In 10 days the next installment of the Chronicles of Narnia movies, Prince Caspian, will be showing in theaters. Surely millions of young people who have not read the books will be introduced to C.S. Lewis’ classic tale through film. We certainly hope that this popularization generates more interest in Lewis’ books. At Logos School Materials we’ve been experiencing a jump in the popularity of our Reading Comprehension Guides for Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, particularly Prince Caspian. If you haven’t had a chance to sample these reading comprehension guides be sure to view our PDF sample of Prince Caspian reading comprehension guide.

Here is sample from Logos School’s Introductory Logic Curriculum DVD. In this video sample Jim Nance is providing examples of enthymemes.

Visit our logic blog for more discussion about teaching logic, and to interact with teacher and author, James Nance. Also consider Mr. Nance’s new online logic tutorial. In the fall of 2008, students will work through Introductory Logic, 4th edition by James B. Nance and Douglas Wilson. Topics include 1) Terms and Definition, 2) Statements and their Relationships, 3) Syllogisms and Validity, 4) Arguments in Normal English, and 5) Informal Fallacies. In the spring of 2009, students will work through Intermediate Logic, 2nd edition by James B. Nance. Topics include 1) Propositional Logic and Truth Tables, 2) Formal Proof of Validity, 3) Introduction to Digital Logic, and 4) Truth Trees.

By Gregory D. Wilbur
Originally published in Classis by the Association of Classical and Christian Schools.

Secular educators approach the study of the Arts with the desire of developing a wellrounded student. The study of the Arts does much more than to provide “enrichment” in education, and its relevance is not as simple to relate as recent television advertisements suggest. Johnny will not necessarily give better business presentations because he was a second grade vegetable in a Four Food Groups school play. Instruction in the arts has long been a part of education from the time of the Quadrivium to the present. What exactly is this component of education and why is it important?

Because of overuse and misuse of terms, the meaning of the word “art” must be clarified. The study of the Arts (capital “A”) includes visual art (painting, sculpture, photography, film), aural arts (music), kinetic arts (dance, drama) and written arts (poetry, literature). All of these areas can be studied academically or in a studio setting. Academic study includes the history of the Art and appreciation of the Art. Studio study includes the specific elements of the Arts and the basic and advanced skills needed in order to participate in the Arts.

Generally, Art can be divided into three categories: High Art; folk art; and pop art. High Art tends to be skillful, intellectual, requires much study to master, and sustains repeated viewing, hearing, or sight (the art of Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Monet; the music of Bach, Beethoven; the drama of Shakespeare; the movie Citizen Kane ). Folk art consists of skills and/or aural art that is passed down from one generation to another (quilts, folk songs and ballads, legends, arts and crafts). Pop art tends to be clever, concept oriented instead of crafted, comparatively shallow, and does not sustain repeated exposure (the art of Andy Warhol; the pop music of Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks, R.E.M.; disposable fiction that is issued only in paperback; the movie Independence Day). Popular art has a relatively short history of only 150 years or so. All of these areas have merit of one kind or another, and they also have differing criteria for study or appreciation. This discussion concerns itself with High Art because it has the most to teach students because of its depth, long lineage of  history and ability to sustain repeated study.

The studio study of the Arts or the skills to actually participate in the Arts is closely akin to the principles of the trivium. The trivium consists of grammar, logic, and rhetoric, and forms the basis for classical education. With regard to playing the piano, for example, the grammar element is learning to read music and learning basic finger skills. The logic phase is learning to play pieces of music as they are written on the page. The rhetorical component of playing the piano is reached when the student can translate what is written on the page and apply a personal element of musicality and expression to their performance. The composition of music shares the grammar phase of reading music, but the logic stage is learning the works of others and the forms and techniques of writing, and the actual composition of a piece of music lies within the realm of rhetoric. The trivium applies in the same manner to visual art. Grammar is learning brush strokes and how to work in the mediums of oils or watercolors. Logic is using those basic skills to construct exercises in shape and perspective. Rhetoric is the ability to create a two-dimensional scene through color that can convey action and/or emotion.

There are two essential reasons that the academic study of the Arts is important. The first is that the study of the Arts forms one of the foundations in the study of history. The Arts do not occur in a vacuum. They are a product of wars, times of leisure, philosophy, various royal courts, nationalities, and artists interacting with the people and political climate of their times. Cultural history contains the visual, aural, written, and sensory legacy left from those who have gone before and the embodiment of their thoughts and ideas. The manifestation of ideas in Art forms the other reason academic study is important.

This second reason for the academic study of the Arts needs to be prefaced with the understanding that all of the Arts are linked and are comprised of corresponding movements and periods and are philosophy driven; therefore, the Arts are the embodiment or incarnation of philosophical thought. This means that Art not only conveys the ideas of a philosophy, but also the ideals of a philosophy. Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged and Friedrich Nietzche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra are examples of art overtly expressing the idea of a philosophy. The music of Arnold Schoenberg and George Crumb convey the philosophies of modernism and minimalism respectively by utilizing the principles expressed in the philosophies as a governing force in the creation of their music. Jackson Pollock’s paintings are the visual conclusion of the idea of a random universe. Art can be a useful tool as a readily accessible embodiment of a philosophy. Listening to a musical work of Steve Reich that repeats a limited number of notes for fifteen minutes will reinforce the philosophy of minimalism by making the abstract philosophy quite concrete. With all this in mind, what does Scripture have to say about the Arts? Quite a lot. Scripture contains examples of poetry, vocal and instrumental music, allegory, sculpture, wood-working, embroidery, architecture and abstract and representational art. The fact that God is a creator and that man is made in His image suggests that man is innately creative and that creativity is part of subduing the earth (i.e. mastery over colors, sounds, movement, etc.). Scripture records a specific example of Godgiven creativity in the person of Bezalel in Exodus 31:1-5. “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: ‘See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship’” (italics added). Psalms 33:1-3 enjoins God’s people to play and sing before God with original compositions and with skill. “Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful. Praise the LORD with the harp; Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.” Clearly creativity and the Arts are sanctioned and encouraged and are a definite divine
calling (i.e. vocation) for some.

An education which includes the Arts does help to form a well-rounded individual; however, there are much more compelling reasons to teach art, music, drama, creative writing, etc. Understanding Art, philosophy and how Art reflects philosophy will enable a greater comprehension of present-day life and culture as well as the past. Understanding the criteria for evaluating the elements which comprise good Art will access realms of Godgiven creativity for study and appreciation. Teaching a child the needed skills to create in a specific medium will afford the Opportunity to reflect God’s creativity. These higher aims
have a greater value than merely offering a vague enrichment.

Gregory D. Wilbur is a classically trained composer and a teacher at Franklin Classical School in
Franklin, Tennessee, where he teaches Music and Drama, and Art History and Appreciation.

Check out oura 50 page sample of the brand new edition of Introductory Logic by Jim Nance and Douglas Wilson.

Designed for 8th-grade and up, the lessons in this text cover definitions, logical statements, fallacies, syllogisms, and many other elements. This course is a thorough introduction and serves as both a self-contained course and a preparatory course for more advanced studies.

Logic is the art of reasoning well—of learning to think God’s thoughts after Him. In this book, directed toward junior-high students, Douglas Wilson and James Nance lay the proper foundation of reasoning in the truth of God, and go on to train students in the crucial skills of defining terms, recognizing basic types of statements, arguing with syllogisms, arguing in ordinary language, and identifying informal fallacies.

This text, together with Intermediate Logic by James Nance, provides students with a rigorous course in logic that will help them excel in every other subject they will study, from math and science to rhetoric and the humanities. Extensively revised and updated, with additional review questions and exercises for each unit, this book is an essential part of every Christian school or home school curriculum.

James B. Nance has taught at Logos School since 1990, where he currently teaches logic, rhetoric, calculus, physics, and Christian doctrine. He is also the author of Intermediate Logic for Christian and Home Schools. James and his wife Giselle have four children, all of whom attend or have graduated from Logos School.

Douglas Wilson holds an M.A. in philosophy and is pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, board member of Logos School, and editor of Credenda/Agenda magazine. He is the author of several books on classical Christian education, including Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning, Repairing the Ruins: The Classical and Christian Challenge to Education (editor), The Paideia of God and Other Essays on Education, and The Case for Classical Christian Education. He and his wife Nancy have three children and nine grandchildren.
Published by Canon Press in Moscow, Idaho.

Also, visit our new Logic weblog at www.logosschoollogiccurriculum.com.

Latin Primer Interactive Computer Flash Cards
Price/ea: $20.00

Latin Primer Interactive Computer Flash Cards for use with our Latin Primer series. We’ve teamed Transparent Language, makers of the free Before You Know It flash card software, to bring you our next generation of Latin flash cards. We’ve created word lists for each week and combined that with audio pronunciation of each word. Your student will learn the vocabulary by both seeing and hearing the words and recalling the translation in their head as well as having the option to type out both the Latin and English answers. This method is very effective and progress is clearly tracked with each word list having a ranking telling you where your student is in the learning process. Your student will have fun learning Latin vocabulary and you can easily track their progress. Flash cards are available for each of the Latin Primers and will come to you on a CD.

You can visit Before You Know It (www.byki.com) to download and test their software.

Customers who have purchased our hefty paper flash cards in the past can upgrade to these new flash cards at 50% off! So, your total price would be $10 + $4 postage and handling. Call in your order on our toll-free number: 866-562-2174. This special upgrade price is not available through our web site shopping cart.

Latin Primer I
Latin Primer II
Latin Primer III