Fable Stage

Description: Classical Composition is a fourteen-stage writing program that prepares students for college-level writing. The program is based on the “progymnasmata,” a system of writing instruction that was the primary method of teaching and learning writing for most of the history of Western civilization. Students learn an organized system of creative thinking that is incremental and systematic. By beginning with a single fable, students will learn how to use words to engage the imagination of their audience, and move on to mastering the structures of thought that constitute a narrative. They will learn to restructure facts and vividly retell the same story or idea, using figures of description and a variety of sentence structures. Students will master skills of variation, narrative invention, and acquire a greater facility with language and a greater flexibility in perspective. The grade is based upon participation and the final drafts that are submitted online.

Grade Level: 4-6 (ages 9-12)

Prerequisites: Students should possess a very basic knowledge of English grammar (e.g. subject, verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, direct object, indirect object, etc.) and be able to form basic, grammatically complete sentences. Students normally complete their work, including the final draft, in their workbook. Then, students type out the final draft, proof it, and upload it to the course page. If a student is younger and doesn’t know how to type, or struggles with it, then we encourage parents to do this for their student. We recommend that younger students use this free typing tool. Heavy-duty typing is not required but this will orient students to the basics of a computer keyboard and very basic typing skills.

Required Materials: Fable Stage Student Text  (Teacher Guide is optional) by Jim Selby and English Grammar Recitation Workbook One Set  (Teacher Guide is optional) by Cheryl Lowe and Ashley Gratto. The Teacher Guides contain the key and it will be helpful for your student to have access to this after they have completed the exercises that are completed on their own. Students will also need a USB headset microphone (built-in microphones also work).

See an overview of Fable: Fable Overview Video