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English, Latin and Greek Roots Cheat Sheet

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The words of the English language are drawn from a number of different sources: Latin, Greek, French, German, Old English, Middle English and more. Below, you can find over 200 English, Latin and Greek roots from which many English words are constructed. The knowledge of the roots below will be very helpful in learning to analyze English words and determine their meaning. This is helpful with English composition, reading comprehension, SAT scores and much more. English Roots – Prefixes a = at, in, on, or adds force after = behind all, al = wholly be = to, cause, by for … Continue

Afraid to Cross the Old Fence Line

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When we kept sheep, we used electric fencing to control their grazing. They’d learn where the fences were and eventually stay away from them. However, when we wished to move the sheep, we’d take down a line of the electric fencing and give them access to an area of fresh pasture. But they wouldn’t go. Even through the electric fencing was gone, the sheep wouldn’t cross the place where the fencing was. They were trained to stay away from that spot–and they did. In my experience, this is what it’s like working with homeschool parents. They have been raised in … Continue

How Education Developed in Ancient Israel

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Normally, when we consider the people of Israel we think of the ceremonial traditions they zealously maintained–and rightfully did they do so. We fail to compare and contrast this nation with the rest of the world. We take them for granted in the same way we take Moses for granted. Let us consider them with a fresh look at who they are and what they mean for us in the history of education. Return to Understanding Classical Catholic Education Before we enter upon this reflection, we must prepare ourselves to enter with faith in the content of Sacred Scripture. We … Continue

Homer and Homeschooling in Ancient Greece

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Recently, I have been enjoying an old book on ancient Greek education. In it, the author discusses the early education of Greek children in the ancient world. He explains that the education was based on the writings of the poets, and particularly of Homer. I believe homeschooling parents will find this helpful. “The study of the epic poets, especially of the Iliad and Odyssey, was the earliest intellectual exercise of schoolboys, and, in the case of fairly educated parents, even anticipated the learning of letters. For the latter is never spoken of as part of a mother’s or of home … Continue

Thales of Miletus (640-545 BC)

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Thales is said to have been born in the first year of the 35th Olympiad, which would have been approximately 640 BC. He was a Phoenician by descent, and he was the first man to whom the name of “Wise” was given, when the famous seven wise men of Greece had that title given to them. He was enrolled as a citizen at Miletus; but a more common statement is that he was a native Milesian, of noble blood. After having been immersed in Politics, he applied himself to speculations in Natural Philosophy. He studied Geometry and Astronomy with priests … Continue

Confiteor in Song

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In 2011, our friend Jared Haselbarth produced a beautiful version of the Confiteor for children. You can enjoy the video below. For more music by Mr. Haselbarth, visit his YouTube channel.

Order of Operations: The Simple Solution

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One of the topics in modern Arithmetic that students struggle with is the order of operations. By “order of operations” I mean that order in which operations are to be performed in a complicated Arithmetic problem. Here’s an example: 5 × 3 + 2 × 4 – 2 ÷ 2 = Let us solve this problem by moving left to right, performing one operation at a time: 5 × 3 = 13 + 2 = 15 × 4 = 60 – 2 = 58 ÷ 2 = 29 If we were to enter this answer on a test, it would … Continue