Name: Thrive! NCHE Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-05-22T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-24T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Tagged: Apologetics, Logic, Reformed, rhetoric, Worldview

This topic has 12 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 9 months ago by swelb21.

Viewing 13 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)

Author
Posts
August 3, 2017 at 3:51 pm
ShellyB
Participant
Hello, All!
I am very new here, but not new to homeschooling, and am considering switching to SCM.
I don’t see anything in the SCM curriculum upper level guides about Logic, Rhetoric, or Worldview/Apologetics studies. Are they included? If so, what perspectives do they come from? If not, do any of you use supplemental materials in order to fit these in? How do you do that without overwhelming the children?
Is anyone here coming from a Reformed Covenantal (as in PCA, not Reformed Baptist) interpretation of the Scriptures? If so, how does SCM fit into that?
For background, I have a rising Junior, Sophomore, 6th grader, and a toddler. We have homeschooled using the classical method (mostly Veritas Press, Classical Academic Press, and Classical Conversations for high school) up until this point. Our children are mostly very independent learners, but I feel we have been neglecting building up our relationships in recent years. Add to this the fact that our family is in the middle of transition (my husband is a pastor and is seeking a new pastoral call, so there’s a good chance we will be moving in the middle of the school year), and we feel it is important to focus on relationships. I just have concerns about possibly missing out on Logic and Worldview training in particular if we were to make the switch to SCM. But otherwise, I am VERY encouraged about what SCM has to offer!
Any encouragement or help you all can give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
August 4, 2017 at 7:08 am
jeaninpa
Participant
I come from a Reformed background and I think you’ll find SCM a good fit for your family.
August 4, 2017 at 3:59 pm
jlcs
Participant
wondering about incorporating these too–anyone have thoughts on this?
August 6, 2017 at 6:40 pm
Sonya Shafer
Moderator
Hi, everyone. Just got back from the conference in Kentucky and thought I’d hop on and add a thought or two to this question.
Usually Logic, Worldview, and Apologetics are not taught as separate subjects in a Charlotte Mason approach. They are addressed in a more integrated manner through the books that are read, the narrations that are required and how they are worded, and the discussions that stem off of those books and narrations.
In the SCM Curriculum, a couple of books assigned to grades 10–12 in the Modern Times study do touch more directly on Worldview: How Shall We Then Live by Francis Schaeffer and 7 Men Who Rule the World from the Grave by Dave Breese. And the foundation for Apologetics is laid through the multi-year Discovering Doctrine project.
And, of course, you are welcome to add other resources in those areas as desired. I hope this information helps a bit!
August 7, 2017 at 2:53 pm
ShellyB
Participant
That’s helpful. Thank you!
July 19, 2018 at 3:26 pm
swelb21
Participant
ShellyB, wow, we are in such a similar position as you were last year! My husband is also in transition as a Reformed Baptist pastor, and we too are wanting to be sure to include rhetoric, etc. but foster relationship during this limbo stage. What did you end up doing last year, and did it work for you?
Sonya, if you see this, I know some curriculums give specific questions to ask for the rhetoric, etc. “stages” according to classical thinking. All our SCM history curriculum is packed up in boxes currently. Can you remind me if the older years have specific questions integrated throughout? Or how does one foster that intelligently? I am not good at coming up with that on my own, nor do I feel qualified on many of the more difficult subjects/philosophies/worldviews…
July 19, 2018 at 11:19 pm
Rachel White
Participant
Teaching the Classics has a specifically designed Socratic Worldview seminar available. In the book, it has lists of questions. The updated version is called Worldview Detective
Cathy Duffy’s Review
In addition to my copy of TtC Worldview seminar, we are using Traditional Logic I and II, Material Logic and Classical Rhetoric. Also, throwing in some Peter Kreeft and C.S. Lewis for Philosophy and more Logic, Jewish thinkers/philosphers in history, and The Universe Next Door: A basic Worldview Catalog

July 20, 2018 at 8:05 am
retrofam
Participant
For logic we add The Thinking Toolbox and The Fallacy Detective. For rhetoric, a book called Speaking the Truth in Love, written by a Christian.
My oldest loved apologetics, so he did books from Christian Liberty and maybe a BJU one.
This year we will use Choosing My Religion DVD and study guide from R.C Sproul, along with SCM materials.
July 20, 2018 at 8:07 am
retrofam
Participant
Daniel Berger wrote Speaking the Truth in Love.
I refer to Teaching the Classics for oral questions to ask.

July 20, 2018 at 10:21 am
swelb21
Participant
Thanks so much! These all look like amazing resources!
I was trying to figure out how to tie it in with the history we would already be doing through SCM… looks like you add it in as another subject. Interesting! I looooove R.C. (cried like a baby this past December), so I will have to look into that, thank you.
And I will look into the others as well, thank you!!
July 20, 2018 at 11:43 am
Rachel White
Participant
If you look at Ambleside Online, they have Worldview as a category in addition to Theology, and Logic.
Though, their Logic category is very weak. They seem to choose books that promote critical thinking about reading, which is fine, but that’s not logic.
The Thinking Toolbox and the two other Bluedorn brothers’ books are not high school level materials.
Classical Academic Press’ logic materials are: Art of Argument; Discovery of Deduction (though, this is only half of Formal Logic); Argument Builder (a pre-Rhetoric bk); Rhetoric Alive! Bk. 1; Rhetoric Alive! Senior Thesis.
Also, the Memoria Press selections I mentioned above are also high school level.
Another is Nance and Wilson’s Introductory Logic and Intermediate Logic; the former is traditional, linguistic logic; latter is modern, symbolic logic.
I recommend checking out the high school selections under these categories. Several of the authors come from the Reformed tradition, I think.
July 20, 2018 at 3:18 pm
Sonya Shafer
Moderator
The Narration Notecards will give you those advanced-level narration prompts/questions for high schoolers tied into the history books. The third level prompts will encourage them to think things through, state their opinions, and defend those opinions.
July 20, 2018 at 3:46 pm
swelb21
Participant
Ooh, so many helpful suggestions, everyone! Thank you!
Sonya, those narration notecards are awesome, thank you for bringing those to my attention! When will ones for the earlier modules be available:):);)