Curriculum
Rhodora J. Donahue Academy of Ave Maria Curriculum Framework
This curriculum guide should be viewed as a beginning guide only. It is not a hard and fast program but is a work in constant process and is subject to revision during the school year at the discrestion of the faculty and with the approval of the headmaster. Particular themes, events, or pedagogical needs or opportunities present in a particular class are among the reasons a change might be made. There may be some adaptations in the books used. While much of the literature is period based, some non-period based literature will also be explored in a typical year. The faculty will make adaptations with the “big picture” in mind so as to assist the present student body in its actual needs and abilities. As we are still in our early stages as a school and undergoing rapid growth, new students need not fear that they are already “behind.” We will work with the good of each student and his or her current abilities in mind and adapt the curriculum as appropriate within the larger picture.
The curriculum of Rhodora J. Donahue Academy of Ave Maria draws on the philosophy and design animating the Core Curriculum at Ave Maria University. Other sources for the creation of this curriculum include Spiritus Sanctus Academies in Michigan, Trinity Classical School in Minnesota, Kolbe Academy in California, Ville de Maria Academy in Arizona, Trivium Academy in Massachusetts and Veritas Academy in North Carolina. The curriculum is also influenced by Wise and Bauer’s The Well Trained Mind, and Berquist’s Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum. Various other schools, academies, and homeschool programs, including Mother of Divine Grace and the Great Books Academy have been reviewed or consulted in designing the curriculum and selecting the texts.
Grammar | Grades 1-4 | “What/That” | Knowledge | Direct Instruction | Amassing Facts |
Logic | Grades 5-8 | “How” | Understanding | Supervised Practice | Using Facts to Reason Clearly -Dialectic |
Rhetoric | Grades 9-12 | “Why” | Wisdom | Socratic Dialogue | Communication and Eloquence |
Download a PDF version of the curriculum here.
Kindergarten
Language Arts:- Saxon Kindergarten Phonics, Spelling and Handwriting
- Berquist, Harp and Laurel Wreath: Poetry and Dictation for the Classical Curriculum (1999)
- Universal Publishing Handwriting: Writing the Manuscript Letters: Book B
- Writing Workshop, Caulkins
Daily read aloud of classic and popular children literature including:
- Lang Andrew, The Fairy Books
- Mother Goose
- McClosky, Robert Make Way for Ducklings (1998)
- Burton, Virginia Lee Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel (1977)
- Potter, Beatrix The Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit (1984)
- Brown, Margaret Wise The Runaway Bunny (1942)
- Keats, Ezra Jack The Snowy Day
- Williams, Margery The Velveteen Rabbit
- Watson, Richard Jesse Tom Thumb (1993)
- Petersham Maud and Miska The Rooster Crows
Read aloud material presented through literature including:
- Flack and Wiese, The Story about Ping
- Cherry, Lynne The Great Kapok Tree
- Polacco, Patricia Rechenka’s Eggs
- Leaf, Munro The Story of Ferdinand
- Bemelmens, Ludwig Madeline
- Baylor, Byrd When Clay Sings
- Fox, Mem Possum Magic
- Aardema,Verna Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
- Who Am I? Kindergarten level catechetics by Ignatius Press Image of God Series (1994)
- Lives of the Saints
- Remain in Me Faith Formation, Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist (2001)
- Donahue Virtue Program
Math:
Saxon Math using kindergarten and first grade materials (2008)
Science:
Plants and Animals, The Earth and Astronomy through stories and hands on experiences
Latin:
Sign of the Cross; Ave Maria (Hail Mary); Gloria
GRAMMAR | Developing Knowledge Asking “What” | |||
| Cognitive Taxonomy | Knowledge | Comprehension | ||
| Description | Recalling or remembering something without necessarily understanding, using or changing it. | Understanding something that has been communicated without necessarily relating it to anything else. | ||
| Skills | Define, describe, identify, label, list, match, memorize, observe, point to, read, recite, recall, re-tell select, state. | Alter, account for, annotate, calculate, change, convert, dictate, group, explain, generalize, give examples, illustrate, infer, interpret, paraphrase, review, summarize, and translate. | ||
| Grades | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
| Assessments | Iowa Tests | Iowa Tests | Iowa Tests | |
| History (Daily) | Ancient History (5000 BC-400 AD) The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 1: The Ancients ( Wise, 2003) The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus (Aliki) Egyptian Gods and Goddesses (Barker) | Medieval-Early Renaissance History (400 AD-1600) The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 2: The Middle Ages ( Wise, 2003) Map Skills C Continental Press (2004) | Late Renaissance-Early Modern History (1600-1850) The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 3: The Renaissance ( Wise, 2003) Map Skills D, Continental Press (2004) | Modern History (1850-Present) The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 4: The Modern Era ( Wise, 2003) Map Skills E, Continental Press (2004) Florida History |
Literature (Daily) is adapted from the original to the appropriate grade level -list is illustrative, not definitive or complete, some non-period literature as well. Every grade will memorize select poems from Berquist’s The Harp and the Laurel Wreath | Book of Greek Myths (D’Aulaire’s 1962) The Trojan Horse, (Hutton, 1992) The Odyssey & Greek Myths (McCaughrean, 1995) Thesus and the Minotaur (Fisher, 1992) The Adventures of Spider (McDermott) Pandora (Burleigh) The Aesop For Children (Winter) Twelve Labors of Hercules (Rioradan) | Junior Great Books (Short stories from 12 adapted novels) Great Illustrated Classics (adapted series of classic novels and stories) St. George and the Dragon (Hodges 1950) A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Kids (Burdett, 1997) Knights of the Round Table (Gross 2004) Meet Christopher Columbus (DeKay) George Washington, Mara (2002) The Prince and the Pauper, Twain (adapted 1999) Robin Hood, Adapted by Ingle 1991 Houghlin Mifflin Reading Series | Gulliver’s Travels (Swift, 1726) The Pioneers (Cooper, 1823) Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Miserables (Hugo, 1831) Oliver Twist (Dickens, 1837) Three Musketeers (Dumas, 1844) 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Verne 1872) The Pied Piper of Hamelin (Browning 1888 | Heidi (Spyri, 1880 ) Little House Series (Wilder, 1932) Sarah Plain and Tall ( MacLachlan, 1985) Treasure Island (Stevenson, 1883) War of the Worlds (Wells 1898), Sherlock Holmes ( Doyle, 1921) Strawberry Girl Wind in the Willows Some Original Texts Some Adaptations |
| Language Arts (Daily) | Saxon Phonics, Handwriting and Spelling (2007) Little Angel Readers Voyages in English 1, Loyola-(1995) Units of Study Primary Writing, Calkins Faith and Freedom Readers Scott Forsman Leveled Readers | Saxon Phonics and Spelling (2007) Primary Language Lessons (Serl) Voyages in English 2, Loyola-(1995) Handwriting Book C, Universal Units of Study Primary Writing, Calkins | Handwriting Book D, Universal Publishing (2006) Voyages in English 3, Loyola-(1995) Wordly Wise 3000 Book 3 (2006) Units of Study Primary Writing, Calkins | Voyages in English 4, Loyola-(1995)) Handwriting Book E, Universal Publishing (2006) Wordly Wise 3000 Book 4, (2006) Working Words in Spelling – D, Great Source (2006) Units of Study Primary Writing, Calkins |
| Religion (Daily) (includes stories of Saints Bible Readings, Prayers, and Songs) | Faith & Life Text and Activity Books Gr.1, Casa Maria (2004) Donahue Virtue Program | Faith & Life Text and Activity Books Gr.2, Casa Maria (2004) Donahue Virtue Program | Faith & Life Text and Activity Books Gr.3, Casa Maria (2004) Donahue Virtue Program | Faith & Life Text and Activity Books Gr4, Casa Maria (2004) Donahue Virtue Program |
| Mathematics (Daily) | Math I, Saxon (2008) | Math 2, Saxon (2004) | Math 3, Saxon (2004) | Saxon Math 5/4, Saxon (2004) |
| Science (2-3x a week) | Emphasis on Biology Harcourt Science 2 (2005) | Emphasis on Earth Science Harcourt Science 2 (2005) | Emphasis on Biology Harcourt Science 4 (2005) | Emphasis on Physics and Chemistry Harcourt Science 4 (2005) |
| Latin (Occasional) | Prayer: Hail Mary, Glory Be | Prayers: Our Father | Prayers: Mass Parts Into | Prayers: Mass Parts Mastered |
| Art and Chorus 2x a week/Physical Education 3x a week | Various Art Projects | Various Art Projects | Various Art Projects | Various Art Projects |
LOGIC | Developing Understanding Asking “How” | |||
| Cognitive Taxonomy | Application | Analysis | ||
| Description | Using a general concept to solve problems in a particular Situation; using learned material in new and concrete situations. | Breaking something down into its parts; may focus on identification of parts or analysis of relationships between parts, or recognition of organizational principles. | ||
| Skills | Apply, adopt, collect, construct, demonstrate, discover, illustrate, infer, outline, point out, select, separate, sort, and subdivide. | Analyze, compare, contrast, diagram, differentiate, dissect, distinguish, identify, illustrate, infer, outline, paraphrase, point out, review, select, separate, sort, and subdivide. | ||
| Grades | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th |
| Assessments | Iowa Tests | Iowa Tests | Iowa Tests | Iowa Tests |
| Evaluation Tools | Student Portfolios | Student Portfolios | Student Portfolios | Student Portfolios |
| History (Daily) and Geography History and Literature (below) are taught in one block class. | Ancient History (5000BC-400AD) Famous Men of Greece, (2005) Famous Men of Rome-Memoria Press-(2005) Children’s Plutarch (Gould, 2007) | Medieval-Early Renaissance History (400AD-1600) All Ye Lands Ignatius Press (2002) US Map Skills and Level G-Continental Press (2004) | Late Renaissance-Early Modern History (1600-1850) All Ye Lands and From Sea to Shining Sea Ignatius Press (2002) Documents of Western Civilization, (Viorst, 1994) | Modern History (1850-Present) From Sea to Shining Sea Ignatius Press (2002) The Constitution of the United States, Cullop, (1999) Murphy, The Long Road to Gettysburg (2000) Documents of Western Civilization, (Viorst, 1994) The Western Heritage, (Kagan, 2006) |
| Literature (Daily) Shorter Poetry by each period’s major poets to be included with the following longer works: Key poems to be memorized. Some literature adapted to grade level, some in the translated original- list is illustrative, not definitive or compete; some non-period literature as well. | Tales of Ancient Egypt (Green, 1996) Tales of Greek Heroes & Tale of Troy(1996) Green Greek Myths (Coolige, 1949) The Bronze Bow (Speare, 1997) The Aeneid (adapted by Church, 2006) Gilgamesh, McCaughrean Adara, Growley The Odyssey, retold by Robin Lister Aesop’s Fables, retold by Ann McGovern Archimedes Door of Science (1995) Gilgamesh (one copy to read aloud as a class) Tales of Ancient Egypt The Odysse Aesop’s Fables | Augustus Caesar’s World, 44BC to AD 14, Foster The Roman Republic, Nardo Beowulf a New Telling (Nye, 1982) Green, King Arthur and his Knights (1995) Canterbury Tales (McCaughrean, 1967) If All the Swords in England (Willard, 2000) Aladdin and Other tales from the Arabian Nights, retold by N. J Dawood The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow, French Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village, Schlitz The Trumpeter of Krakow, Kelly | Johnny Tremain (Forbes, 1987) Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Irving, 1820) The Song of the Scaffold (VonleFort) Tales from Shakespeare (Lamb, 1999) I, Juan de Pareja, (De Trevino) Witch of Blackbird Pond(Speare) Les Miserables, abridged (Hugo) | Stories of Blue and Grey, Bierce Our Town (Wilder) Matchmaker (Wilder) Mans Search for Meaning, (Frankl) Animal Farm(Orwell) The Red Badge of Courage(Crane, 1894) Tom Sawyer (Twain, 1876) Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Douglass, 1845) |
| Language Arts- Grammar and Composition (Daily) | Voyages in English 5- Loyola-(1995) Wordly Wise 5, Hodkinson, (2000) | Voyages in English Loyola-(1995) Wordly Wise 3, Hodkinson, (2000) English from the Roots Up (2004) | Voyages in English 7 - Loyola-(1995) Wordly Wise 7, Hodkinson, (2000) Lingua Mater 7 | Voyages in English 8 - Loyola-(1995) Wordly Wise 8, Hodkinson, (2000) Warriner’s English |
| Religion (Daily) (includes stories of Saints from the historical period, Bible readings, and prayers) | Faith & Life 6 Text and Activity Books Gr.5, Casa Maria (2004) | Faith & Life Gr.6, Text and Activity Books Casa Maria (2004) | Faith & Life Gr.7, Casa Maria (2004) Catechism of the Catholic Church (1993) | Introduction to Catholicism, Didache Series Documents of the Christian Church (Bettenson, 1963) Catechism of the Catholic Church (1993) Mr. Blue (Connelly, 1928) He Leadeth Me, (Ciszek) |
| Mathematics (Daily) | Saxon Intermediate 5 (2004) | Saxon Course 1 (2004) | Pre-Algebra, (McDougal Littell, 2005) | Algebra 1, (McDougal Littell, 2005) |
| Science (4x 5th, -5x 6-8th per week) | Emphasis on Life and Earth Science-Harcourt, 2006 Earth Science for Every Kid (1991) Bendick, | Emphasis on Physical Science Science-Prentice Hall Press 2006 Biology for Every Kid (1990) | Emphasis on Life Science Science-Prentice Hall Press 2006 Chemistry for Every Kid (1996) | Emphasis on Physics Science-Prentice Hall Press 2006 Astronomy for Every Kid (1996): |
| Latin (Daily in 7-8th) | x | x | Lingua Latina – Pars I: Familia Romana, Orberg | Lingua Latina – Pars I: Familia Romana, Orberg |
| Art 2x /Chorus 3x a week/ Physical Education 2x per week | Various Projects and Performances | Various Projects and Performances | Various Projects and Performances | Various Projects and Performances |
RHETORIC | Developing Wisdom | Asking “Why” | ||
| Cognitive Taxonomy | Synthesis | Evaluation | ||
| Description | Creating something new by putting parts of different ideas together to make a whole. | Judging the value of material or methods as they might be applied in a particular situation; judging with the use of definite criteria. | ||
| Thinking Skills | Blend, build, change, combine, compile, compose, conceive, create, design, formulate, generate, hypothesize, plan, predict, produce, reorder, revise, tell, and write. | Accept, appraise, arbitrate, argue, articulate, assess, award, choose, conclude, criticize, defend, evaluate, grade, judge, prioritize, recommend, referee, reject, select, support. | ||
| Grades | 9thAncient Period | 10thAncient/Medieval Period | 11thRenaissance-Early Modern Period (1600-1850) | 12thModern Period (1850-Present) |
| Assessments | PSAT | PSAT | PSAT/SAT | SAT/ACT/AP |
| Evaluation Tools | Student Portfolios | Student Portfolios | Student Portfolios | Student Portfolios/Senior Thesis |
| History History and Literature (below) are taught in one Humanities block class. (4 yrs) | Humanities 1: World History (1 credit) History of the Persian Wars Selections (Herodotus, 440BC) (Penguin) Lives of the Caesars Selections(Suetonius 119AD) The Greek Achievement, Freeman Ancient Rome, Zoch Course Reader of Shorter Historical Documents | Humanities II: Western Civilization (1 credit) History of Medieval Europe, Keen Chronicles, Selections-( Froissart) Course Reader of Shorter Historical Documents | Humanities III: European History (.5 crd) Humanities III: Amer. Gov. Honors (.5 crd) The Reformation (Chadwick) History of the French Revolution (Doyle-2001) The Declaration of Independence (1776) The Federalist Papers (Hamilton et al, 1787) Constitution of the United States; (1787) Course Reader of Shorter Historical Documents History of the American People, Johnson | Humanities IV: American History (1 credit) History of the American People, Johnson Course Reader of Shorter Historical Documents |
| Literature All Literature is in the translated original Shorter Poetry by each period’s major poets to be included with the following longer works: list is illustrative, not definitive or complete. Select passages and poems to be memorized. (4 yrs) | Humanities 1: English Honors I (1 credit) Ten Plays (Euripides, 430) Oresteia (Aeschylus, 450) The Great Dialogues of Plato-Selections(387 BC) Nicomachean Ethics Selections (Aristotle, 310) Aeneid (Virgil, 30BC) Julius Caesar ( Shakespeare, 1599) Handbook (Epictetus, 135AD) Course Reader of Shorter Literary and Philosophical Works | Humanities II: English Honors II (1 credit) Beowulf (1000) The Song of Roland (1100) The Inferno (Dante, 1320) Treatise on Law (Aquinas, 1270) Macbeth (Shakespeare, 1606) Merchant of Venice, (Shakespeare, 1606) Joan of Arc (Twain, 1896) Course Reader of Shorter Literary and Philosophical Works | Humanities III: English Honors III (1 credit) Hamlet (Shakespeare, 1600) Frankenstein (Shelley, 1818) A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens, 1861) Treatise on Government ( Locke, 1689) The Social Contract (Rousseau 1762) Edmund Campion (Waugh) Meditations (Descartes) Crime and Punishment (Dostoevsky) Course Reader of Shorter Literary Works | Humanities IV: English Honors IV (1 credit) The Iliad Selections (Homer, 850 BC) The Odyssey (Homer 850 BC) Othello (Shakespeare, 1610) 12th Night (Shakespeare, 1610) Brothers Karamazov ( Dostoyevsky, 1856) All Quiet on the Western Front (Remarque) Personalism (Mounier) Existentialism and Other Essays (Sartre) Course Reader of Shorter Literary and Philosophical Works |
| Classical Studies (1.25 yrs) | Logic (.5 credit) Traditional Logic; Book I and Advanced Formal Logic Book II (Cothran, 2000 ) | Rhetoric (.25 credit) | Economics (.5 credit) | |
| Theology (4 yrs) Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994) used in each course | Old Testament (1 credit) Catechism of the Catholic Church Part One Profession of the Faith- (1993) Understanding the Scriptures-Old Testament Didache Series (Hahn- 2007) In the Beginning, Ratzinger Dei Verbum, Vatican II | New Testament (1 credit) Catechism of the Catholic Church Part Two -Celebration of the Christian Mystery (1993) Understanding the Scriptures-New Testament (Hahn, 2007) Dei Verbum, Vatican II Jesus of Nazareth, (Pope Benedict XVI, 2007) Redemptor Hominis (Pope John Paul II, 1979) | Morality- Life Skills (1 credit) Catechism of the Catholic Church Part Three -Life in Christ (1993) Our Moral Life in Christ, Didache Series (2007) Mere Christianity (Lewis) | Prayer and Apologetics (1 credit) Catechism of the Catholic Church Part Four -Christian Prayer. (1993) Documents of Vatican II (1965) Selections Story of a Soul ( St. Therese, 1897) Screwtape Letters. Mere Christianity ( Lewis, 1942) Orthodoxy (Chesterton, 1908) |
| Mathematics (4 yrs) | Geometry (1 credit) Geometry, Larson (2005) Pre-Calculus, Demana, Waits, et. al | Pre-Calculus (1 credit) Pre-Calculus, Demana, Waites, et. al | Calculus A-B (1 credit) Calculus, Ostebee and Zorn (2005) | Calculus C (0.5 credit) Advanced Mathematical Topics (0.5 credit) Calculus, Ostebee and Zorn (2005) |
| Science (4 yrs) | Biology (1 credit) Modern Biology, Holt, (2002) | Chemistry (1 credit) Modern Chemistry Holt (2006) Sceptical Chymist (Boyle, 1661) | Physics (1 credit) Physics, Holt | Advanced Scientific Topics (1 credit) |
| Latin (2 yrs) Additional Language (2 yrs) | Latin (1 credit) Lingua Latina – Pars I: Familia Romana, Orberg | Latin (1 credit) Lingua Latina – Par sI: Familia Romana, Orberg | Modern or Classical Language (1 credit) Spanish I, Puntos De Partida | Modern or Classical Language (1 credit) Spanish II, Puntos De Partida |
| Art 2x a week/Chorus 2x a week Physical Education 2x a week | Art (0.5 credit) PE (0.5 credit) Choir (0.5 credit) | Art (0.5 credit) PE (0.5 credit) Choir (0.5 credit) | Art (0.5 credit) PE (0.5 credit) Choir (0.5 credit) | Art (0.5 credit) PE (0.5 credit) Choir (0.5 credit) |