Courses Offered, 2025–2026
Below is the list of courses that will be taught in the 2025–2026 academic year. Courses rotate from year to year; for a complete list, consult course list page. Note that the texts studied in the last four high school courses are relatively at the same reading level and have no grade equivalent. In most of the courses, grammar, writing and poetics are integrated in the program; however, in the upper high school grades, grammar is taught as a separate subject. Look for the hyperlinks that will take you to the detailed objectives of the course and the assignment page. All courses are $90.00 per month, except where indicated.
If there is one general weakness in today’s educational method it is the lack of continuity and drilling in foundational skills. Many students have a good beginning, but it is continual practice that makes perfect. “B is for Bears” is a course intended to drill pupils in those skills learned in “A is for Apple.” The class encourages good handwriting habits and bolsters phonics and reading skills. The course, however, introduces a lot of new material, such as important grammar concepts that will help students in their dictation and writing work. The curriculum also exposes students to a wealth of good history, poetry and literature intended for their level. “B is for Bears” is an excellent course to prepare students for the more rigorous reading and writing assignments. Suggested class for second graders.View the detailed course description and the assignment page by clicking on the hyperlinks.
C is for Cottage in the Country
This course is especially designed to improve students’ skills in and knowledge about literary works and terms, writing, poetics and grammar. The course includes literature (prose and poetry) and history passages with reading comprehension exercises; writing instruction on specific essay formats with models of imitation; phonics exercises; instruction in poetics, such as scansion, meter, rhyme and stress patterns (with exercises); and grammar and usage instruction with exercises. Those students who took “B is for Bear” this past year progress to "C is for Cottage in the Country," although the course is not a prerequisite. This class is especially recommended for third graders, although older students may benefit from its challenging content. You may view the assignment page here.
This is a foundational literature course that introduces younger students (grades 4 to 7) to a wide variety of classic authors and types of works. The literature has been chosen to improve reading comprehension, increase word knowledge, and allow students to explore the intricacies of man’s moral life and character in a way suitable to their level of understanding. The course also instruct students in poetry and poetics (with memorization) and grammar (with diagramming). The grammar material of the course, however, will be taught online to allow more time in class to discuss the reading and poetics and is free to all of those who enroll (see below). Those students who took “D is for Dandelion” this past year progress to "Vice and Virtue," although the course is not a prerequisite. You may read view the assignment page here.
English Literature and History
In this course students study English history in depth and read literature that corresponds to the time period studied. Those students who took the course “Foundations in Literature and History” this past year progress to this course, although the course is not a prerequisite. This course actually is comprised of two separate subjects: a literature class which involves an in-depth survey of English literature, especially suited for a targeted age group, and a history of England from the Briton to Victorian Periods. The literature class will be offered in person, while the history class will be offered online on Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. This class is especially recommended for seventh graders, although younger and older students may benefit from its challenging content. You may view the assignment page here.
Classic Works of Imagination, Symbol and Allegory
In this course, students will get an opportunity to see the development of the popular fantasy and science fiction genres, with which our modern culture has a fascination. We will be looking at the works from a literary as well as historical perspective. Those students who took “The Personal Narrative” progress to "Classic Works," although the course is not a prerequisite. This class is especially recommended for eighth graders, although younger and older students may benefit from its challenging content. You may view the assignment page here.
The first part of this course will be a study of English and American drama. The course will involve looking at the antecedents of English and American drama, studying the biographies of the playwrights, and learning the ideas and names of the various literary periods. Students will also study genres related to drama, such as the dramatic monologues of Browning. Authors include William Shakespeare, Robert Browning, Thornton Wilder, Oscar Wilde, Anton Chekhov, George Bernard Shaw, William Cowper, Christopher Marlowe and others. The second part of the course will be a study of writing, and in particular speech writing. Students will begin by reading essays, analyzing their theme, word choice, structure, and technique, and then applying what they learn to their own essays. Students will then move on to a study of oratory by examining a wide variety of famous speeches, from the war orations of the Greeks to modern day political rhetoric. Students will learn a large vocabulary of rhetorical techniques (antimetabole, epistrophe, epizeuxis, hyperbole, scesis onomaton, etc.) recognize the techniques in the speeches that they read, and apply them to their own writing. Students will have an opportunity to learn not only by reading historic speeches but also by listening and watching audio and video recordings. The course is open to high school students. View the assignment page and access the detailed course description by clicking on the hyperlinks.
Online High School Grammar
In his autobiography, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Winston Churchill mentioned that it was his English teacher that gave him a keen sense of the structure of the English language by making him parse a sentence through diagramming. This course will be taught with the same purpose in mind. Churchill writes: “Mr. Somervell—a most delightful man, to whom my debt is great—was charged with the duty of teaching the stupidest boys the most disregarded thing—namely, to write mere English [as opposed to Latin]. He knew how to do it. He taught it as no one else has ever taught it. Not only did we learn English parsing thoroughly, but we also practiced continually English analysis. Mr. Somervell had a system of his own. He took a fairly long sentence and broke it up into its components by means of black, red, blue, and green inks. Subject, verb, object: relative clauses, conditional clauses, conjunctive and disjunctive clauses! Each had its color and its bracket. It was a kind of drill. We did it almost daily. As I remained in the Third Form three times as long as anyone else, I had three times as much of it. I learned it thoroughly. Thus I got into my bones the essential structure of the ordinary British sentence—which is a noble thing.”
Every year grammar should be taught as part of a late middle school and high school education. In addition to learning the fine points of parsing a sentence (I will assume the role of Mr. Somervell), students will study punctuation and usage and learn to identify and correct usage errors, such as misplaced or squinting modifiers, pronoun reference errors, faulty correlative conjunctions, faulty comparisons, split infinitives, subject-verb agreement problems, incorrect tense forms, subject errors, faulty idioms, mistakes using the subjunctive mood, diction, double negatives, faulty verb, adjective and adverb forms, case, parallel structure, introductory verbal phrases, fragments, run-ons, passive voice sentences, etc. At the end of the year, students will be drilled in finding grammatical and writing errors in preparation for the SAT. Course is offered online on Wednesdays at 3:30.
Other Courses, including the Classical Languages
Online Greek I
Learning Greek will improve a student’s word knowledge in English, as so many, many English words are derived from Greek, including common words, such as genesis, panther, bible, astronomy, epistle, gymnastics, crisis, and graphic. In the first verse alone of the first epistle of John, verse 1 of chapter 1, there are seven words that are directly related to English. In talking about the flood in his second epistle, Saint Peter uses the Greek κατακλύζω, from which we get the word cataclysm (any great violent destruction). By studying Greek, students will will acquire a higher level vocabulary by encountering words in our reading, such as ἣμερα (hemera), from which we get the word ephemeral, and μίασμα, from which we get the word miasma. Students will begin by learning the Greek alphabet and the sounds of the letters—an education in itself! Students will then progress by acquiring vocabulary and knowledge of Greek grammar that will allow them to translate simple sentences in a matter of weeks. By the end of the course, students should be able to read the first letter of John.
Although students will focus on the language of Ancient Greece, including vocabulary development, translation and grammar, they will learn interesting facts about Ancient Greece along the way, including its history, culture and philosophy. Students do not need to purchase any books. The class is open to all those students 9th–12th grade, preferably those who have had exposure to English grammar. All material will be provided to the student by the teacher. In March, students will take the Level 1 National Greek Exam.
Greek I will be taught on Thursday afternoons, 1:30–2:30. The class is free to students taking a literature course on Friday.
Online Latin I
In this Latin I course, students will learn introductory Latin grammar, including 1st-3rd noun declensions, 1st-4th verb conjugations, indicative tenses, and indirect speech. This will enable students to read adapted Latin texts and form the foundation for a future study of Latin. The students will also encounter Latin literature, history, and myth through their translation exercises. At the end of the year, students will take the National Latin Exam. The course will be presented online on Thursdays 9:30-10:30 EST. Instructor: Benjamin Walter. A graduate of Oxford in the Classics, Mr. Walter has taught Latin at the high school level for about five years. Cost: $90.00/month.
Texts:
Wheelock's Latin (purchase here)
Fabulae Graecae Text (handout provided)
Online Grammar for Vice and Virtue Students
Over the years grammar unfortunately has taken a back seat to other subjects in the classroom, or (to mix my metaphors) has been jettisoned altogether. Some self-proclaimed authorities in teaching English go as far as to say that studying grammar is a complete waste of time and does in no way help students in their writing. There are only two reasons that I can give, as far as I see, to explain such an absurd, counterintuitive claim. Either these authorities do not know what grammar is, or they have never had the stamina or interest to teach it as it should be taught to see results. One cannot half-heartedly slip in some instruction on nouns and verbs in the middle of the year and expect students' writing to miraculously improve. Grammar needs to be systematically taught—the way that Winston Churchill was taught by Mr. Somervell at Harrow (see Online High School Grammar, above). Besides the very practical aspects of learning conventions—or how to use commas, apostrophes, etc. correctly—, a thorough and proper study of grammar involves giving students a certain artistic awareness of language that is akin to the awareness of color and form that the study of painting and drawing can give to art students. My goal in this course is to give a systematic presentation of the material and to complete much if not all of the work in class, so that there is a minimal amount of independent work. Offered on Thursdays, 2:30–3:30, the class is free and open to any student taking the Vice and Virtue course.
Online Copperplate and Spencerian Calligraphy
In this class we will cover the fundamental techniques behind copperplate calligraphy, spencerian script, ornamental penmanship and italic calligraphy. In the beginning of the course I will give a brief overview of the history of penmanship looking at western, middle eastern, and far eastern calligraphy. This course will not only teach calligraphy as an art but also present practical skills that can be implemented in day-to-day life. By studying the calligraphic masters of the past, working on exercises, writing out poems and cards, and completing the final project, students will gain all the technical skills they need to create beautiful pieces of art. By the end of the course students should not only have a good grasp of pointed pen and italic calligraphy, but also see a marked improvement in their penmanship. During my calligraphy classes I have two cameras set up, one focused on the pen and paper and one on me. This set up allows me to engage with the students while doing detailed demonstrations. Having the camera very close to the pen and paper helps me to teach the nuances of copperplate and italic in a way that would be difficult in person. In my experience, teaching calligraphy and art online, if done right, does not have to be second rate. The class is open to middle school and high school students.
Examples of the instructor's calligraphy as well as his students may be viewed here. The course will be presented online on Thursdays 10:30-11:30 EST. Instructor: Samuel Walter. Having received an M.M. and an M.A., at Yale for music performance, Samuel is not only a professional cello teacher and player, but also an art teacher and an award -winning portrait artist. He has taught calligraphy online to high school students with notable success. Click here for the materials list. Cost: $90.00/month.