The "Who-What-How-What"      

 

by Courtney Sanford

 

It looks like the name of a Dr. Seuss character, but in my house the "Who-What-How-What" refers to literary analysis. Do not tell the kids, though, that would take the fun out of it.    

It is a series of questions that helps us talk, think, and write about literature. You can use it as a discussion guide after reading a picture book aloud with young children, to help an older student organize a paper, or to study the Bible together.

 

The first question is, "WHO is the story about?" Talk about each character, who they are, and what they are like. Where did they live and in what time period? You can eventually tell your children these are called 'characterization' and 'setting.'

 

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My children and I have been in Classical Conversations since the fall of 2005. At that time, my three children were ages six, four, and one. Now, after all of these years, I finally have a student in Challenge A. During our first semester, we learned quite a few lessons, mostly regarding organization and study habits.
 
I knew that this year would be a transition, so we began practicing last year when my son was eleven.  During that year, we cultivated a greater level of independence with his Essentials writing assignments.  In addition, we completed a Latin program, so that he could build his Latin vocabulary and get a solid grounding in the five noun cases and the six verb tenses.

 

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In March, Leigh Bortins will host the second annual Toward the Quadrivium event. In a classical, Christian education, students first pursued the three skills of the Trivium-grammar, logic, and rhetoric.  After completing these studies, students progressed to the Quadrivium to tackle arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy.  

 

For the past several years, Leigh and Classical Conversations have worked diligently to recover the skills of the Trivium. Now, we are also turning our attention to the Quadrivium in order to recover an understanding of mathematics and the sciences as Christian pursuits. At this year's event, Leigh will be joined by Mitch Stokes and James Nickel, both professors and authors of Christian works on science and mathematics. 

 

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 Toward the Quadrivium

   

In the past 15 years, Classical Conversations has worked hard to understand the skills associated with the Trivium (grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric).  However, the Trivium is only the beginning of a classical education.  After students master the Trivium, they should progress to the Quadrivium, the pursuit of science, mathematics, and music.   Beginning in 2011, Classical Conversations has launched an annual one-day conference to help parents and educators examine the Quadrivium. 

 

Please join us this year in Cincinnati, OH on March 10 for this exciting event!  Speakers include James Nickel, author of Mathematics:  Is God Silent?, Mitch Stokes, author of biographies on Newton and Galileo, and Leigh Bortins, author of The Core: Teaching Your Child the Foundations of a Classical Education.

 

Visit our event website for more details.