Branch Classical Program

 Classical Education has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its success and attention to child development. The characteristics of classical education center on child development, skill sets of learning and the trivium. 

The Trivium

Grammar Stage- This stage centers around the development of a child from the preschool years until 5th or 6th grade. During this phase students love and enjoy learning facts and naming things in their environment. We focus heavily on memorization of facts in eight subjects in these elementary years as well as introducing the skill sets of reading, spelling, writing, comprehension and math literacy. Students also enjoy digging into the facts they have memorized in history and science by reading good books and completing projects and experiments to enhance their love of learning. 

Dialectic Stage- This stage centers around the development of a child in the pre-teen to early teenage years. Children in this phase love to ask “Why?” and they love to argue their point. Classical education leans into this God given development and helps students understand how facts come together, how things work and how to argue effectively. 

Rhetoric Stage- This stage centers around the development of a child in the later teen years, typically, from grades 10 and up. By this point, students have learned skills in reading, writing, communication, argumentation and have become efficient in foundational skills. Our high school years focus on applying the students’ knowledge to the surrounding community and understanding how to effectively communicate what they know and have already wrestled with.  Our high school is a separate program, please see Branch Classical High School for more information.