Great Books Forum7-12 Rhetoric and Composition
Our Mother Tongue
Publisher/Author
Nancy Wilson, Exodus Books
Other Information
Level: 7-12
Description
“The study of grammar is the study of the rules that govern a language. Nancy Wilson asserts the best place to start for a thorough understanding of the English language is English grammar, and in Our Mother Tongue: A Guide to English Grammar she articulately outlines and explains those rules. Good communication, she maintains, is the result of familiarity and comfort within the structure of the language. There’s nothing flashy here—just straightforward grammar instruction—but the idea is for students to become intimately acquainted with the mechanics and form of our language, not to keep them entertained. Instead, this is a clear introduction to a too often neglected subject.” – Exodus Books
Rating
Would you use this product again?
Rhetoric Alive!
Publisher/Author
Classical Academic Press
Other Information
Level: 10-12
Description
“The highly engaging Rhetoric Alive! explores the principles of winsome speech as developed in the foremost text on persuasion, Aristotle’s Rhetoric. The 15 chapters of Rhetoric Alive! step through the essential components of persuasion—the three appeals, the three types of speech, and the five canons. Each chapter includes an exemplary classic text for analysis and discussion, spanning from Pericles’s “Funeral Oration” to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Students also have plenty of opportunities to practice developing their own rhetorical skill through weekly workshops, imitation assignments, and oratory presentations.” – Classical Academic Press
Rating
Would you use this product again?
The Argument Builder
Publisher/Author
Classical Academic Press
Other Information
Level: 8-12
Description
“The Argument Builder (Student Edition) is the ideal follow-up companion to The Art of Argument. Where The Art of Argument enables students to find and identify fallacies in various kinds of writing and speech, The Argument Builder will teach students to actually build compelling and persuasive arguments of their own. The Argument Builder is a blend of logic and rhetoric.* Students first study the logical structure of good arguments, and then study how to use several lines of argument (a.k.a. the common topics), such as the use of examples, analogy, comparison, testimony, and statistics. The text comes in a workbook format with plenty of exercises to ensure students learn to become skilled argument makers!
The Argument Builder Teacher’s Edition is also available. It includes the entire student text, answers to exercises, teaching tips, and reproducible worksheets. Suggested schedules are available in the Support tab above.” – Classical Academic Press
Rating
Would you use this product again?
The Art of Poetry
Publisher/Author
Classical Academic Press
Other Information
Level: 7-12
Description
“A one-semester or yearlong course for students in grades 7-12 “I dwell in Possibility— A fairer House than Prose—” While we think of poetry as the best words in the best order, we sometimes forget how important its poetic or metaphoric thinking is to various subjects such as writing, speaking, business, and science.
The Art of Poetry is an excellent middle or high school curriculum that teaches the practice of reading a poem closely and absorbing its beauty.” – Classical Academic Press
Rating
Would you use this product again?
The Rhetoric Companion
Publisher/Author
Logos Press
Other Information
Level: 7-12
Description
“For the Christian student of rhetoric, manipulative sophistry is clearly out of bounds. But putting careful thought into what constitutes eloquent speech and persuasive argumentation is not. What many people dismiss as “a bunch of rhetoric” is simply poor rhetoric. There is a Christian approach of memorable and effective expression, and it is the task of this book to lay out that approach.” – Cannon Press
Rating
Would you use this product again?
The Roar on the Other Side: A Guide for Student Poets
Publisher/Author
Logos Press
Other Information
Level: 7-12
Description
“For all its storied past and lofty reputation, poetry is really just the art of noticing, naming, and comparing the stuff of this world.
Unlike the eye of modern science (which sees the world as a giant specimen for us to dissect), poetry fosters and nurtures life by finding wonder in the nooks and crannies of ordinary life.
Suzanne Rhodes, a longtime poet and teacher, offers The Roar on the Other Side as an introductory guide to poetry for students (junior high and up). Focusing on the importance of sight and the necessity of practice, Rhodes easily communicates the joy of words to her readers and helps them see how good poetry binds all seemingly-contradictory things together. Students will emerge from this book with a good handle on the basics of writing poetry and a new appreciation for the awesome world in which we live. It covers poetic tools (similes, metaphors, figurative languate, etc); forms (sonnets, haiku, syllabic verse); tricks (assonance, alliteration, rhyme); genres (lyric, narrative, epic, ballad, etc.); and exercises that encourage students to experiment more.” – Logos Press
Rating
Would you use this product again?
Vocabulary From Classical Roots
Publisher/Author
Norma Fifer and Nancy Flowers
Christian Book: Visit Website
Other Information
Level: All
Description
“This five-book series teaches junior and senior high school students words derived from the most important Greek and Latin roots. Every lesson introduces up to fifteen words derived from two or more classical roots. A dictionary-like format provides all the necessary information, including related forms of the word and sentences illustrating each word’s correct usage. Special sections called “Nota Bene” provide information about etymologies and words that might be confused.” – Christian Books
Rating
Would you use this product again?
Wordsmithy
Publisher/Author
Logos Press
Other Information
Level: 7-12
Description
“Wordsmithy is for writers of every sort, whether experienced veterans, still just hoping, or somewhere in between. Through a series of out-of-the-ordinary lessons, each with its own takeaway points and recommended readings, Douglas Wilson provides indispensable guidance, showing how to develop the writer’s craft and the kind of life from which good writing comes.” – Logos Press
Rating
Would you use this product again?
Writing and Rhetoric Series
Publisher/Author
Classical Academic Press
Other Information
Level: All
Description
“A Creative Approach to the Classical Progymnasmata—Think of the progymnasmata as a step-by-step apprenticeship in the art of writing and rhetoric. What is an apprentice? It is a young person who is learning a skill from a master teacher. Our students will serve as apprentices to the great writers and great stories of history.
Students are often expected to write with no clear model before them. Modern composition scolds traditional writing instruction as rote and unimaginative. It takes imitation to task for a lack of freedom and personal expression. And yet, effective communication from writer to reader always requires some sort of form and structure. Many of history’s greatest writers learned by imitation. In other words, writing takes the same kind of determined study as ballet or diving. Creativity uses conventional form as a stage or a springboard from which to launch grand jetés and somersaults. Too often students are expected to tackle complex writing assignments without learning the necessary intermediate steps. The assumption is that because most everyone can speak English well enough to be understood, and form letters with a pencil, that everyone should be able to write well. Yet how many of us would expect a child to sit at a piano, without piano lessons, and play a concerto? Writing is never automatic.
The Writing & Rhetoric series method employs fluent reading, careful listening, models for imitation, and progressive steps. It assumes that students learn best by reading excellent, whole-story examples of literature and by growing their skills through imitation. Each exercise is intended to impart a skill (or tool) that can be employed in all kinds of writing and speaking. The exercises are arranged from simple to more complex. What’s more, the exercises are cumulative, meaning that later exercises incorporate the skills acquired in preceding exercises. This series is a step-by-step apprenticeship in the art of writing and rhetoric.” – Classical Academic Press
Rating
Would you use this product again?