Academics
“God is no fonder of intellectual slackers than of any other slackers. If you are thinking of becoming a Christian, I warn you, you are embarking on something which is going to take the whole of you, brains and all. But, fortunately, it works the other way round. Anyone who is honestly trying to be a Christian will soon find his intelligence being sharpened: one of the reasons why it needs no special education to be a Christian is that Christianity is an education itself.”
—C. S. Lewis
The Trivium
Kingdom Preparatory Academy is organized using the model of the trivium. "Trivium" is derived from Latin and literally means "three ways." The trivium describes the three language arts (grammar, logic, and rhetoric) that are part of the classic liberal arts. Following Dorothy Sayers's lead from "The Lost Tools of Learning," classical schools have typically named grades pre-k to 5th as the School of Grammar, grades 6th to 8th as the School of Logic, and grades 9th to 12th as the School of Rhetoric. Each school places a unique emphasis on learning practices that for centuries have been effective at educating students in these different stages of development.
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Grammar |
The science of correct language (Pre-K to 5th grades) |
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This stage focuses on the fundamental facts and rules of a subject along with discovering and ordering basic information on a subject. Because young students’ minds function like sponges with the ability to soak up a great deal of information, there is much emphasis on exposure to facts in this stage of learning. Teaching methods such as singing, chanting, and recitation are utilized when presenting facts, appealing to children in this age range. Hands-on projects and manipulatives are also utilized in the grammar stage to provide greater opportunity for discovery. |
| Logic | The science of right thinking (6th to 8th grades) |
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The logic stage builds upon the grammar stage by going beyond basic information (who, what, when, where) to seeking to answer the “why” of a subject. During adolescence, a student’s capacity for abstract thought grows tremendously. They naturally tend to question information at this time in their development; therefore, students in this stage are taught to analyze, reason, question, evaluate, and critique in order to gain understanding. Logic, the art of reasoning and arguing correctly, is also taught during the logic stage. |
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| Rhetoric | The science of expression (9th to 12th grades) |
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After obtaining core knowledge in the grammar stage and learning to question and evaluate the core knowledge in the logic stage, students then learn how to express and apply knowledge in the rhetoric stage. Debate, apologetics, speech, writing, and drama are emphasized at this time in order to help students become more effective communicators. |
