Classicus begins daily with a foundation in theology. Whether recognized or not, theology is the core of all education and the backbone of a classical education. Somewhere along the way it was left out. Classicus makes it a core subject to be studied just like science, history or math. A.W. Tozer said, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." In addition to studying and thinking about God, Classicus also prepares students to speak in the defense of the faith, rather than merely know what is true.

Founded in Theology... Theology/Apologetics: Classicus uses apologetics - the rational defense of the Christian faith – as the primary method of studying the Bible. Each week, students prepare, discuss, research and answer some of the most important questions about God and man, while also studying select theological books. The Theology pillar is built around the Stoa apologetics topics. Classicus guides integrate the Stoa topics, covering all 84 over the course of 7th-10th grade. The guides provide thought questions, research questions, scripture references and outside sources for gathering information on each topic. If the student is in a community, they share information in community on each topic, discuss in small groups, collaborate on ideas, and a few students practice presenting the topic each week. The students that compete will also prepare the card for their competition box in community based on the collaborative discussion. Beginning in 11th grade, Mars Hill and worldview philosophy are introduced, with students examining literature, art and music from the Stoa Mars Hill topics against the backdrop of a Biblical worldview. Theology/apologetics is the core of the Classicus program because as Christians we should "always [be] ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15) Supported by Logic... Debate: Debate begins with Team Policy in 7th-8th grade and moves into all three resolutions of Lincoln Douglas debate as the focus of 9th-12th grade. Classicus guides provide debate cases, including editable versions for students in the member resources. More importantly, Classicus provides debate theory, outside resources, and research & thought questions based on the five common topics of invention. Parliamentary debate is integrated in the community beginning in 9th grade. Parliamentary debate is a limited preparation debate that is used as a means for study and dialogue to examine various topics within the other pillars. The ultimate goal of debate is using reason, logic and sound argumentation in a winsome manner, but also doing it "with gentleness and respect" (the second part of 1 Peter 3:15). Leading to confidence in rhetoric... Speech: From 7th-12th grade, prepared speech categories are integrated into the curriculum with preparation schedules, tips and accountability. Students are encouraged to select a topic of their choosing for their speech, but streamlining suggestions are provided for integration into their studies. 7th-8th grade incorporates a platform speech (OO, Expos or Persuasive), but can be switched out for an interpretive speech based on the interests of the student. 9th-10th grade suggests persuasive speech based on persuasive essay writing, but leaves it open to the students to add any speech category. The 11th grade study of Shakespeare leads to an end-of-the-year Shakespeare play. Weekly drama practice in class encourages to perform an interpretive speech to accompany the drama credit. 12th grade suggests students use the Summus II thesis as a persuasive speech, alongside any other speech events the student might want to tackle before graduation. Impromptu speech is practiced regularly in community beginning in 7th grade as a means of studying various pillar topics, as is Parliamentary debate, beginning in 9th grade. Students will gain a mastery of rhetorical skills through the Stoa competition categories without additional rhetorical assignments that are outside of what fits into competition. At the culmination of a Classicus education, students will be able to speak winsomely with logos, pathos and ethos and an emphasis on doing so with "gentleness and respect". Community Integration: Community provides the opportunity for accountability and practice, for "iron sharpens iron." If students are in a community, they will practice their speeches and work in small groups to receive feedback. Debate and rhetorical skills are also learned, discussed and practiced in community. Leader guides provide games, drills, activities, and additional resources. Limited prep events are practiced in-community through impromptu speaking (beginning in middle school) and parliamentary debate (beginning in 9th-10th grade) as a means for topic discussions and study in several pillars, alongside Socratic discussion and various other methods of studying the material. If you are in a speech and debate club, you already know the value a club provides to improving rhetorical skills. Consider making your Stoa club into a Classicus community.

Classicus Curriculum is designed to be completed in four days of at-home study by the student, with a fifth day reserved for in-community discussion and review. Community day is often living proof that “as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Community provides students accountability, practice, and discussion, as well as an avenue for science labs, projects, games, testing and evaluation. They also motivate students to want to learn. However, many families are successfully using Classicus without an established community. There are three reasons families might not use Classicus in a community: a community might be unavailable in their area, they might be in a season of life where having a community simply doesn’t work, or their family is its own community (if you own a 15-passenger van, you know :) We highly encourage families to join a local community or start their own. While we hope you will find or start a local community, it is not necessary in order to successfully use Classicus Curriculum. If you need resources on starting a community visit our "Community Resources" page.

Because Classicus is a new start-up, the majority of communities are located in the state of Washington. If there is no community in your area, we encourage you to start a community. If you are a member of the Stoa family, encourage your speech and debate club to utilize the Classicus Curriculum. Stoa clubs and homeschool communities combining, streamline your education. Resources are available to begin your own community on the "Community Resources" page. We hope you will consider starting a community in your area to provide other families the opportunity to put Christ back at the center of their education.

There is no one way to start a Classicus community, which is why Classicus Curriculum is designed for flexibility. Your community may be as small as just two families or as big as fifty. Classes may be parent-led and tuition-free, or leader-led and tuition-based. Leaders can lead an entire class, or split the pillars up between multiple parents. Classicus Curriculum gives you the freedom to create a community based upon your own needs. If you want some ideas on how to structure a community, check out our "Community Resources" page. We have also seen many families begin communities within their local Stoa clubs, streamlining their club activities with their community day. If you are in a club, consider bringing in other members of your club to start a community. Likely everything that you do at club you will also do in a Classicus community. Additionally, the reason Classicus is divided into two patterns is to allow parents the option of combining two grades into one, thus doubling the normal class size for smaller classes. For instance, if you have a student in 7th grade and one in 8th, you could choose to put them both in Medius A. The following year, the 8th grade student would move up to Summus I, and the other student would do Medius B. Any student who was in 6th grade could move straight up into Medius B. We designed Classicus so that the order of each pattern provides flexibility and options. Medius is designed for 12-14 years, although older students will absolutely benefit. Summus 1 is designed for 14-16 years, although older students would definitely be challenged. Summus II is designed for students ages 16-18. We highly recommend students be at least 12 years of age to begin a Classicus education.

True to a Classical education, we believe that the most important aspect of education is not the regurgitation of facts in order to pass an exam. The pursuit of a classical education is teaching students to use critical thinking to ask good questions, find good answers, and be able to share that knowledge with others. However, it is also important that students have some accountability to show their work to their peers and parents. There are multiple ways that Classicus provides accountability. First, Classicus guides are designed to be consumable, with students writing down their answers to thought questions in most pillars of study. Students are expected to fill out their answers and share them in class each week. The consumability of the guide is also an easy way for parents to ensure their students are actually writing down answers and interacting with the texts they are reading. Second, the Week-At-A-Glance sheet at the beginning of each week has a preview of the work for that week, with boxes that students can check off. This is also a quick resource for parents to see what has been completed. Third, there is a gradebook in the back of the guide where parents can mark and grade the assignments that have been completed by the students throughout the year. Fourth, some pillars such as science and logic use curricula that have built-in tests for students that communities or parents may choose to utilize. Finally, the community day each week is specifically designed to offer students the chance to practice and share what they have learned, pondered, and prepared.

Ronald Reagan remarked in his Farewell Address, “All great change in America begins at the dinner table.” In his remarks, the former president was latching onto a truth that originates in the Bible: that the duty of parents is to train up their children in the way they should go. One important way of doing this is by discussing life’s most important questions, which is what Dinner Discussions are designed to do. The Dinner Discussions in the Classicus guide are questions made to facilitate conversation around the dinner table, with students writing down notes from the conversation in their guides. They allow parents the opening to give their own insights into what their student is learning, facilitate thought-provoking family discussion, provide accountability, and enhance in-community discussions. Parents have consistently remarked on how much they enjoy using Dinner Discussions around the family table, and how formative they are for their children’s education. Dinner Discussions may be a part of any pillar of study, though most are related to the Bible. In grades 7-10, there are typically several dinner discussions per week. By grades 11-12, students are expected to do more on-their-own study, and already be in the habit of seeking wise counsel. For this reason, they are not a part of the Summus II guides.

According to polls, a majority of people are afraid of speaking in public. Some polls show that many fear public speaking even more than death. Yikes! Yet, communication is vital to life – from job interviews, to conversations with friends, to the daily confidence in being able to share your thoughts. More importantly, the Bible tells us it is a part of our calling as believers. God created speech when he spoke the universe into existence. In John 1, it says that “the Word” became flesh in the person of Christ. After Jesus was resurrected, he appeared to his disciples, instructing them to go forth into all the nations, preaching the good news and making disciples. Peter instructs us to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” If Christians are to follow this command, it will require that they practice getting over the fear of public speaking. Afterall, life is a series of decisions to triumph over the things that petrify us. Growth cannot happen without stretching. If your student is shy, there is NO GREATER GIFT YOU CAN GIVE THEM THAN THE GIFT OF A VOICE. The ability to speak confidently in front of others is one of the most vital life skills a child can learn. At some point, they just have to jump in. In Classicus, students begin with merely sharing their answers to thought questions in class, then move on to delivering casual presentations. Eventually, students will learn to deliver memorized and unmemorized speeches, debate well, and defend their deeply-held beliefs. The lives of many children have been changed by parents who forced them to speak in front of others, even when they didn’t want to. They will thank you later. Hundreds have.

After many years of classical education, we have discovered that students all learn math at different paces, for different reasons, and with different math curricula. Because Classicus is designed for communities, we have learned that forcing one curriculum into the guide is simply too inflexible for most parents. Additionally, we have also found from years of experience that math is not a good use of community time, as there is rarely much to discuss. To accommodate this, we have not put a particular math curriculum into the guide. Instead we have placed check boxes in the Week-At-A-Glance portion of each week for students to write down what lessons they have done in math, both as a reminder to do their lessons, and as a source of accountability. The lack of math in the guide does not mean that we do not value it. We believe math is a fundamental aspect of a good education. But because each child learns at a different pace and families prefer different math curricula, we have chosen to leave this decision to the parents of each child. Below are a few suggestions: Families have used curricula such as: Teaching Textbooks Shormann Math Saxon Math Math You See Math Mammoth (7th-8th grade) Apologia Math-based Physics (post Algebra II for Summus II) Saxon Math-based Physics (post Algebra II for Summus II)

As of now, Classicus is designed to specifically match the apologetics topics and debate resolutions of Stoa speech and debate. In the future, we plan on expanding our curriculum for NCFCA competitors as well.

While we don’t currently offer transcripts, there are suggested rubrics for grading and a gradebook is provided in the back of each guide, making transcript building easy. For additional help on building a high school transcript, here are few helpful resources: The Homeschool Mom The Home Scholar Fast Transcripts