Introduction to the CCA Curriculum
The curriculum at CCA has been developed over an 11 year period of research, review, implementation, and adjustment. The CCA Curriculum Guide represents our sustained attempt to implement the classical Trivium (with the paradigm subjects of grammar, logic, and rhetoric) in 21st century Pennsylvania. Our Curriculum Guide contains descriptions of every course taught at the academy. Sample course descriptions are available for viewing below in the form of downloadable PDF files. The Curriculum Guide consists of three major parts -- the Grammar School, Dialectic School, and the Rhetoric School. The Guide (or parts of it) is available for purchase through Classical Academic Press.
The Trivium Chart
Classical pedagogy is based on the insight that children are best taught in ways appropriate to their development. Young children who love to sing and memorize easily are best taught making generous use of songs, chants, jingles, and rhymes. Children in this stage are ripe for the learning of language and grammar--the first subject in the Trivium. Children in early adolescence are ready to argue and debate and are best taught using a socratic method involving argument, discussion, and analysis. It is at this stage that students study logic--the second subject in the Trivium. Older students of high school age who are developing an interest in self-expression are well-served by an approach that trains them to speak and write persuasively, building on all they have learned earlier. At this stage students study rhetoric--the third subject in the Trivium. The three subjects of grammar, logic, and rhetoric also correspond to three stages of education and development, often called the grammar stage, logic or dialectic stage, and the rhetoric stage. We also call each division of our school by these names: the Grammar School (K-6), the Dialectic School (7-9), and the Rhetoric School (10-12).
We have published a Trivium Chart based on the content of Doug Wilson's Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning that will be useful to anyone seeking to understand the three subjects and stages of the Trivium. It is available below as a Microsoft Word file. For a comprehensive introduction to classical education, visit our page by that name.
The Trivium Chart (Microsoft Word)
Scope and Sequence Charts
We have also created charts which lay out the Scope and Sequence of our Curriculum--one chart for the Grammar School (the primary curriculum) and one for the Dialectic and Rhetoric Schools (secondary school curriculum).
Click a link below to view a curriculum chart as a Microsoft Word file.
Primary School Curriculum Chart
Secondary School Curriculum Chart
The CCA Reading Guide and Booklist
The Curriculum Committee has also published a pamphlet, entitled A Reader's Guide: A Reading List and Plan for Classical Students and Parents, that lists all the books that students will or can read while at CCA. This pamphlet is the result of years of research, teaching, and revision, in which we have sought to create a superlative reading list of the very best books for students. The books in the list are arranged by subject, grade, and reading level. We recommend that each parent procure a copy to track the reading their students are doing and to use as a guide for choosing great literature to read as independent reading during the school year and during the summer. Adults, too, will want to read through many of the classic titles included in the pamphlet.
The pamphlet is available to CCA parents free of charge at the CCA office.
Others interested in obtaining this pamphlet can purchase one from the CCA office or order one online at Classical Academic Press.