Curriculum Overview
Committed to Education
L.C.S. aims to offer a Christian education that focuses on the development of wisdom and virtue through thoughtful consideration of what is wholesome, right, and beautiful. We accomplish this by providing training in the liberal arts and fostering an understanding of the great books and thinkers of the Western tradition. The study of Western culture and the liberal arts are both essential for preparing a child for college and life.
Simply Classical curriculum provides a classical education tailored for students with varying educational abilities, including those with more significant challenges such as autism and learning disabilities.
The curriculum is designed to provide a comprehensive education that teaches critical thinking skills to students while also acknowledging their individual abilities. To determine which level of the Simply Classical Curriculum sequence is most appropriate for your child, you can administer a Readiness Assessment, a placement test. Once your child is placed in the appropriate level, they will be evaluated every eight weeks to track their progress. This allows the rich, beautiful content of a classical education to be accessible to all!
Bible Studies
Simply Classical is a curriculum that aims to foster three important things in students: Bible literacy, knowledge of church history, and a strong faith and Christian consciousness. In order to achieve these goals, students will study Scripture in grades K-6, church history and theology in grades 7-11, and Christian apologetics in grade 12. Christian Studies is an academic course that is equivalent in content and examinations to all other subjects in the curriculum. Our belief is that the Christian faith is true and that both reason and history support this belief.
Phonics & Spelling
There is no need to turn phonics into complex linguistic study, as some programs are wont to do. Simply Classical’ teaches correct pencil grip, manuscript form, consonant and short vowel sounds, three-letter word formation, consonant blends and long vowels/silent e. Unusual words are introduced after students learn to blend three-letter words. Using this program, students learn to read in kindergarten using stories with a high percentage of phonetic words. This is the most effective and efficient way to teach reading.
Literature & Poetry
Literature and poetry serve as the primary means of passing down the ideals and values of traditional Western Christian culture. By introducing characters from great literature, your child's emotions will be trained to love the good and despise the bad. Additionally, the beauty and wonder of reality that only good poetry can reveal will be exposed to them. Our literature and poetry program has carefully selected the finest books by the most accomplished authors to provide you with a range of high-quality choices.
Math & Science
The Simply Classical mathematics program is based on mastery learning, which utilizes memorization and repeated practice in the lower grades. Students must overlearn basic math skills in middle school to be successful in the more conceptual high school math. To study nature, one must first understand what nature is. The 'Simply Classical' science program aims to introduce students to the world of nature before high school science by studying birds, insects, trees, mammals, and the heavenly bodies. Additionally, students are given a narrative account of the development of sciences in a story form, making it easier for them to understand. This prepares them to study high school science using the excellent Novare Series.
Language, Writing, & Grammar
Simply Classical Composition is based on the original classical method of teaching writing called the “progymnasmata.” It was the program that produced John Milton and William Shakespeare. This method involved learning fourteen skills, organized from the simplest and most basic to the most complex and sophisticated. In addition, our English Grammar Recitation program will solidify the grammar your child has learned in Latin through memorizing and reciting the essential grammatical and usage rules in English. Memoria Press award-winning Latin programs are designed to teach your student to master the Latin grammar through an easy to use, step-by-step process that brings out the logical and systematic nature of the mother tongue of Western civilization. In studying with our Latin Curriculum, your student will gain an academic vocabulary, a mastery of English grammar, and will develop the critical thinking skills that come from the study of a complex, inflected grammar.
Art, Music, Enrichment
To gain a complete understanding of our Western cultural heritage, we need to observe it through the art and music that played a significant role in its development. The study of classical art, music, and enrichment begins in the early grades, with basic lessons aimed at introducing students to great Western art and music. This continues in middle and high school, where students engage in more in-depth study of our art and music heritage, including the rich tradition of Latin music.