What is Rhetoric Anyway? (part 1) Teaching Rhetoric

How do we teach rhetoric? How do you approach a concept that is so all-encompassing? Like I said, it’s a process. So, you start early, lay the groundwork, and build slowly by showing connections. One nice thing about learning a process is that, once you understand that it is, in fact, a process, it’s easier to accept the small steps along the way. So, start by explaining that learning grammar and spelling in first grade is the child’s first step toward being able to participate in the big wide world of thoughts and ideas.

The Grammar Stage: 1st – 4th Grades

In the primary grades, you introduce the rules of grammar, parts of speech, and punctuation. There are several good resources here:

Spelling Workout Series, Modern Curriculum Press. This is a nice workbook series that doesn’t require much preparation on your part and largely independently.

Voyages in English, Loyola Press. This text series has a teacher’s edition that is helpful in presenting the lessons and helping your child with the exercises. This is a Catholic product, but it has very little religious content.

First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind, Jessie Wise. Wise introduces in the most basic way, the elements that your child needs to understand to master language arts. You can even begin using this before first grade.

Institute for Excellence in Writing series, Institute for Excellence in Writing, Teaching Writing: Structure and Style. This series has a great deal of teacher resources

Writing Strands: Challenging Writing Programs for Homeschoolers series, National Writing Institute, Vol. 2-5. This series is self-paced and independent, with parental feedback at various stages of the writing process. There is also a volume in the series that explains how to critique your child’s written work that is extremely helpful.

Mind Bender series, Anita Harnadek, Critical Thinking Press. In addition to grammar, you can lay a foundation for logic by using the this series. Your child will enjoy solving the logic puzzles. My son thought of them as games and enjoyed solving the logic puzzles. We tried other logic puzzle books, but I found the Mind Benders the best. There are enough volumes to fill up two or three years of work, and the process and rules are consistent and clear. They are difficult, though, so start at the basic level around fourth grade, or fifth grade.