As STGB continues to plow after the goal of a complete 7-12th grade Classical Christian Humanities curriculum the most visible aspect of this is our Great Books study guides. Nevertheless, work is going on elsewhere in addition to the Great Books History and Literature curriculum. Preliminary work has already begun on our logic and Rhetoric curriculum, not least of which is the copious notes being made of sections of the great books which can be used to teach or illustrate concepts in logic and rhetoric. Additionally, a fair amount of progress has been made toward the classical composition curriculum we are producing. It is even possible that our composition material may be the first part of our curriculum to make it to physical print editions (we will see, it will be a race between it and the 7th grade History and Literature curriculum).
For our classical composition curriculum we are employing the use of the Progymnasmata (along with some other helpful exercises to add technical accuracy, polish, and flair to our writing). The Progymnasmata is a series of classical writing exercises which are intended to prepare students for formal Rhetoric.1 Contrary to many modern writing programs, which often teach only a few forms of writing (e.g. research and thesis papers being the most common), the Progymnasmata is composed of many multi-faceted writing exercises to workout all of the “writing muscles” belonging to human creativity.
Here is a brief outline of the writing exercises which will form an essential component to the STGB classical writing curriculum:
Learning to Gather, Organize, and Retell Information (Pre-Rhetoric)
Fable: This exercise teaches the student to capture the moral of a story and how to retell it from various angles and perspectives without losing the original point.
Narrative: This exercise teaches the student to identify the key details of an event or story and how to write an ordered account while emphasizing certain aspects to create a particular effect in their audience.
Description: This exercise teaches the student to accurately depict the appearance of a place or thing using detail and vivacity (life).
Learning to Praise or Blame (Pre-Rhetoric)
Chreia & Maxim: This exercise teaches the student to praise the wisdom of a quote, saying, proverb, or general maxim and to demonstrate the value of adhering to it.
Refutation & Confirmation: This exercise teaches the student to evaluate a story or narrative and to demonstrate why it should (or should not) be accepted as credible.
Commonplace: This Exercise teaches the student to praise or blame a virtue or vice in the abstract and then to associate it with an individual who deserves to be praised or blamed in particular.
Encomium & Invective: This exercise teaches the student the various means by which a person, place, thing, or idea may be praised or blamed.
Comparison: This exercise builds upon the previous exercise (Encomium and Invective) and teaches the student how to place two things of the same kind next to one another so as to add greater emphasis to their praise or blame of a particular person, place, thing, or idea.
Learning to Mimic a Person or Create a Believable Character (Pre-Rhetoric)
Impersonation and Characterization: This exercise teaches the student how to mimic the tone and character of other authors or speakers, or to create a character and speak consistently in a tone that is harmonious with the character the student has created.
Learning to Defend the True, Good, and Beautiful (Rhetoric Proper)
Thesis/Theme: In this exercise the student learns how to choose a worthy topic or theme and how to argue in favor of a particular claim related thereunto.
Law: In this exercise the student learns how to defend or attack an already existing law or a proposed law.
Hopefully this provides you with a sense of what is coming your way in the near future as far as materials to help equip your child, student, or self with the tools of writing well, interestingly, and persuasively.
The art of persuasion via the written and spoken word.