Composition in the Classical Tradition

First Four Units:

The Narrative
Introduction
Retelling Narratives

• Condensed
• Expanded
• Slanted

The Description
Introduction
Methods of Describing

• Times
• Places
• Actions
• Persons
• Things

Ordering the Details

• Spatial
• Temporal
• Order of Impression

The Fable

Introduction
Retelling Fables

• Expanding -- dialogue
• Expanding -- description
• Expanding -- adding both
• Shortening a Fable
• Inventing a New Fable

Adapting Fables to Given Contexts

• Adding a Moral Tag
• Adding a Fable to a Moral Tag
• Fitting the Fable into the Full Pattern

Proverbs
Introduction
Amplifying Proverbs

• Heaping up Aphorisms
• Giving Examples
• Giving Reasons
• Combining Reasons with Examples
• Developing the Full Pattern

Relating Parts to Whole

• The Three Part Pattern
• The Standard Pattern
• OTher Possibilities

My ideas about what I want him to be able to do:

• Write simple stories -- written narration
• Use examples to support a point
• Generalize a point from an example
• Compile information or ideas from more than one source
• Improve oral narration and ability to discuss
• Research a topic with only a bit of guidance.
• "invent" topics and amplifications
• Condense longer things into shorter
• keep a book of ideas and examples as a source for invention.

Other things to fit in:

• Notetaking and Outlines
• Public Speaking (presentations)
• Summarizing from Notes
• The Precis
• Commonplace Book (copywork topically arranged)
• Research Skills (compiling information from 2 and more sources)
• Style (correlated with grammar -- work on description in relationship to modifiers, etc)
• Developing own topic (invention)
• Writer's notebook
  

Go through his books and make lists of topics to pursue. This is partly dependent upon what he shows an interest in.

References:

• Brave Writer Lifestyle
• Online Writing Lab
• Classical Writing Forum
• Recommended Reading in Rhetoric