Sequitur Schools
Grammar School courses are designed to lay a lifelong foundation for reading, writing, mathematics, a love for learning, academic discipline, and spiritual maturity. For Grammar School students, this maturity in content and ability should be supported by and improved upon using other at-home curricula as parents see fit. Six grade levels, 1st-6th grade, constitute our Grammar School. Each grade offers four to six classes per week. The first course is a basic Art of Letters curriculum, focusing on proficiency in reading, writing, and listening. Class sessions will be divided into five segments: basics of grammar, listening and composition, spelling, and reading accountability. The second course is a Humanities course, which will consist of literature, history, and geography. The third course is math, which will follow the Saxon curriculum. During Stories of the Bible time, teachers reverently read aloud the stories of our faith. The final course is Science, which aims for a basic delight in scientific knowledge and scientific investigation according to the frame and ability of the grade level. Some Upper Grammar School classes also include Music and Latin. For more on our curriculum and class schedule, please see our registration packet.
Logic School coursework is an important part of classical Christian education: the introduction to formal and informal logic, as well as the foundation of beginning to synthesize what one has learned. Students in the logic years, otherwise known as the middle school years, have a natural tendency to question, prod, and agitate educational and social norms; a classical education gives them the opportunity to do so while being taught that all questioning and agitation should be done reasonably, respectfully, and in pursuit of good things. It is here that students begin to more independently learn the nature of working hard at academics as well as the importance of abstract, dialectical thinking. This is when students begin to more clearly understand the art of arguing correctly, with themselves, with broader cultural claims, and with the various statements they daily meet in their academic work or personal lives. During the Logic School years (7th and 8th grade), students enroll in seven total classes: Humanities and Composition, Logic, Art of Letters (Latin), Math, Science, Music, Art. For more on our curriculum and class schedule, please see our registration packet.
Rhetoric School is that stage of education in which our students learn not just how to clearly and reasonably comprehend the spoken and written word, but also how to write and speak words which glorify God and satisfy man. Here they continue their studies in formal and informal logic while maturing in their ability to become independent learners whose efforts toward responsibility and academic aptitude begin to bear fruit of originality. Students in the Rhetoric School study classical, medieval, and modern rhetoric by way of primary texts. They likewise continue their studies in Humanities, Art of Letters (Latin), Art, Music, Math, Science, Politics, and Economics. The Rhetoric School culminates in a year-long senior thesis, which must be originally written and defended by the close of the school year. During the Rhetoric years, debate becomes incarnational, students take further ownership of original theses and thoughts, and they are awarded with greater poetic freedom. For more on our curriculum and class schedule, please see our registration packet.
Logic School coursework is an important part of classical Christian education: the introduction to formal and informal logic, as well as the foundation of beginning to synthesize what one has learned. Students in the logic years, otherwise known as the middle school years, have a natural tendency to question, prod, and agitate educational and social norms; a classical education gives them the opportunity to do so while being taught that all questioning and agitation should be done reasonably, respectfully, and in pursuit of good things. It is here that students begin to more independently learn the nature of working hard at academics as well as the importance of abstract, dialectical thinking. This is when students begin to more clearly understand the art of arguing correctly, with themselves, with broader cultural claims, and with the various statements they daily meet in their academic work or personal lives. During the Logic School years (7th and 8th grade), students enroll in seven total classes: Humanities and Composition, Logic, Art of Letters (Latin), Math, Science, Music, Art. For more on our curriculum and class schedule, please see our registration packet.
Rhetoric School is that stage of education in which our students learn not just how to clearly and reasonably comprehend the spoken and written word, but also how to write and speak words which glorify God and satisfy man. Here they continue their studies in formal and informal logic while maturing in their ability to become independent learners whose efforts toward responsibility and academic aptitude begin to bear fruit of originality. Students in the Rhetoric School study classical, medieval, and modern rhetoric by way of primary texts. They likewise continue their studies in Humanities, Art of Letters (Latin), Art, Music, Math, Science, Politics, and Economics. The Rhetoric School culminates in a year-long senior thesis, which must be originally written and defended by the close of the school year. During the Rhetoric years, debate becomes incarnational, students take further ownership of original theses and thoughts, and they are awarded with greater poetic freedom. For more on our curriculum and class schedule, please see our registration packet.
Classes*
Art
Art encompasses both aesthetic appreciation and creative expression. As Christians, we acknowledge God as the Ultimate Artist. Created in His image, we thus possess an innate creative capacity. Such creativity witnesses to the impression of deity upon our souls, mirroring His image in us and radiating His mind through us as we create. As a classical and Christian school, we explore great works of art by past masters filtered through a Christian perspective. Such exploration enables students to experience the intellectual and emotional power of artistic genius while cultivating their own creative potential and aesthetic discernment. Students additionally study artistic methods in various media to learn how to create artistic works of their own.
Math
Mathematics witnesses to God’s nature in the orderly finitude of the material universe and to His transcendence beyond that universe unto infinity. Mathematics orients students’ minds to God’s mind, cultivating in them appreciation, knowledge, and mastery of math facts, computation, real-life math applications, development of logical thinking, and algebraic concepts. Mathematics also cultivates discipline in students, enabling them to participate in the scientific and technological stewardship of this world for the service of God and man. Mathematics instruction at Sequitur carefully reinforces every skill and concept learned by not dropping the concepts once they are covered but rather by returning to them recursively, and with increasing complexity, throughout the school year.
Music
God’s Word exhorts us to celebratory praise, reverential worship, and skillful expression of our faith through singing and by playing instruments. God’s grace equips all of us with means to worship Him through music, and Sequitur's music program aims to develop its students’ musical skills. This process begins with teaching students to listen and hear in order to understand musical ideas, to sing correctly and accurately, and to have a working understanding of music notation. This includes folk songs of Western culture, classical music composed in the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries, and the historical hymnody of our Christian heritage. Ultimately, Sequitur's music curriculum challenges students to appreciate excellence in music. An understanding and love for the classic, traditional values of music teaches students to know and discern what is good, true, and beautiful.
Nature Study
Sequitur students engage in Nature Study in grades 1 through 3. Almost from birth, children begin to learn about God by observing and studying His creation. Nature study trains students in their powers of observation, recognition, counting, and classifying. It allows them to glorify God as they see the awesomeness of His design and the perfect order of His creation. Nature study at Sequitur includes careful observation, further reading about discoveries, drawing and painting, and enjoying the occasional crawling classroom visitor.
Art of Letters and Humanities
Through the utterance of His Word, God spoke all things into existence; through the revelation of His Word, God established the means by which we might know Him; through the Incarnation of His Word, God showed Himself to humanity as our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Through the Word, humanity discovers God, the meaning of life, and our responsibility to love one another as God has loved us. The Word also encompasses language, including its meaning, its form, its structure, and its communication. At Sequitur we strive to offer a curriculum that exposes students to the finest and most nobly written literature and that aims to provide students both the inspiration to be attentive, discerning readers and the skills to write clearly, engagingly, and nobly themselves. These aims are achieved through deliberate and careful study of classic literature, poetry, drama, and historical texts, as well as through frequent writing and rewriting. The textual analysis students learn and the repeated writing they do enhance their analytical and critical capabilities and their own powers of expression.
Science
Since the Creation is itself a revelation of God, then the study of it will reveal God. Science reveals God’s unchanging faithfulness and orderliness by teaching students to understand the language of creation. Students are taught through the five steps of the scientific method; to think and speak scientifically; and to learn in ways that creatively emphasize hands-on discovery. Science forms a foundation for further study in math and science, and the problem-solving and critical-thinking skills developed in the process of studying science are transferable to other disciplines. Therefore, through the study of science, the Sequitur student will be a better decision-maker and more confident in future academic endeavors.
History
We study the past to understand the present and plan for the future. Philosophically, as a classical school we emphasize the study of Western history and culture, but we also recognize the importance of non-Western cultures—such as those of China, India, and the Islamic nations—in the 21st century, and therefore we integrate the study of non-Western history and culture into our curriculum as appropriate. Students begin studying ancient history in third grade, then move on through history until they finish Grammar School with modern history in 6th grade. Then the cycle begins again in 7th grade as students study Homer and the ancient Greeks. We emphasize primary texts and the biographies of great figures in history. Most importantly, we recognize that history is “His story”—that is, history witnesses to the sovereignty and providence of God at all times and in all events, and thus “to visit” and “to see” history is really to visit and to see His story.
Latin
In keeping with classical tradition, Sequitur begins Latin instruction in 7th grade as our foreign language. While Latin is not a spoken language in the world today, it has significant value for modern students. First, Latin, the language from which the modern Romance languages are derived, provides a thorough understanding of grammar and practice in translation. This foundation makes the modern languages easier to learn. Second, the logical structure of Latin promotes structured, logical thinking. Third, because many words in English have Latin roots, studying Latin increases students’ vocabulary. And, fourth, the study of Roman history and culture is foundational to an understanding of Western civilization.
Art encompasses both aesthetic appreciation and creative expression. As Christians, we acknowledge God as the Ultimate Artist. Created in His image, we thus possess an innate creative capacity. Such creativity witnesses to the impression of deity upon our souls, mirroring His image in us and radiating His mind through us as we create. As a classical and Christian school, we explore great works of art by past masters filtered through a Christian perspective. Such exploration enables students to experience the intellectual and emotional power of artistic genius while cultivating their own creative potential and aesthetic discernment. Students additionally study artistic methods in various media to learn how to create artistic works of their own.
Math
Mathematics witnesses to God’s nature in the orderly finitude of the material universe and to His transcendence beyond that universe unto infinity. Mathematics orients students’ minds to God’s mind, cultivating in them appreciation, knowledge, and mastery of math facts, computation, real-life math applications, development of logical thinking, and algebraic concepts. Mathematics also cultivates discipline in students, enabling them to participate in the scientific and technological stewardship of this world for the service of God and man. Mathematics instruction at Sequitur carefully reinforces every skill and concept learned by not dropping the concepts once they are covered but rather by returning to them recursively, and with increasing complexity, throughout the school year.
Music
God’s Word exhorts us to celebratory praise, reverential worship, and skillful expression of our faith through singing and by playing instruments. God’s grace equips all of us with means to worship Him through music, and Sequitur's music program aims to develop its students’ musical skills. This process begins with teaching students to listen and hear in order to understand musical ideas, to sing correctly and accurately, and to have a working understanding of music notation. This includes folk songs of Western culture, classical music composed in the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries, and the historical hymnody of our Christian heritage. Ultimately, Sequitur's music curriculum challenges students to appreciate excellence in music. An understanding and love for the classic, traditional values of music teaches students to know and discern what is good, true, and beautiful.
Nature Study
Sequitur students engage in Nature Study in grades 1 through 3. Almost from birth, children begin to learn about God by observing and studying His creation. Nature study trains students in their powers of observation, recognition, counting, and classifying. It allows them to glorify God as they see the awesomeness of His design and the perfect order of His creation. Nature study at Sequitur includes careful observation, further reading about discoveries, drawing and painting, and enjoying the occasional crawling classroom visitor.
Art of Letters and Humanities
Through the utterance of His Word, God spoke all things into existence; through the revelation of His Word, God established the means by which we might know Him; through the Incarnation of His Word, God showed Himself to humanity as our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Through the Word, humanity discovers God, the meaning of life, and our responsibility to love one another as God has loved us. The Word also encompasses language, including its meaning, its form, its structure, and its communication. At Sequitur we strive to offer a curriculum that exposes students to the finest and most nobly written literature and that aims to provide students both the inspiration to be attentive, discerning readers and the skills to write clearly, engagingly, and nobly themselves. These aims are achieved through deliberate and careful study of classic literature, poetry, drama, and historical texts, as well as through frequent writing and rewriting. The textual analysis students learn and the repeated writing they do enhance their analytical and critical capabilities and their own powers of expression.
Science
Since the Creation is itself a revelation of God, then the study of it will reveal God. Science reveals God’s unchanging faithfulness and orderliness by teaching students to understand the language of creation. Students are taught through the five steps of the scientific method; to think and speak scientifically; and to learn in ways that creatively emphasize hands-on discovery. Science forms a foundation for further study in math and science, and the problem-solving and critical-thinking skills developed in the process of studying science are transferable to other disciplines. Therefore, through the study of science, the Sequitur student will be a better decision-maker and more confident in future academic endeavors.
History
We study the past to understand the present and plan for the future. Philosophically, as a classical school we emphasize the study of Western history and culture, but we also recognize the importance of non-Western cultures—such as those of China, India, and the Islamic nations—in the 21st century, and therefore we integrate the study of non-Western history and culture into our curriculum as appropriate. Students begin studying ancient history in third grade, then move on through history until they finish Grammar School with modern history in 6th grade. Then the cycle begins again in 7th grade as students study Homer and the ancient Greeks. We emphasize primary texts and the biographies of great figures in history. Most importantly, we recognize that history is “His story”—that is, history witnesses to the sovereignty and providence of God at all times and in all events, and thus “to visit” and “to see” history is really to visit and to see His story.
Latin
In keeping with classical tradition, Sequitur begins Latin instruction in 7th grade as our foreign language. While Latin is not a spoken language in the world today, it has significant value for modern students. First, Latin, the language from which the modern Romance languages are derived, provides a thorough understanding of grammar and practice in translation. This foundation makes the modern languages easier to learn. Second, the logical structure of Latin promotes structured, logical thinking. Third, because many words in English have Latin roots, studying Latin increases students’ vocabulary. And, fourth, the study of Roman history and culture is foundational to an understanding of Western civilization.
Adapted from Providence.