What is +PLUS?
Our +PLUS classes take place after lunch and are optional add-ons to your children's day. Family Enrollment in the Co-op is required. +PLUS Registration for children in grades K-12 is FREE, and pre-grammar and nursery-aged children will be together in the nursery for unstructured play time. Each +PLUS literature course includes the reading of books that coordinate with the time periods and saints being studied in the memory work subjects, as this is a common thread between children in different grade levels within a family.
All children in +PLUS literature courses will experience the restful and enjoyable book-club style atmosphere of reading worthy books, discussing them, and sharing snacks. The way this is accomplished varies based on the age level of the class, however, the universal goal of the +PLUS courses is to offer an invigorating way to allow our children to have meaningful discussions with their peers.
+PLUS Courses by Age Level
Lower Grammar
Grades K-2
The youngest children with +PLUS programming in the afternoon is the K-2 class. This level's class includes read-aloud books and poetry coordinating with the time periods and saints being studied in the memory work subjects.
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During read-aloud time, children work with curated materials in our "STEM Bins" and other handwork tasks to engage their hands while their minds process the words of the stories.
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Tea-time snacks will be provided through a sign-up rotation each week.
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Books needed: None. Paper or Story Tablet needed to keep record of your child's weekly narrations and illustrations based on the read-aloud they heard during class.
Grammar Age
Grades 3-6
For children in grades 3-6, the +PLUS class utilizes the Book of Goodness authored by Co-op members Laura Ambro and Sarah Wilson, purchased by each family at cost.
This level's Book of Goodness includes the Grammar Workshop with weekly writing prompts and revision; interactive elements to teach the parts of speech and figurative language; and simple question-and-answer guides to learn how to identify the parts of speech within a sentence.
The class also is a time for book club-style socratic discussion about assigned novels read at home each month, which coordinate with the memory work time periods and saints.
Tea-time snacks and restful learning round out the joyful +PLUS literature class for our Grammar-aged students!
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Books needed: Assigned novels (per level) and Book of Goodness for Grades 3-4 or 5-6. Parents should buy the Book of Goodness Instructor Guide for at-home. Books of Goodness for sale at cost of printing.
Dialectic Age
Grades 7-8
For Grades 7-8, the +PLUS book discussion will be every week. The first week of the month will be an introduction to the book; the following week will cover the first half of the book; and the final week will cover the last half of book.
Art will be integrated into the +PLUS class by having students draw, sketch, or even paint during the discussion. No formal art course will be taught, though students may take the Studio Art III Drawing/Painting with Color Course through TN at home. There will be NO ART HOMEWORK.
A Commonplace Book will be given to Dialectic students to keep notes throughout their PLUS courses over time. There will also be a place for quiet work but not idleness. See the 7-8 Booklist on our "Shop the Blog."
Dialectic Age students, who will receive a survey-level sample of many exceptionally important works in their Great Books courses, get to enter into dialogue in their +PLUS literature course about more engaging novels that every child should read during their early teenage years.
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With the restful atmosphere of a book club with snacks, this +PLUS course is a way to allow our children to have meaningful discussions with their peers.
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Books needed: Assigned novels (per level) purchased from the 7-8 Booklist
Rhetoric 1 & 2
Grades 9-10 & 11-12
For Grades 9-10, the +PLUS book discussion will be every week. The first week of the month will be an introduction to the book; the following week will cover the first half of the book; and the final week will cover the last half of book.
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Students in Rhetoric 1 and 2, who will study many classically significant and admittedly challenging literary works in their Great Books courses, will get to enter into dialogue in their +PLUS literature course about more engaging novels that every child should read before reaching adulthood.
With the restful atmosphere of a book club with snacks, this +PLUS course is a way to allow our children to have meaningful discussions with their peers.
Art will be integrated into the +PLUS class by having students draw, sketch, or even paint during the discussion. No formal art course will be taught, though students may take the Studio Art III Drawing/Painting with Color Course through TN at home. There will be NO ART HOMEWORK.
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Rhetoric 2 students taking Great Books 4, which is also a government course, will have a substantially heavier reading load, so they may wish to sit in the Rhetoric 9-10 literature class and draw alongside their peers. They will not necessarily have read the books (unless they are just excited to read them!), but they are welcome for the discussion. There will also be a place for quiet work but not idleness.
A Commonplace Book will be given to Rhetoric 1 or 2 students to keep notes throughout their PLUS courses over time. There will also be a place for quiet work but not idleness. See the 9-12 Booklist on our "Shop the Blog" page.
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Books needed: Assigned novels (per level) purchased from the 9-12 Booklist​