School Days: Memoria Press - Traditional Logic 1

What was the reason that your family decided to home school? I have no doubt that, if you were to ask a dozen families that question, you might get a dozen different answers. I would guess that a fair number of families would include in their answer, that they want an educational experience that goes beyond "cookie cutter" curriculum. They might say, as my husband and I would, that they want their children to learn Truth. Additionally, they, and we, would say that we want our children to learn the art of critical thinking. Should you happen to be a family that agrees with that last sentence, then read on, because I have a wonderful course to share with you.

Memoria Press is one of my absolute favorite curriculum sources. We received the Traditional Logic I Complete Set for 7-12 grades to review. As with another resource from this company, when I discovered that we would be receiving this set, I immediately purchased a second textbook, workbook, and quizzes/tests book so that I could use this with both my 7th and 8th grade daughters. This set includes:

- Textbook
- Workbook
- Book of Quizzes and Tests
- Teacher Answer Key
- Instructional DVD

I'll admit that between the three of us, I was more excited about starting Traditional Logic I than my daughters were. I am a self diagnosed curriculum geek, for sure. I didn't worry about it though, and Memoria Press didn't let me down either, because in the Introduction itself, the author acknowledges through the text that some students might find the subject of Logic boring, ha! See the photo below:

That paragraph definitely loosened up the girls' attitudes! One of the things that I love about Memoria Press, is that while their curriculum is rich and beautifully put together, it also speaks to the general nature of kids, and appreciates the fact that they may not always flock towards a given subject. After that note in the text about finding Logic boring, it carried out that thought for a few more points, lol.
That example caught the attention of my daughters, and changed their opinion of the subject of Logic, and in the surprised words of my 14 year old, "You know, I actually don't mind doing this work now. It's kind of funny."

As with other subjects taught by this company, the textbook for this course begins with a note to the teacher. Don't skip this! I always read these, and find them so very helpful in gaining an understanding of the course. This course teaches Traditional Logic. Students will learn about classical syllogism. The material is presented from a Christian worldview, and is meant to help students "train their minds to respect truth" (from the Note to the Teacher, pg.vi). I could go off on a number of tangents just from the Note to the Teacher alone, because it resonates with me so deeply. It is repeated a few times, to the teacher as well as the students, that the material will likely be confusing for a while, but to hang in there, because it will slowly be broken down into manageable bites, and it will begin to make sense. To borrow the idea once again from the teacher's note, see this excerpt in the photo below:

This set has been set for 7th-12th graders. I used this with my 7th and 8th grade daughters, which is obviously the younger side of the spectrum, and the high school grades are the most ideal targeted age. This is a one semester course, and may be completed even sooner than that. The first 3 chapters can feel very overwhelming, but it's important to hang in there, because as I said, they do circle back around and go over it again. The course is broken down into 3 main groups, with various sub groups under each. The general headings are:

-Simple Apprehension
- Judgment (Proposition)
-Deductive Inference (Syllogism)

The material is deep, and often confusing, lol. That's not a bad thing, as I'm finding this course very good at teaching what it aims to do- teach one to think. Fortunately, the lessons are short. We've been working through this 5 days a week, with lessons taking about a half hour, more or less, depending on the day. We begin with the text. Usually, I read that part of it aloud, and then we move on to the workbook. We also work through that together. I'm sure that my girls could work through this part independently, but as they are on the younger side of the age range, and the fact that the material is loaded with information, I read the questions aloud, and the girls take turns answering the questions and filling in their workbooks. It's been working well, and actually a favorite part of our school day.

The DVD, I can't forget the DVD. We watch the DVD lesson after reading and working through a lesson's workbook material. It seems to work better for us that way. We fill in any gaps that were missed while reading, and then we don't worry about finding the page that the speaker is talking about. This video could be updated regarding some of the cultural references, but on the whole, the graphics are helpful, the speaker knowledgeable, and we have no issues.

What else to say, hmm...well, LOVE! I'm planning ahead for our next school year, and Traditional Logic II is on the schedule. You'll find a link for that course, and others, below. Think about adding Memoria Press to your home school. Visit their website for more information.