December 1, 2024: The specific course information below is updated for the spring semester beginning February 2025.
See Schedule and Tuition for Spring, 2025 here.
I have designed these classes to build a solid foundation for your student, using the delightful building blocks of story, rhyme, and song that underlie so much of our language and culture
Nursery rhymes and folk songs contain so many of the basic elements from which our very culture and its language and arts are built. These short-and-fun works of art have traditionally been a big part of the way that children learn the basics of speech and of singing.
Meanwhile, traditional stories (literary critic Northrop Frye considered Bible stories, fairy tales, fables, myths, and legends, as ‘building blocks’) set children up to be able to read and connect with the ‘good literature’ they encounter in their upper years of school, and on to the ‘great literature’ of their adult years. These ‘building blocks’ make regular use of image and metaphor (which devices have been used in every human culture in history) and give the student some great practice in thinking and seeing in these abstract ways. Add to that the casual telling back (narrating) of the stories (in Level II), and the young mind has just the work it needs to flourish as a thinker and communicator.
Children are naturally ready for these things at a young age, and thrive when they are given access to such material in the right kind of atmosphere. These courses are designed to provide that atmosphere, whether they’re beginning at age 4 or getting started later. Because I believe these stories, rhymes, and songs should be a part of every family culture, I encourage parents to come to Levels I and II themselves if they feel a little rusty and would like some examples of how they might use these at home with their children. If your family’s not already enjoying such material extensively at home, think of these classes as a primer to get you started!
Story, Rhyme, & Song I (ages 4-6)
THIS CLASS IS CANCELLED FOR SPRING 2025
This class focuses on nursery rhymes, folk songs, and story reading—which will include Bible stories, fairy tales, fables, myths, and legends.
Most of the rhymes and songs are designed to be memorable, and with repetition and the fun of the rhythm and word play, I’ve no doubt they will become memorized and enjoyed for years to come. There will also be some introductory instruction in phonics (letter sounds, consonant-vowel-consonant words), as well as beginning Solfège, which is a system of naming musical tones that helps musicians gain some understanding of how the tones relate to one another (Do-Re-Mi).
One parent is invited to sit in with the student, though this is not required.
Story, Rhyme, & Song II (ages 5-8)Spring 2025
This class will continue with the elements of Story, Rhyme, & Song I, while adding student narration of the stories read to the class. The students will simply be telling back, in their own words, the story that has just been read. You may consider this oral narration as it’s used in a Charlotte Mason education, as well as practice in story-telling. The stories will be age-appropriate (a level above the younger class). Lessons in Solfège will continue at this level.
One parent is invited to sit in with the student, though this is not required.
[Please note that for spring, 2025 this class covers elements of both SRS levels. Early phonics instruction and nursery rhymes for the younger children and poetry and oral narration for the older children will be included.]
Growing in the Literary Tradition (ages 9 and up)
This level shifts the focus away from Song and onto Story and Poetry. The students will be lead through classic works of fiction, written in the literary tradition that precedes our modern era, learning to read them metaphorically, based on universal story forms and patterns, images and metaphors that have connected humans from ancient times to the middle ages, only lost in our modern era.
Spring, 2025 I am offering two separate courses in this category:
*(Ages 9 -12) Stevenson’s Kidnapped; shorter works TBA
*(Ages 12- Adult) Austen’s Pride and Prejudice; Eliot’s Silas Marner
Students who have taken the Fairy Tale class (see below), as well as those who have previously taken GLT classes, will have an edge up on this metaphorical way of reading, but we will do our best to bring others up to speed by reading some shorter works (most likely a fairy tale and a myth) in the first week, demonstrating this traditional approach to story, noting standard story patterns, shapes, and images.
How to Read a Fairy Tale: A Primer for Reading Metaphorically (ages 10 to adult)
This class is not currently scheduled for Spring, 2025, but can be worked into the schedule if an appreciable number of people express interest.
Over the 13 weeks we will identify the fairy-tale patterns, story shapes, and various motifs and images. My own experience has been that I find these elements in all stories, and it has enhanced my ability to read all stories in this literary tradition. Links will be provided for the various tales that we will be reading. Students will pre-read, and then be ready for the lesson and the walk through the story each week.
REGISTRATION
To register, please fill out the Form at this link.
If you’d like to discuss it further, feel free to contact me here.
