The course is divided into four parts to correspond to the four academic quarters of the school year. The course may be completed in one year, following the text exactly, or over two years taking a slower pace. Each unit focuses on a particular mode of writing:
Each of the nine weeks in the unit focuses on one particular grammar concept and one sample of writing. The lesson directions are addressed to the student and any additional explanatory notes, if needed, are included in the answer key. In each week, the lessons are set up on a four-day schedule that follows the same basic format.
Day 1
The day is divided into two parts: initial response to the literature or painting and grammar study.
First, a piece of literature, a poem, or a painting is introduced. The student reads and contemplates the piece and then writes his initial reaction to the piece. This writing exercise will mostly consist of the student's thoughts about how the piece makes him feel, but questions listed at the bottom of each piece encourage deeper thought about it. You will want to encourage your student to write comments right in the text, highlight interesting parts, or jot questions in the margin. For this purpose, permission is granted to photocopy the selections for family use. If you do not have access to a photocopy service, you may purchase a copy of the Consumable Supplement (see Consumable Supplement section below).
A grammar concept is then defined, followed by a few exercises. Answers should be written in a notebook that has been set aside for this purpose.
Day 2
The day is divided into two parts: guided response and grammar study.
The guided response questions or activities require the student to think more deeply about the literature piece or painting. Some of these questions may be answered orally in a discussion format. In some cases the student will be asked to retell the story, which will require that the student sift through the information and focus on the essential elements of the story. This process will help the student develop strong critical reading comprehension skills. Given the age level of the student involved, you may want to alternate between written and oral narrations, or perhaps the student could retell it to you, and then write it.
Then the student will complete further exercises related to the week's grammar concept, or another aspect of the concept will be defined and practiced.
Day 3
This day is divided into two or three parts: writing, grammar study, and occasionally further guided response to the literature.
Our goal on this day has been to integrate the grammar concept with the week's literature selection. The other focus of this day is the introduction of the writing assignment for the week. Sometimes only the prewriting is completed on this day and sometimes a first draft is completed. This is the day that the student may need the most input from the teacher as he chooses a topic and attempts to understand the mode of writing which is being studied. Be sure to read over the student directions to familiarize yourself with the assignment. (See the Writing section of this introduction for more information about teaching writing.)
Day 4
This day is divided into two parts: writing and assessment of the grammar concept.
For most weeks, the student will only complete a first draft of the writing assignment and file it in a Drafts Folder. At the end of the Unit, the student will review all drafts in the folder; then he will choose one draft that he will then revise and finalize. However, in some cases, the writing process is completed all in one week. (Please see the Writing section of this introduction for an explanation of the writing process.)
Day 4 also includes a few grammar exercises to help you assess the student's understanding of the week's grammar concept. These exercises often use real literature and poetry. These exercises provide ongoing review of grammar concepts studied in previous weeks as well.
For Thinking and Conversation To add variety, we have included a few "For Thinking and Conversation" quotes throughout the text. Each of these brief selections is Catholic in nature and pertains to the week's topic. You may wish to discuss these quotes, asking the student to explain their significance to our daily lives and summarize how they relate to the weekly themes. Suggestions for guiding the discussion are given in the answer key.
Day 5
We have not included assignments for Day 5. Your student can use this day to recite poetry, illustrate the literature pieces, extend the ideas of the writing, or continue working on the writing assignments. Or you may decide that Day 5 is a day off!