Documents & Resources
This page is for lists of documents or other specific resources that don't fit well into the other categories. Some will be linked to my Google Drive account, and may be documents that I have created. Others will be links to specific web pages which have helpful resources. Don't get overwhelmed by the content here! These are just samples of things that other people have found to be helpful! Not everything will be helpful to every family, and in many cases several links are gives for the same problem/question. Glean anything useful, and disregard the rest!!
Planners
Please note that I have not used all of these planners, and some have much more organization than I would consider necessary. Have a look, and use what fits your family style!
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Half A Hundred Acre Wood - Brandy Ferrell has been doing CC for a long time and has a passion for providing help to families! Her website is a clearing house for all things CC! Don't worry, she doesn't do it all! Her planner pages may be helpful! I use them :-)
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Home Grown Learners - lots of CC content here with an emphasis on simplicity! Link to Cycle 1 info.
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Homeschool Story - she has a Parent Planner and a Student Planner. Download for $15.
CC Documents
These documents were produced by CC and are informational about our programs. You may have seen these in an info packet or info meeting, Practicum or other CC event.
The following documents are specific to Cycle 1. Please note that all documents must be used in conjunction with our Foundations Guide. Any information listed here is only a reference to the guide.
CC Resources
These resources are required to participate in Classical Conversations:
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Foundations Guide (1 per family, non consumable)
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Tin Whistle (1 per child & 1 for mom)
See a community day in action!
The following resources are produced by Classical Conversations and are VERY HELPFUL BUT NOT REQUIRED!! Many of these are the same type of resource, featuring the same information, but are in different formats to suit your family preferences. Please speak with your Tutor or Director concerning which of these are best for your family and which ages of children!!
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CC Connected "C3" - Basic subscription is free, access to downloadable CC content (both produced by CC and created by other families) available for $6/month. You must be registered with a Director to have access to paid subscription. Nearly all of the following resources are available with the paid subscription! See your Director for more information!
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Timeline Cards - Set 1, Set 2, Set 3, Set 4 (each set covers 6 weeks of our Timeline, all 4 sets used every year of Foundations, these do NOT rotate with the cycles)
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Cycle-Specific Review Cards - All the information from a particular cycle printed on front/back of business-sized-cards. Helpful for review games and on-the-go learning. 1 set for each cycle. Also available as a download.
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Cycle 1 Audio CD - Provides audio review for all information covered in Cycle 1. Some set to music, others simply spoken.
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Cycle 1 Geography Trivium Table - Convenient, foldable, laminated, dre-erasable maps for studying geography at home. Highly recommended!
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iPad/Phone App - Cycle 1 app for independent review. Available for Mac devices only. Similar review available online with paid C3 subscription.
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Science Cards - 4 sets (corresponding to the cycles + famous scientists) to provide more in-depth knowledge about our science sentences and historical figures. Formatted the same as Timeline cards.
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Fine Arts Cards - Additional information to supplement our Fine Arts lessons. Covers famous artists & composers covered in Cycle 1.
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CC Testing - Information about having state Testing done through Classical Conversations.
CC Parent Reading
The following books are published by Classical Conversations, with the goal of educating parents on the Classical Model, and teaching you HOW to teach your children. Considered fundamental reading!
Grammar, Dialectic & Rhetoric
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The Question - Teaching Your Child The Essentials Of Classical Education. Explains how to transition from simple memorization to application and understanding with your 10-14 year old.
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The Conversation - Teaching Your Child The Conversations of Classical Education. Takes the 12+ student from comprehention through mastery and ownership of the their own education.
Classical Conversations
& The Classical Model
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Classical Education Made Approachable - The fundamentals of Home-Centered Classical Education, what makes it different from public or private education, and even private Christian Schools. This is much of the basic content you will find at our Practicums. A very good primer for understanding our ideology.
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Echo In Celebration - A call to home-centered education. Similar to the book above, but without quite as much content. available as a free download, or in book form.
What does this Dad think of CC?
Classical Conversations Programs
The audio files listed here are from Leigh Bortins, the founder of Classical Conversations. In them, Leigh explains each of our 3 programs, how they work on our community days, and how you can use them at home. These short interviews should give you a great starting place for understanding the classical model, and how you can use Classical Conversations to help you give your child the best education!
Saxon Math
There have been a lot of changes within the Saxon program since John Saxon wrote it in 1981. There are many versions of the various textbooks, and after Harcourt Mifflin bought it in 2004, the "Saxon Standards" began to change, and many homeschoolers are of the opinion that the series no longer deserves to be called "Saxon", since it has changed so much from the original. Here I am posting a thread of information that I saved from a fellow CC mom, which she posted onto Facebook, Summer 2015. She has spent much time and energy researching the various Saxon books, when the changes occurred, and how each change affected the series. I hope that these articles can help you to make an educated decision about Saxon math as you researchit for your children! Thank you Melody Martin in Mississippi for all of your hard work!
Melody Martin's Personal Evaluation of the Saxon Series
Original 5/4 - 8/7 Scope and Sequence
Original Secondary Math Scope and Sequence
Original Middle Grades Placement Tests
HARCOURT Middle Grades Placement Test
Original Upper Grades Placement Tests
Original Algebra 1 Placement Test
Original Algebra 2 Placement Test
Excerpts from a booklet written by John Saxon in 2010
I still choose Saxon math for our kids, although I may be looking for older texts! Here is a link to my YouTube page with more infomation on Saxon!
August 2015 Update:
I ran across this company - Shormann Math - today who have created a Christ-centered highschool math program, using John Saxon's true spiral method, and integrated God and Calculus into lower levels, rather than waiting until the student is older.