VIOLA - ages 10 to 13
Story - World
The area of Story is now characterized by the term World, as our children's world expands to include more challenging literature selections, a deeper understanding of history, and learning how the actions of one nation have impacted others. It is still a time to pour into the study of nature, but toward the end of the VIOLA stage, to begin more advanced science study. They also begin to make connections between topics such as science and history, biography and geography. It is a time to introduce current events, but from a classical perspective, also a time to delve more into the cultures and histories of ancient Greece and Rome.
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Skills - Expanding
The area of Skill during these years is now termed Expanding. Academic skills are focused on the Trivium (grammar, including Latin) and the quadrivium (Arithmetic and Geometry), as well as early composition skills (classically, this would mean learning the steps of the progymnasmata, a series of writing exercises taught prior to the study of rhetoric). It continues and expands on physical training, fine arts, and manual skills, as well as habits of self-discipline and self-control in areas of diet and sleep.
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Spirit - Explanation & Exegesis
For upper elementary students and middle school students, the area of Spirit is marked by Explanation & Exegesis as we help them develop their ability to study and understand the Bible for themselves and solidify their personal habits of Bible study, reading, prayer, giving, and serving.
Exegesis is a word of Greek origin that refers to a critical explanation of a text. Here, it involves studying the Scriptures to see what they say rather than imposing our own ideas onto the text. The VIOLA years are the time when our children need to learn how to study the Scriptures themselves, through inductive study methods and by using tools that are available to them. If you are so inclined, it is a great time for them to begin learning Greek, the language of the New Testament, if for no other reason than to make those study tools less intimidating for the future (and with its different alphabet, kids love to master it, like a secret code!). This is also a time of beginning to see that the Christian faith is reasonable and can be defended through apologetics, although the deeper study of this will wait a few more years. It is a time to build their understanding of theology, of how the Bible speaks to today's issues, and of modern and historical apologists who defended the faith with grace, wit, and wisdom. It is a time to use their gifts and skills to serve others, both in the church and outside it, and to continue to grow in healthy Christian habits and disciplines. Most of all, it is a time to encourage them to pursue the Lord themselves, and not to think they can just coast on their parents' faith. |