A Classical Curriculum has been successfully utilized by the Catholic Church throughout the ages because a Classical Curriculum is essentially a true Catholic Education through its perfection, it has the same end goal as the Catholic Faith, and that is to lead one to God.

What is a Classical Curriculum?

This classical pattern is called the Trivium, and it is broken up into 3 stages: Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric.

Brief Description of Trivium Stages

Stage 1 : Grammar Stage, which includes repetition and memorization. At this stage, young children are naturally inquisitive. They are both willing and able to memorize and recite a lot of material. (History, Timelines, Languages, Math Facts)

Stage 2 : Logic / Dialectic Stage. At this stage, students learn to think through arguments; they begin to apply logic to all subjects. In other words, children are taught how things relate to each other, and they learn about cause and effect; they learn how to reason. At this stage, an emphasis upon writing takes place. Examples: In the logic of writing, students will learn paragraph construction and how to support a thesis. The logic of reading involves criticism and analysis of texts, not merely the absorption of information.

Stage 3 : Rhetoric Stage This is the stage in which the student learns how to communicate effectively. At this stage, the student applies the rules of logic they have learned in the Logic / Dialectic Stage in order to express themselves clearly. This is also the phase where the student learns how to write and speak with force and originality, so this stage teaches the student how to express his / her thoughts through speech, essays, or in groups.