Ages 11-14

Middle School Literature I & II

Description: The English language has produced beautiful and inspiring pieces of children’s literature which are the envy of nations around the world. We will be dipping into iconic and timeless creations covering prose, drama and poetry, exploring the building blocks of narrative, verse and dramatization. Students will be encouraged to think critically and to engage with the texts both analytically through essay writing and imaginatively through creative writing. We will be taking an extract based approach to the text, reading key scenes from a range of genres which will provide breadth to the studies and a range of examples to work from and to function as models for creative writing. This will give students a good overview of some of the classics of English literature.

Instructor: Nektaria  Papanicola

Times: T, F 2:10-3 PM ET

Required Text: Fairy Tales (“The Fisherman and His Wife,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” “The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin”), Just William (Richmal Crompton)
A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens), The Magician’s Nephew (C S Lewis), Henry V (William Shakespeare), Various poems

Modern Greek III

Description: This course is a continuation of Modern Greek 2. Students will review and continue learning vocabulary and conversational skills. They will continue to work on their reading, writing, and grammar skills.

Instructor: Vicky Hamos

Times: Tues, Thurs, Fri 10:30-11 AM EST

Required Text: Elementary Conversational Greek,  Elementary Conversational Greek Workbook *Books are also available on Amazon
YouTube Introduction: https://youtu.be/1v_hTQg6ybk

Refutation/Confirmation

Description: The fourth stage of the progymnasmata (stages leading up to the study of rhetoric) is Refutation/Confirmation. In this stage, students will learn to both praise and criticize a short story using the six heads of purpose (clarity, plausibility, possibility, consistency, propriety, and expediency), or different ways to make an argument for or against something.  This course specifically hones the student’s ability to generate and make arguments, a lost art in our current age. They will also continue to implement skills gained from the previous progymnasmata stages. Additionally, they will continue to study grammar, learning concepts such as prepositional phrases, appositives, and verbals. We will use Memoria Press’ English Grammar Recitation IV. All other materials will be provided.

Instructor: Vasilios Asimakos

Times: Wed 3-3:50 PM ET & Fri 11-11:50 AM ET

Required Text: Memoria Press’ English Grammar Recitation IV.

Introductory Russian (Ages 12-17)

Description: My courses for complete beginners start with learning the Russian alphabet, greetings and introductions. We explore the Russian language through role-play and dialogues, adding simple grammar and new vocabulary. All materials are provided.

Instructor: Valentina Merritt

Times: Wed 10-10:50AM, Fri 11:30AM-12:20PM EST

YouTube Introduction: https://youtu.be/qmO5Zh1vavA

Logic II

  Description:  In this course, students will continue their study of logic.  This will be a multi-faceted course. We will concern ourselves with the Orthodox view of logic. We will consider examples from the Fathers of the Church, looking at their use of logic.
Instructor: Father John Somers
Times: Wed 10-10:30 AM & Thurs 12-12:30 PM ET 
Required Text: Traditional Logic II, Martin Cothran, published by Memoria Press. Students will need to purchase both text and workbook.

Classical Composition: Chreia/Maxim

Description: In the third stage of the progymnasmata (stages leading up to the study of rhetoric), the rhetorical element of the students’ composition training becomes more obvious. In Chreia/Maxim, they learn to write a persuasive essay about a saying from a famous figure (chreia) or proverb (maxim). They do this by using the six heads of development (encomium, paraphrase, cause, converse, analogy, example, testimony, and epilogue), which are different ways of explaining something. They also continue to use the paraphrasing skills they’ve built up from the Fable and Narrative stages. They also learn more grammatical concepts, such as sentence complements and using the active and passive voice. 
Instructor: Vasilios Asimakos
Times: Wed 11-11:50, Fri 9-9:50 AM ET
Required Text: English Grammar Recitation III, Published by Memoria Press. All other materials will be provided.

History for the Orthodox Christian II

Description: It almost goes without saying that it is important to study history. Yet, for the Orthodox Christian, the study of history has become an ideological minefield. One can read book after book on world history or Western civilization. These textbooks leave the young reader with the impression that Christianity is a tool of oppression, that the sacred history in the Old and New Testaments is more myth than fact. In this class, we will approach the study of history from an Orthodox point of view. Indeed, Orthodoxy will be the foundation for all of our studies.
Instructor: Father John and Presbytera Megan Somers
Times: Wed 2-2:30 PM ET & Thurs 1-1:50 PM ET
Required Text: The Law of God, Fr. Seraphim Slobodskoy; Bible (KJV); The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome, Susan Wise Bauer

 

Ancient Greek I

Description: This is an introductory level course of Ancient Greek.It is Attic Greek, which will allow students to later read the Koine Greek of the New Testament and aid with their understanding of Church Greek in the services over time.
Instructor: Father John Somers, Presbytera Megan Somers
Times: Tues, Wed, Thu 4:05-4:45 pm EST

 

New Course Coming Soon

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New Course Coming Soon

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REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT

Fall Semester Dates: September 11th-December 22nd (New Style)

Spring Semester Dates: January 22nd-May 31st (New Style)

There are two payment options:

1) Two payments of $400 (per course)  at the start of each semester, or

2) One payment of $725 (per course) at the beginning of the first semester (a $75 value!).

 

Both options require a commitment for the entire 2023-2024 academic year. For more information about classes, please email orthodoxeducationalinitiative@gmail.com or call 215-987-2655.

REGISTER HERE