Middle School

• Students advance into more complex and imaginative works, including Homer Price, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane, and Heidi.
  
• These books expand vocabulary, imagination, and moral reasoning, inviting students to wrestle with questions of good, evil, virtue, and truth.
  
• Literature guides encourage students to analyze themes, trace character development, and articulate written and oral responses.
• Students progress from retelling stories to asking and answering “why” and “how” questions, sharpening critical thought and moral discernment.

• Students continue Classical Composition, rooted in the progymnasmata—the progressive method that trained Milton and Shakespeare.Students progress through fourteen skills, from the simplest forms of narration to more complex exercises of refutation, confirmation, and thesis. The goal is to shape, as Quintilian described, “the good man speaking well.”
• They advance from narrative forms into argument, refutation, confirmation, and thesis, developing persuasive thought.
  
• English grammar instruction reinforces precision in syntax, punctuation, and style, shaping clear written and spoken expression.
• English Grammar: Taught in conjunction with composition to strengthen precision in language use.

• Latin moves from memorization to syntax and translation, applying grammar knowledge to texts with accuracy.
  
• Classical Studies include Greek and Roman history, medieval culture, and Church history, laying a foundation for Upper School Great Books.

• Formal and material logic are introduced, teaching students to evaluate arguments, identify fallacies, and apply reasoning across disciplines.
  
• Logic becomes the framework for analysis in literature, history, and even science.

• Transition from arithmetic mastery into pre-algebra and algebra, with continued practice in problem-solving, word problems, and operations with integers.

• Students conduct hands-on labs and practice data collection and analysis.
  
• Topics include biology, earth science, astronomy, and the foundational principles of chemistry and physics.

• Students engage more deeply with theology, Church history, and biblical reflection, learning to apply truth and virtue to real-life questions.

At The Paracletus School, the transition to adulthood begins within the academic day, not after it. As students mature, instruction is intentionally designed to connect thinking, language, and learning to real-world application—preparing students not only to graduate, but to participate meaningfully in life beyond school.

Our approach integrates rigorous academics, explicit instruction, and guided independence, ensuring students develop the intellectual habits and practical skills needed for adulthood.

Click here for the Career Readiness - Transition to Adulthood checklist.