Phase 1: Grammar

Grades 2-5

Phase one serves as the foundation of the Trivium model. Children are full of curiosity and a thirst for knowledge. Like little sponges, they are able to learn and retain a wealth of information. We capitalize on this through creative activities, imaginative training, and critical memorization. This phase correlates to the “roots” of the classical tree.

Phase 2: Logic

Grades 6-8

In grades 6 through 8, we take the foundation that was laid in the Grammar phase and begin to explore it. This is the “trunk” and “branches” of the classical tree.  At this stage of development, children are naturally argumentative, not in a negative way, but in an explorative way. It’s not enough to simply know information; they want to know the “why” behind information. We capitalize on this inclination through interactive discussions, inquisitive projects, training in formal logic, and the art of critical thinking.

Phase 3: Rhetoric

Grades 9-12

Phase three correlates to the flourishing leaves and fruit of the classical tree. Once students reach high school, we are in the rhetoric stage of classical education. As teenagers, students become far more self-aware and conscious of how they are viewed and what they are communicating, and we tailor their education accordingly. At this point they are not just learning truth; they are owning it as their own though internalization, application, and communication. The culmination of the rhetoric phase is the senior thesis. Students thoroughly research a topic, craft a persuasive hypothesis, and then argue their thesis before a panel of experts.