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Welcome to A Word in Season language arts instruction for K-12. The keystone of this curriculum is a four-year high school program that provides an orderly approach to developing language arts skills by integrating western history, literature, and writing. A Word in Season moves through the history of ideas from creation to the present time by looking at the literature of seven well-defined time periods studied within the context of the history of western civilization. Students gain an appreciation for the art of writing as well as learning major themes of man's common experience, increasing their thinking skills, and establishing good habits of scholarship. Writing goals are clearly established in each unit to enhance students' development of creative and expository writing ability. Writing skills are introduced sequentially to prepare students for college level writing. The philosophy of education of A Word in Season stresses scholarly skills such as critical thinking and researching by providing direct access to the primary sources of western culture (the classics of western literature). Published on interactive compact discs, A Word in Season language arts curriculum is effective, compact, affordable, and economical. The discs are available as a teacher's edition or a student's edition. A Word in Season curriculum is adaptable. It may be used in ways such as
A Word in Season Advantages for Home Schooling Families One of the main goals of most home schooling parents is to help their students to become proficient in language arts skills: listening, reading, thinking, and responding in an appropriate manner by knowing how to write and speak accurately, clearly, and thoughtfully with grace. A study of the humanities is a means to achieve this goal. Parents require teaching materials that are affordable and that ease the parents’ preparation time without compromising quality. A Word in Season curriculum has been designed to be self-contained and comprehensive, and it answers questions such as the following: What reading material should be assigned for the student? Which books are appropriate for this era? What do they cost? Are they out of print? Where do we go to find the readings and the books? And, when do we find the time to round up the books and readings needed to fill out a curriculum? A Word in Season study units are packaged to meet these needs. Each unit of the high school program includes a detailed week-by-week syllabus with teacher helps that includes historical background, writing assignments, student examples of writing, and much more. The material may be taught in family settings, co-op groups, classroom settings, or it may be used as an individual tutorial curriculum. The study units are published on compact discs and are user friendly. They may be purchased from A Word in Season. With the exception of one or two readings (due to copyright laws), all reading material is included on the compact discs. The units are a vast library of great literature that traces the history of the western roots of present-day culture. A Word in Season Advantages for an Apologetics Curriculum A statement made by Warren C. Young states the importance of students not only being taught their faith but also taught how to address opposition to their faith. He wrote, “Understanding makes the difference between dogmatic opposition and scholarly evaluation.” (His statement may be found in his book A Christian Approach to Philosophy). It is important for studies to know their culture and to know that western culture is a combination of Judeo-Christian beliefs written in the Old and New Testaments and the classical traditions of the Greek and Romans. Hence, A Word in Season curriculum introduces students to the history of ideas and to the various disciplines of humanities so that they may be able to communicate effectively as representatives of Christianity. Throughout the study units of A Word in Season, students chronologically trace the patterns of thought that have been introduced to society throughout the ages. The primary sources that are required reading provide students opportunity to gain understanding of the contrast between secular and Christian views and to begin practicing the formulation of adept responses to the differences. Scripture admonishes Christians to grow up and become mature believers. The way to maturity includes practice in discerning between “both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). The goal is not to stick one’s heads in the sand, but to fight the good fight of faith by standing up for what a Christian believes and knowing how to explain his beliefs so that the contrast between man-made devices and God’s ways is clear. A Word in Season study units furnish an avenue to promote this goal. General Format for A Word in Season Study Units Each week's lesson is divided into three parts: history, literature, and writing. There are assignments for researching historical background, for reading literary selections from primary sources, and for developing formal writing skills in a variety of creative and expositional forms. The combination of these subjects stimulates a student's development of critical thinking skills. The class sessions address each section of the lessons for about one hour apiece. The history discussion time is a time in which the teacher can present helpful background information and a time for students to share their research on the assigned history topic for the week. The literature discussion time provides an opportunity for exchanging ideas that were prompted from the students’ individual reading. This is the time to determine the meaning of the message and to practice debate, evaluation, analysis, and articulation. It is preferable that any teacher involved serve as a facilitator using the Socratic or dialectic method to challenge students with questions and answers about the reading assignments. The writing time allows the teacher opportunity to present various writing skills to the class before assigning the next week's writing assignment. This time also allows for some in-class writing exercises to help students prepare the pre-writing for their new assignment. To see how a weekly study is designed, imagine an example of a lesson on the Civil War. The history portion could be a discussion of the historical significance of the war. The reading selection could be the controversial novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe entitled Uncle Tom's Cabin, and the writing assignment might be an essay on the causes of the war. In preparation for the Civil War lesson, the teacher would explain during the previous week's writing instruction time how to write a five-paragraph college essay. The students would come prepared to discuss the Civil War after having read, researched, and formulated a written response on the war. Unit Overview
How the Syllabus Works To see an example of the layout of a weekly lesson plan, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
