Challenge A at Charlotte - Mallard Creek: July 2014

Stylish Schemes

So you've probably heard of alliteration and parallelism. But what about chiasmus (chiasmi?) and epistrophes?

In the Challenge writing program, the Lost Tools of Writing, there are three steps to writing an essay:
1. Invention
2. Arrangement
3. Elocution

There are two more steps to make up the full 5 Canons of Rhetoric (Memory and Delivery) but we are focusing here on the writing part, the first three steps only.

So the 3rd step is elocution and that is when we get to add our personal style to the essay. Some of the styles we can add to an essay are called schemes and tropes.
Schemes are an appeal to the senses.

National Honor Society: Greek style!

There is a way for homeschooled students to join the National Honor Society. It's called Eta Sigma Alpha National Home School Honor Society. The Greek letters look like this:

HΣA

The Charlotte chapter was established in 2004 and they meet monthly near the campus of UNCC.

20 Tips for Students

So now that your student is entering the Challenge years...how are they going to finish all the work required of them? Here are 20 helpful tips and reminders for everybody to review before the year begins :)

1. Always eat breakfast.
2. Keep your books, pencils, flashcards, supplies all together so you don't waste time looking for things you need once you get started.
3. Avoid the black holes! facebook, pinterest, instagram, twitter, email, video games, internet surfing need to wait until your work for the day is finished.

2014-2015 Geo Bee

Years ago, National Geographic created the National Geo Bee to try to ameliorate the pitiful condition of geography knowledge in the United States. Students were graduating from college without a basic understanding of where countries are located on planet Earth. In 1994, one female graduate, and I'm sure there were others, didn't know the difference between the Midwest and the Middle East.

Challenge Paradigm

Classical Education
Teachers: No more than two tutors model teaching/learning for all six subjects.

Training: Tutors are trained in the classical model of teaching on a yearly basis.

The Challenge Difference

The Challenge program is for students 12 and older. For thirty weeks they study six challenging subjects (or content areas) at home while practicing dialectic and rhetoric skills in the context of universal themes and ideas within a community setting.

What is Challenge A?

Our Challenge program, designed for students twelve years and older, provides the perfect setting for students to expand their command of the classical tools of learning—dialectic and rhetorical skills in particular.

Challenge A tuition for 2015-2016

Registration is closed for 2014-2015.

Registration fee for 2015 is $125 and is due as early as possible to save your spot.

A one-time supply fee is due by the first day of class and it is $50 for the year.

First semester tuition is $637.50 and is due by July 20, 2015. Please mail to Pam Burton, 4736 Kirkgard Trail, Charlotte, 28269.

Second semester tuition is also $637.50 and is due by January 5, 2016.

All checks can be made out to Pam Burton.

Registration forms can be found at a link at the top of the page.

We meet at Crossway Community Church on Prosperity Church Road in Charlotte, NC.
8:30-3:15 on Tuesdays.

Challenge A Location and Contact Info

CC Charlotte - Mallard Creek

Summer Preparations

Starting with the challenge levels, students do have work to finish in the summer to prepare for their fall schedule. Thankfully, the Challenge A summer workload is fairly simple!

time doesn't stand still

One of the most important things I've had to do as a Challenge parent is give my teenage daughter TIME. And it's not only time WITH her, but time FOR her to complete her work.

Why Classical Conversations? Part One

When we first thought about joining a CC community, I had a friend who was already in it for a few years and she had a interesting take on one of the benefits: "It provides just enough structure for our family to make homeschooling work!" I was intrigued at that point and over the years have found her comment to be true.

Moo!

Our class had a lot of fun (some more than others) with the cow eyeball dissection last week. All semester we have been drawing and memorizing the body systems. With only a blank sheet of paper and a pencil, students can draw the digestive system, the ear, the heart, the nervous system, etc. Thank God we didn't have to cover the reproductive system :) they can do that at home with their parents.

skills are more important than subjects

This year I attended a seminar about classical education and I saw again how different it is from contemporary education today. One of the differences is that we focus on teaching skills rather than teaching subjects. We USE subjects like math, writing, English grammar, Latin, science to teach skills that our students will need for life. Here is a breakdown:

my new favorite website

Now that my daughter is so very close to beginning her freshman year of high school, we have been looking at what we need to do as homeschoolers in regards to...the SAT. Yep, you heard that right. So my new favorite website is the collegeboard and we have already registered her account (free to do) and begun working on practice test questions.