Classical Writing - A Tutor's Perspective

by D. Myers, Granite 8th and 10th Omnibus Tutor

Writing for a classical student involves the ability to present cogent arguments in a clear and winsome manner, with sufficient support to be persuasive and convincing. We do this continually in our Omnibus classes at Granite, where every written assignment is designed to provide opportunity for the students to gain mastery over analytical writing skills.

By the time students come to my 8th Omnibus classroom, it is apparent that they have gained mastery over basic sentence construction skills to enable them to craft sentences and paragraphs that are grammatically appropriate. This is something of a "big deal" because many students without the benefit of the classical training in grammar fundamentals are well behind the curve needed to successfully move forward with what I call "organizational" writing skills. But our Granite students have been so fully immersed in Shurley and IEW that they are well prepared to move through the Logic and Rhetoric stages of writing. I can clearly see this preparation in their work, and I can also sometimes see that important foundation lacking in students who "come to us late."

Assuming our students have had comprehensive grammar instruction when they arrive in my 8th grade class, I immediately begin assessing their organizational skills. As part of the classical "Progymnasmata" program, 8th Omnibus is their exposure to "The Chreia" - which is a type of pre-cursor to the organizational skills we hone during 8th grade. The idea is simple - our written assignments are all about introducing our topic, taking a stand, establishing and developing a strategy for supporting our position, and wrapping up with flair and winsomeness. We see this in historical examples of The Chreia which we examine in class, and then proceed to model. Later, after the students have struggled to model their own Chreia, we transition to a more modern expression of the concepts foundational to the Chreia, and we begin working on mastery over the traditional five-paragraph essay.

The remainder of 8th grade Omnibus writing assignments are related to various strategies involved with successful implementation of a five-paragraph expression. We break it down into component parts, work on those parts, hone those skills and eventually see it all come together in their literary analysis essays - the "major response." For the remainder of high school, the "major response" is a foundational component of their literature studies. By the time they get to 10th grade we are able to see the students synthesize trends and schools of thought from their historical studies, and compare/identify those as expressed in the literature they read. In this way, they are able to join what educator Mortimer Adler called, "The Great Conversation." It's a process and one that, as tutor, I am privileged to be a part of, and amazed to see it develop before my eyes as the students grow in wisdom and understanding. This is the essence and the goal of a classical education.