer key. I'm still able to correct first grade math without a key, but not high school history!
This new book will be a wonderful blessing to families who use this popular textbook, and I can't imagine being without it now. I'm sure that we would all agree that it is very important to check a student's work as quickly as possible to give useful feedback. Because the textbook questions are primarily short-answer and not multiple-choice and true-false questions, this process can be very time-consuming. If you do as I do and get interested in what you are reading, it takes even longer!
This key is organized by chapter, making it immediately useful no matter where in the text your student happens to be working. The answers to the chapter-end questions are precise and detailed, giving the optimal response to the question rather than a simplified version that a student might hastily write. Quotations from the textbook itself are used liberally to support the answers given. Highly recommended!
Christian Heritage Art Program
It is different. The Christian Heritage Art Program is the only art curriculum which integrates art appreciation, art activities, and Christian culture. The author does not hesitate to credit a French abbot with promoting the preservation of the prehistoric art of the Lascaux Caves, discussing the importance of Medieval Madonnas, or telling of Henri Matisse's great pride in the windows he designed for a chapel in Vence, France.
Christian Kids Explore Chemistry
Christmas Turtles
This is a simple, charming and true story, from the author's own childhood, of a grandmother and her four grandchildren, for whom she makes Christmas Turtles each year with the pecans from her own yard.
The children discover the real "magic" that goes into making these favorite treats and how very much their grandmother really loves them. A recipe for the turtles is included in the back!
The layout of the pages is unusual. The typeface is quite large and the illustrations look like they were drawn by the narrator, the author as a young girl. My son complained about the faces at first, but once I read it aloud to all of my "middles" (ages 4-11), they all REALLY loved it and especially can't wait to make some turtles themselves.
The book came into our lives at a perfect time, when we're trying to move toward more homemade gifts for Christmas and for making more time during the busy holidays to do things like baking with the children.
Available from your local bookstore.
Christopher's Talks to Catholic Children
What a beautiful book! Do you imagine teaching the catechism to your children through stories and illustrations? This is the book to use. Christopher's Talks to Catholic Children is a book of stories for children from the youngest ages up through elementary school. Written in the first person with a friendly, gentle tone, each story is a beautifully-presented lesson in the whole of the catechism. Even better, the author has included simple line drawings in the stories that he recommends be drawn by the storyteller during the telling of the story and copied by the children to help them remember the lesson.
This edition is actually the two original books bound into one volume. Book 1 contains stories on such topics as God, the Angels, the sin of Adam and Eve, actual grace, the sacraments, baptism, confirmation, the resurrection and the ascension. Book 2 continues with lessons on the other sacraments, the communion of saints, the Holy Souls, the Mass, and each of the commandments, in terms that can be easily understood by children. There is one section after Book 1 titled "For Grown-ups Only" that gives many teaching hints and notes on the lessons for points that may be confusing to children. The section at the end of Book 2 gives specific guidance for the preparation of children for First Penance and First Communion.
I'm delighted to have found this book! It is a wonderful addition to our religion classes and should have a place in every Catholic home. It could be used profitably in homeschools of every description. My only regret is that this book was published in softcover only. It is printed on high-quality, easy-on-the-eyes off-white paper in the style of the books produced by Ignatius Press. I can foresee a lot of wear on the cover when the book is used with several successive children, and I would prefer a hardbound book to keep for the next generation.
Citadel of God
Against this backdrop, the novel goes on to tell of the lives of Boethius, who becomes governor for the king in spite of his patriotism for the dying Rome; Peter, the young would-be assassin and patriot, who grows up to become a conflicted Byzantine ambassador; and Benedictus, who becomes appalled by the corruption in Roman society and retreats into the wilderness to become a hermit. Eventually he founds several monasteries and travels to Montecassino. He drives out pagan sorcerers, works miracles and founds a monastery that truly became a "Citadel of God" that stood against paganism and Arianism, while the scholar Boethius is jailed and executed by the increasingly paranoid king, after writing The Consolation of Philosophy.
This book is strongly and vividly written, telling an epic tale of several famous lives intertwined during this unstable and critical time in the history of Christendom. The reading and interest level are suitable for ages 14 and up; however, the emotional maturity level may be somewhat higher. There are a couple of scenes, as when a Roman lady tries to seduce the young Benedictus, or a corrupt Christian priest converses with his mistress, that though not overly graphic might be unsuitable to some young readers.
City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction
Various editions available
Classical Writing: Aesop
If you are attracted to the classical method of teaching composition, by analyzing and imitating excellent literature, but have struggled with implementing your own program, then this is the writing series for you. Meticulously thought through and well organized, Classical Writing: Aesop combines structure with flexibility. It can be used with multiple ages in the homeschool and, though designed for beginning writers in grades 1-5, can be adapted for older ages. It uses homeschool-friendly methods such as copywork, dictation, literary discussion and narration, as building blocks for composition skills.
Classical Writing: Aesop is the first in a proposed series which will cover the various steps of the progymnasata (literally "preliminary exercises") by which classical and medieval students were taught to write in a variety of different modes. Classical Writing: Aesop covers the first exercise in the progymnasata, narration of fables. The child learns to retell simple fables and tales in his own words, adding dialogue and description in easy increments over the course of the curriculum. This is the "imitation" component.
The analysis component of the course, in which the literature selection is carefully gone over at several different levels, can be adjusted to the level of the student(s). A week's routine is divided into (1) introducing and discussing the model (2) word skills (3) sentence skills (4) copywork or easy dictation. A beginner would practice basic phonics and learn about how to tell a sentence. A more advanced student would practice beginning dictionary skills and learn the parts of speech. Though a supplemental grammar book is recommended, Classical Writing contains teaching tips and content for all the formal grammar that is needed at this level.
There are plenty of charts to help with the organization of the course. Appendices include some sample fables and tales to use as models, and even a sample 36-week syllabus for busy moms who want to pick up the book and go rather than write their own lesson plans (though a sample lesson plan template is included, too). There is even a description of how the authors, both homeschooling mothers of four, use the program with their own children, with examples of narrative exercises by their children of various ages.
This is not intended to be a self-teaching curriculum. It is meant for the homeschooling parent to use *with* children. It is suggested that half an hour per day be spent on each of the components of the course, analysis and imitation, four days a week. The authors believe that composition is a formative skill, and should be guided: "training in speech and writing cannot be separated from training in virtue". The goal is a "habit of mind" which the students can apply to any writing task. This is a thoroughly Catholic idea – that "academic" skills should be at the service of virtue– that I have not found so well stated and carried through in any other writing curriculum. I am looking forward to using this program with my grade school children, and have already adapted elements of it for use with my older children.
The book is available in a Kinko's copy, or in a PDF file that can be downloaded from the internet. The PDF file is probably the most versatile, since multiple copies of the sample models can be printed out for use with more than one child. See below for the Classical Writing website, which also has a link to a message board for support of this product.
The authors also offer Traditional Tales - Models for Classical Writing, a sourcebook of 36 fables and traditional tales to use with the composition course. The models include fairytales, Scripture, history stories by James Baldwin, in addition to fables by Aesop: all excellent literature which can be read by the fluent primary age child. This book is not an essential companion to Classical Writing, since the sources are all in the public domain and can be found online (some URLs are listed in the handbook). Still, it is a savings of time and effort for the homeschool mom to have them selected and right at one's fingertips. Downloadable PDF format and Kinko's copy format both available from Classical Writing.