Courses
Senior Course (15 yrs and up), $195, 14 week course - Prerequisite: Foundational Great Books
(Extra Evaluation Version available - see below)
Discover the world beyond political headlines and democratic institutions—the world that forged the path for the systems of government that dominate our international arena today. This course explores the primary thinkers in political philosophy, from Plato and Aristotle to Alexis De Tocqueville and John Locke. By digging into classic texts, we’ll consider the most fundamental questions about the very ideas that underpin the political sphere: What is justice? Is democracy the best form of government? What is just war? and What makes an ideal regime? Using socratic dialogue to engage with some of the greatest minds this world has ever seen, students will hone their critical thought, develop an arsenal of ideas for political critique, and come to understand politics as they have never understood it before.
Intermediate Course (13 yrs and up), $195, 14 week course – No Prerequisite
This course is at the heart of WISDOM’s Socratic Dialogue Program and is a prerequisite to many senior level courses.
What makes a classic? Why read ancient books?
Our current culture has done a marvelous job to simplify life. Countless inventions are doing our work for us at the push of a button, freeing our time to focus on more important things. However, do we find that society at large uses this extra time for meaningful growth? Are popular pursuits typically edifying and challenging? Ironically, although we have ready access to incredible information, our culture is beginning to forget where it has come from.
Senior Course (15 yrs and up), $195, 14 week course – Prerequisite: Foundational Great Books
(Extra Evaluation Version available - see below)
This is a sequel to the Foundational Great Books course. The ultimate aim of this course is for the students to develop a deeper and richer appreciation of our entire Christian/Western culture, as well as our place within that culture - in short to cultivate Classical-Christian literacy. Students will delve into these iconic writings, asking questions such as: Do we know what death is? How do we live a good life? What is the nature of art and beauty? They will witness Plato's famous rendition of Socrates' final conversation, and Aristotle's pivotal treatise on art. They will enjoy the beauty of more deeply understanding man's calling through Aquinas, find parallels to their own life through studying the allegory of Christian's journey in Pilgrim's Progress, and immerse themselves in the beautiful, but agonizing, Russian world of the Brothers Karamozov. These works will make a lasting impact.
Senior Course (14 yrs and up), $195, 14 week course – Prerequisite: One Intermediate Level Course
(Extra Evaluation Version available - see below)
This course explores the writings of C.S. Lewis, one of the most influential Christian writers of the twentieth century. From his fantasies to his moral treatises, Lewis imparts the concept that one has great responsibility to live well, and while shaping one’s own world, one can shape global ethics. The readings include apologetics, philosophical accounts of doctrine, and allegorical interpretations of Christian theology. Students will enjoy discussing the “big questions”, and learn how to apply them to their own lives.
Senior Course (14 yrs and up), $195, 14 week course – Prerequisite: One Intermediate Level Course
Never was there a man more timeless than G.K. Chesterton. His writings span the turn of the century, yet read as applicably to our 21st century culture as to his own era. This course will delight its participants with the craft of excellent storytelling. Chesterton clearly knows that one of the simplest ways to learn is through narrative, not lecture, and one can tell that G.K. also finds this method a delightful way to teach. Students will examine both his fiction and non-fiction works with a special emphasis on Chesterton's refreshing response to modern philosophy.
Senior Course (14 yrs and up), $195, 14 week course – Prerequisite: One Intermediate Level Course
In the Rhetoric, Aristotle states that, “It is absurd to hold that a man should be ashamed of an inability to defend himself with his limbs, but not ashamed of an inability to defend himself with speech and reason; for the use of rational speech is more distinctive of a human being than the use of his limbs.” There is no doubt that Rhetoric has been used in the World’s greatest speeches in order to persuade man to fight and believe in a cause. This class will explore many of the world’s greatest speeches and judge them through the light of Aristotle’s Rhetoric and through their own merits. What makes a speech great, even once the time for action has passed? How does one know when Rhetoric is being used for a good cause?
Intermediate Course (13 yrs and up), $195, 14 week course – No Prerequisite
You may know the stories, yes, but do you know the action-packed progression of Biblical events? Have you any idea who the Philistines really were, or why the Israelites were so afraid of the Assyrians? Beginning with the events in the Garden of Eden students will witness the growth of the Hebrew people as a people cultivated and led by God, with its own heroes and heroines, carving out a place in a land sought after - and fought over - by the entire Ancient world. To better understand the backdrop of Biblical events students will gain an appreciation of the ever changing civilizations of the Fertile Crescent, Egypt, and the Mediterranean.
Senior Course (14 yrs and up), $195, 14 week course – No Prerequisite
(Extra Evaluation Version available - see below)
From the first sparks of Ancient Greece’s splendour to the wonders of the Renaissance, Western culture is a perfect banquet of ideas to engage the mind. Dreams and empires rise and tumble in the centuries’ story of our civilization’s development before the modern era. Students engage with some of the greatest champions and villains the world has known by studying the history of the West, and will increase their understanding of their heritage.
Intermediate Course (13 yrs and up), $195, 14 week course – No Prerequisite
The primary purpose of this course is to give the students a realistic, factual outline of the history of the Second World War, with a particular focus on the series of grand political, moral and strategic decisions made by the major actors. Of particular interest will be series of assumptions and miscalculations leading up to the war, the loss of nerve demonstrated at critical moments by the aggressor nations (Dunkirk, Battle of Britain, Moscow, Leyte Gulf, etc.), the occasionally quixotic risks taken by the initially defensive allies (Greece, the North Atlantic, Coral Sea, Arnhem, etc.), and the colliding intentions of the different allies for the post-war world. Students will be encouraged to construct a series of time-lines of the years 1939-45 for each continental theatre.
Students should be prepared to read an average of 50 pages per week.
Senior Course (14 yrs and up), $195, 14 week course – No Prerequisite
Crowning the world's north shone a vast land, where adventures were not the stuff of stories, but true. This was the land where bold voyageurs battled the elements, former pirates gave up their ways to seek the fabled Northwest Passage, and ancient peoples' legends twined through time to its beginning. This was the land where Black Robes shed their blood to bring faith, where a girl of fourteen commanded a fort garrison, and a curtain of snow allowed a militia of thirty to overcome an army of hundreds. This was the land of romance, daring, secrets, and the quest to triumph over the odds. This was Canada.
Senior Course (14 yrs and up), $195, 14 week course – No Prerequisite
Tacitus said it was “worth a conquest;” Chamberlain called it “the darkest land;” Shakespeare named it a “precious stone set in the silver sea.” Who would have thought a small northern island would be the scene of the one of the most dramatic tales in history - one that would span empires and ages? Students will embark on a journey through the wars, loves, and adventures of England’s history, and Socratically challenge the concepts that wove its rich tapestry. The course will begin with the first century before Christ, when Rome famously “turned its gaze upon Britain,” and continue through to the sweeping changes of the Victorian empire.
Senior Course (14 yrs and up), $195, 14 week course – No Prerequisite
No era has been so darkened and mythologized in the modern eye as the Medieval Age. Shatter the misconceptions about this daring and adventurous epoch by diving into eyewitness accounts to history and rock-solid scholarship! Use Socratic discussion to explore history's most sweeping saga of dauntless martyrs, brilliant scientists and scholars, scheming overlords, and ordinary men and women living through extraordinary times. From the perilous days when barbarian hordes sacked Europe to the age of explorers pushing open the world's boundaries, this course will form students in critical thinking, discussion skills, and knowledge of history.
Beginner Course (10 yrs and up*), $335, 14 week course/class twice weekly - No Prerequisite
*Requirements: Similar to our Parent/Child course parameters, students ages 10 -11 must be accompanied by a parent for the first class in each week. The second class in each week may be taken independently by the student if the parent believes they are capable of responsible class participation. We reserve the right to request that parents accompany any student (regardless of age) in class if the need is perceived.
This course is intended to be either an early start to grammar principles for younger students or a slower-paced approach for older students who would benefit from grammar basics. Younger students will take this course alongside their parents who can support and reinforce the ideas learned during class time. Older students (12+) may take this course independently if capable, but parents are always very welcome to come alongside their student in the course and might be encouraged if the need is perceived.
The course covers basic understanding of grammar as a stepping stone to a more challenging grammar course (such as Foundational Grammar). Each week, students will learn a new part of speech that builds on the material presented in previous weeks. The course will follow a 2 day/wk model: Class 1 will cover the new grammar focus of the week and assign preliminary homework; Class 2 will be a reinforcement class where students will workshop Class 1 ideas with in-class activities and diagramming. Both classes are essential to course mastery, and students are expected to attend all classes. Weekly homework will include grammar chants and a grammar worksheet as well as encouraged activities.
Since this course follows a bi-weekly class model, there will be no individual tutorials. We recommend that students take this course in preparation for our faster-paced Foundational Grammar course.
Intermediate Course (12 yrs and up), $335, 14 week course (includes private tutorial time) – No Prerequisite
This course covers basic grammatical knowledge, with the final end of helping students to write well and avoid improper sentence structure - namely, fragments, run-on sentences, and poor punctuation. Each week, students will learn about a new grammatical concept (parts of speech, mechanics, and usage), always referring back to the previous lessons so that there is a synthesis of all the material.
To ensure that each student understands the course as it progresses, student and tutor will meet privately once a week to review assignments together and clear up any questions the student might have. Each week there is a reading element, a new grammar concept, and a series of exercises and sentence writing components to solidify understanding. A large part of absorbing and understanding grammatical concepts comes from seeing those concepts in action, through reading good literature, and then executing them in one's own writing. Students will read Grammar-Land by M.L. Nesbitt and other pertinent excerpts from literature.
Intermediate Course (12 yrs and up), $335, 14 week course (includes private tutorial time) – Prerequisite: Advanced Grammar Placement Assessment (supplied by the program manager)
[Upon registration, the program manager will send you the placement assessment for completion. If the student struggles with a significant portion of these concepts, we will advise taking Foundational Grammar first or completing additional grammar study in their home program.]
This course is a bridge between Foundational Grammar and Intro to High School Writing, for students who are familiar with grammar basics but not quite ready for high school essays. It focuses on the more complex rules of grammar, covering clauses, phrases, and sentence structure and includes an introduction to the world of paragraph writing. Students will develop strong writing basics that will help them when they enter the high school stage of composition. This course does build upon the concepts of WISDOM's Foundational Grammar course, but it is not essential that Foundational Grammar is taken first if students already have a sufficient grasp of the basic parts of speech and their usage.
Intermediate Course (13 yrs and up), $335, 14 week course– Prerequisite: Intro to High School Writing
(If an interested student can demonstrate sufficient writing ability at a high school level, they can contact Nicole Noster, nicole@wisdomhomeschooling.com, for a possible exemption from the prerequisite.)
This high school level writing course endeavours to give students the ability to use their imaginations in expressing themselves through story, and to cultivate their writing abilities through studying the basics of story composition. Students will learn to brainstorm ideas, create characters, develop plot, write description and dialogue, proofread and edit, and "show, not tell." To assist with this thought and process development, students will read selections from classic literature and discuss them each week. At the culmination of the course, students will have written a short story (10-15 pages), with different elements being covered in each week's assignment. This course includes a weekly private tutorial time.
Intermediate Course (13 yrs and up), $335, 14 week course– Prerequisite: sufficient experience in English grammar to understand proper sentence structure and grammatical concepts (parts of speech, mechanics, and usage). Samples may be requested.
In this high school level writing course, students will read pertinent selections from classic literature and discuss one each week in conjunction with receiving instruction in a particular writing focus. They will submit a related writing assignment to their tutor weekly to learn and practice the fundamentals and techniques of good writing. This course includes private tutorial time. Students must have high-school level grasp of formal grammar and sentence structure, and a strong commitment to this course.
Senior Course (14 yrs and up), $335, 14 week course – Prerequisite: Intro to High School Writing
(If an interested student can demonstrate sufficient writing ability at a high school level, they can contact Nicole Noster, nicole@wisdomhomeschooling.com, for a possible exemption from the prerequisite.)
This course is a sequel to the prerequisite courses. Like Intro to High School Writing and Mastering the Essay, it is a practical course designed to help the students improve their writing skills by expanding their writing experience through a diverse collection of styles. Students will delve deeper into specific writing genres, such as critique, allegory, persuasion, and tragedy, and continue to hone their writing abilities in preparation for any post-secondary choices. In this high school level writing course, the writing study will be enriched by pertinent selections for discussion from classic literature. This course includes a weekly private tutorial time in addition to the weekly assignment.
Senior Course (14 yrs and up), $335, 14 week course – Prerequisite: Intro to High School Writing
(If an interested student can demonstrate sufficient writing ability at a high school level, they can contact Nicole Noster, nicole@wisdomhomeschooling.com, for a possible exemption from the prerequisite.)
(Extra Evaluation Version available - see below)
Sharpen the sword of your thought and make it clear, strategic, and effective! Writing an essay is so much more than cover pages and footnotes – it's the process of bringing truth to life in ink on the page! This hands-on course demystifies the essay-writing process, walking students through the mechanics of writing argumentative, research, personal, and literary essays in a practical way. Students complete a writing assignment every week and study stellar examples of great writing to inspire their own work. They meet in class with other students to discuss the writing process, and receive a short private tutorial time weekly with the tutor. This is WISDOM's most challenging writing course, and students will gain valuable writing skills if they are strongly committed to the process of their study.
Senior Course (14 yrs and up), $335, 14 week course – Prerequisite: Mastering the Essay
(If an interested student can demonstrate sufficient writing ability at an advanced high school level, he can contact Nicole Noster, nicole@wisdomhomeschooling.com, for a possible exemption from the prerequisite.)
Hone your ability to read and understand great works of literature! This class will take the mystery out of formal literary analysis and give students the skills they need for upper level and collegiate literature classes. We will study different kinds of fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction and master the technical vocabulary and skills necessary to discuss and write about literature in an academic setting. Students will complete a pre-reading assignment to discuss during each class and complete a follow-up writing assignment, including several long essays. They will also be able to discuss the writing assignments each week with the tutor in a private fifteen-minute tutorial. While this course is not specifically directed to the Alberta diploma exam, students will find that the course content will provide them with skills and experience to poise them for success in the exam. This is a challenging, upper-level course aimed towards future academic study—and a life-long love of reading!
This course is fairly time intensive, so students and parents should plan accordingly for their schedule throughout the term. Students should expect to spend approximately 6-8 hours each week on homework.