German: Goethe Institute 

Spanish: Instituto Cervantes

French:  Alliance Francaise 

Well-Trained Mind Academy

Beth Gibbons – singing Penderecki/Gorecki Symphony #3

ANNOUNCEMENT: We will record a Q&A episode at the end of this season. If you have questions for Susan or Susanna, send them to [email protected].

• (00:00) - Intro with Elizabeth Weber-Edwards

Show notes: 

• What is History? How andWhy Should I Teach It by Susan Wise Bauer 
• Why Learn History When it’s Already on Your Phone? By Sam Wineburg 
  • Sam Wineburg for CBS 
  • Research on middle schoolers ability to interpret information on the internet
  • A helpful introduction to teaching historical thinking skills
• Resources for Teaching History: 
  • The Big History Project (skills taught: contextualization, sourcing, causation, comparison, continuity & change over time, close reading) 
  • Digital Inquiry Group (formerly Stanford History Education Group or SHEG). This organization offers free lesson plans and assessment ideas that emphasize historical thinking skills, perfect for logic stage students. The “Lunchroom I” and “Lunchroom II” lesson plans are a fun introduction to historical thinking skills. 
  • A great introduction to history for rhetoric stage students: Telling the Truth About History 
• Reading Lists for Hard History 
  • American Indians in Children’s Literature Web Page by Debbie Reese 
  • Heritage Mom Recommendations for Black History
  • Annotated Reading list for Grammar Stage: Picture Books About Slavery and Freedom via Heritage Mom
  • Annotated Reading list for Logic Stage: Age-Appropriate Books about the Holocaust via School Library Journal (you know your student, some of these may be too heavy for younger logic stage students). 
  • Another reading list with both grammar stage and logic stage titles on enslavement: Children’s Books about Slavery and Enslavement via Pragmatic Mom

• (00:00) - Intro

Summary: In this episode, Susan and Susanna discuss their thoughts on teaching children’s literature, particularly older books that have problematic or insensitive content. 

Show Notes: 

Articles We Reference: 

• Are some children’s classics unsuitable for kids? The Guardian
• American Indians in Children’s Literature Web Page by Debbie Reese 
• Ted Talk: The Danger of a Single Story
• Booklists and Resources for Finding Windows and Mirrors: 
  • https://www.storiesofcolor.com/
  • https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/
  • Heritage Mom Recommendations for Black History

• (00:00) - Intro

Summary: In this episode, Susan and Susanna are joined by Julie Bogart, the founder of the Brave Writer program. Susan and Julie compare their different approaches to teaching writing and discuss which approach might work best for different types of students. 

Show Notes: 

• Writing With Ease 
• Brave Writer 

Julie Bogart’s Books: 

• The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning and Life
• Raising Critical Thinkers 

• (00:00) - Intro with Julie Bogart of Brave Writer

In this episode, Susan and Susanna discuss Susan’s classical approach to teaching writing across all three stages of a classical education. Apologies, Susanna’s audio was a bit messed up in this episode! 

Show Notes: 

• The Current State of Writing Instruction
• Susan’s Youtube video on teaching writing: Teaching Writing, Stage by Stage
• A Plan for Teaching Writing: Grades K-12, Audio Workshop
• The Complete Writer (Our recommended writing program by Susan)

Check out The Well-Trained Mind Essential Edition or head to our website to subscribe to the new recommendations portal. 

In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett discuss creating a positive learning environment for young children, before formal education begins. 

Our Top Recommendations for Preschool Curricula: 

1. Preschool Math at Home by Kate Snow 
2. The Toddler Busy Book by Trish Kuffner 
3. Complete Daily Curriculum for Early Childhood by Pam Schiller and Patt Phipps

• (00:00) - Intro

• The Marshmallow Experiment

Timecodes:

• (00:00) - Intro

Show notes: 

• Rethinking School by Susan Wise Bauer 
• How to Homeschool the Kids You Have – the book Courtney co-authored 
• Courtney’s Podcast: Modern Classical Education Podcast (name recently changed to Kitchen Table Homeschool Podcast) 
• The Well-Trained Mind Forums 

Study mentioned in the Episode: 

• The Baseball Study (1988) 
• Summary of The Baseball Study

Further Reading: 

• WWE and students with Dyslexia/Dysgraphia
• Sentence diagramming with dysgraphia

Timestamps

Summary: In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett chat with Keith Nix, the Head of School for Veritas School in Richmond, VA. They discuss the differences between classical education in a home school setting versus a school setting as well as the challenges of making classical education accessible to all students. 

Show notes: 

• Veritas School Website 

Potential Questions to Ask Before Enrolling in a Classical School: 

1. How do you adapt for students who come in at different levels or are on different developmental paths? What are your strategies? 
2. How do you ensure that students are known by their teachers and by your administrators? 
3. Can we talk to a family or two who were new here last year? 
4. How can I afford this school? What is your financial model? 
5. How often can kids go outside? Do teachers have power to create breaks? (particularly for younger children)
6. What is the philosophy of discipline? 
7. What is the emphasis on athletics? 
8. How much attention are you giving to the arts? What are your aspirations for the future? 
9. What are your faculty attrition rates? 
10. What are your student attrition rates? 
11. How does the governance of the school function? How does the board of the school relate to the head of school? 
12. Who is on the board? How many are related to the founder? 
13. What is your philosophy around grading? 

Timestamps:

• (00:00) - Intro