Would Diogenes be worthwhile for a 10th grader?

[maryinga]

He has decent essay skills and is pretty well versed in 5 paragraph essays of different types. I have been wanting to work through the progym and we actually did the lower levels using another progym curriculum, but when we got to this level I had difficulty sorting through the material. I just let the program drop. I love the CW approach. I am using Aesop and Poetry with my younger one (3rd).

I did look at the sample Diogenes chapter, and I determined that most of the grammar would probably be review or just too basic. However, I couldn't really get a clear idea about where the writing exercises were going just by viewing one lesson. Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

By the way--looking ahead--when will the next level be ready, and what will it be like? ;D
Mary

[Carolyn]

Lene's the best person to answer this question, but in her absence, I'll take a stab at the first part. I'm not sure if Diogenes: Chreia or the second Poetry book will be next.

I have been through Diogenes myself for editing, and think it would be worthwhile for a 10th grader. When my children - currently in the first part of Homer - are doing Diogenes, I will be doing it with them, rather than just teaching it to them. The different ways to come up with essay content, how to take the ancient headers and put them into a 5 paragraph essay format, the analysis of the essays -- all are things I was never taught, but I can see their use for me as well as my children. If your son has the grammar down pat already, you could just spend less time on those sections.

All of which really goes to say that I think Diogenes is wonderful, but I don't have anything like a 10th grader. Lene does, and I'll ask her to answer your question when she's back.

Carolyn

[maryinga]

Thanks for replying, Carolyn. I'll wait to see what Lene says, too.

Mary

[Lene Mahler Jaqua]

Mary,

Thank you for asking. Sorry it took me so long. I just got home from vacation late last night.

The sample CW Dio chapter is at the beginning of the book. It does get a little more "complicated later", but that aside.

Yes, I think there are many things in CW Dio that would be beneficial from about 7th grade and up in terms of how to really write a thesis statement, how to organize an essay, how to generate support. It is taugh more specifically and more directly than anything I have seen anywhere else. We also spend time on rhetoric: rhetorical appeals, special topics, analysis of great essays. It is a book for high schoolers, or for well (classically) trained jr highers.

CW Diogenes: Chreia.... roughly.... it will finish off all the grammar topics of Harvey's where CW Dio:Maxim left off, starting with adverb and their uses, application, analysis, and imitation, moving in to prepositions, prepositional phrases (adverbial usage), finish off minor parts of speech and then move into syntactical concerns (sentence construction). It will continue with more appeals to logos and pathos, move on to more generalized thesis statements for any essay prompt. It will cover imitation of a paragraph in great detal, continue essay, speech, and letter analysis (focusing more on letters and also on formal and informal letter writing in general) and of course it will cover the great classical Chreia (anecdotes) as well.

The writing exercises in both books build slowly, from learning to write a thesis statement from an essay prompt, to writing paragraphs, to pulling together an essay (based on an outline ALWAYS!!) to editing the essay.

I hope that helps, please ask more if this is not clear or if you have other questions,

Lene