William C. MichaelWilliam C. Michael

Mr. William C. Michael, O.P., is the founder and headmaster of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy and a Lay Dominican in the Catholic Church. Mr. Michael received an honors degree in Classics and Ancient History from Rutgers University and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He led the CLAA to accreditation with Cognia in 2024. He has been studying and teaching the classical liberal arts for over 30 years.

Greek Grammar I, Lesson 02.  On the Parts of Speech, and the Article

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In this lesson, we will begin the study the parts of speech in the Greek language, and the first of them, the article.  To complete the objectives of this lesson, complete the following tasks: Read through the lesson from beginning to end. Study the lesson for mastery, taking notes. Complete the assigned memory work. Complete the lesson assessments. The text of this lesson is translated into English by Mr. William C. Michael, from “Institutionum Linguae Graecae” by Jacob Gretser, S.J. (1767), for student in the Classical Liberal Arts Academy.  No other use is permitted. Lesson 1. There are eight parts … Continue

Latin Grammar I (2009). Lesson 11. Substantive Nouns: Figure & Kind

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You must complete the following assignments for this lesson: Read through the lesson once aloud, from beginning to end. Study the lesson for mastery, taking notes. Complete the lesson memory work. Complete Lesson Examination. Lesson The following lessons are to be studied separately as you work through each grammar rule. The lessons should be thoroughly understood and studied for the lesson examination. 1. We have learned that six different things happen to a Noun. These six things are called the “Accidents” of a Noun, from the Latin word accidere meaning “to happen”. It is important to know that every noun … Continue

St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)

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St. Francis, the son of a merchant of Assisi, was born in that city in 1182. Chosen by God to be a living manifestation to the world of Christ’s poor and suffering life on earth, he was early inspired with a high esteem and burning love of poverty and humiliation. The thought of the Man of Sorrows, Who had not where to lay His head, filled him with holy envy of the poor, and constrained him to renounce the wealth and worldly station which he abhorred. The scorn and hard usage which he met with from his father and townsmen … Continue

Algebra I, Article 53. Adding Similar Quantities with Like Signs

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In this lesson, we will begin the study of algebraic addition. To complete the objectives for this lesson, complete the following tasks: Read the lesson from beginning to end for familiarity. Study the lesson for mastery. Memorize the Rule to Add Similar Quantities with Like Signs Complete the lesson assessment. Lesson 53. Addition, in Algebra, is the process of finding the simplest expression for the sum of two or more algebraic quantities. 1. James has 3 pockets, each containing apples: in the first he has 3 apples, in the second 4, and in third 5. In order to find how many apples … Continue

Intro to classical Arithmetic, Lesson 04. Of Proofs & Axioms

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To complete the objectives of this lesson, complete the following tasks: Lesson Thus far in Arithmetic, we have learned the different branches of Mathematics: Arithmetic, Geometry, Music and Astronomy. We have learn about Unity and units. We have learned about Comparison: equalities, inequalities, majority and minority. If you are uncomfortable with these subjects, you should go back and review. In this lesson, we will move on to understand why these subjects are important. We will learn about Proofs and will memorize our first set of mathematical Axioms. Wise and Foolish Builders In the world we live in, people are happy … Continue

What are Aristotle’s “Ten Categories”?

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One of the most important achievements in the pursuit wisdom of by the ancients was Aristotle’s discovery of the “Ten Categories”. These are taught for the first time in human history in chapter 4 of Aristotle’s work titled “The Categories”. They are: Substance (or Essence) Quantity Quality Relation Location Time When Position Possession Action Passion We have to understand, first, that the categories are introduced by Aristotle in his work on the art of Reasoning, that is, the Organon. In this work, he is not studying the physical world that exists outside the soul, but that which exists within the … Continue

Gospel of St. John 1:16-20 (Greek)

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The lesson below belongs to the Classical Liberal Arts Academy’s Greek Reading I course. In this course, we study the Gospel of St. John in the New Testament. Students wishing to master the lesson below are to complete translation exercises daily from Greek into English and English into Greek, until every Greek word and its English meaning are memorized. Text 16 ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν, καὶ χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος: 17 ὅτι ὁ νόμος διὰ Μωϋσέως ἐδόθη, ἡ χάρις καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐγένετο. 18 θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν πώποτε: μονογενὴς θεὸς ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν … Continue