Combining Diogenes books

[mneeltenn]

We have just started using CW. I am using Aesop with the fourth and fifth grade sons, Aesop & Homer with the seventh grade son, and I am changing programs with a tenth grade son. It is the tenth grade son I need some help with. He does not need to review the material in Aesop & Homer, but he isn't solid on the information in Diogenes, though it is not his first exposure. How might I combine the two books of Diogenes, as is done with Aesop & Homer, to give him time to complete Intermediate Poetry and Herodotus? I am hoping to have time for at least part of Plutarch.

He is a very deligent student.

[KathyWeitz]

You can certainly combine Maxim and Chreia for a 10th grader. I just taught this combined class at Classical Writing Tutorials over 29 weeks, and it worked very well. I did allot about 2/3 of the year to Chreia, so covered Maxim at a pretty fast clip. Basically for Maxim, we covered about 2 weeks worth of work each week, and for Chreia, about 1 1/2 weeks of work each week. Generally, I had the students work on a writing project for 2 weeks instead of just one. Everyone in the class did very well.

Hope this helps!!
Kathy

[mneeltenn]

I finished reading through the books last night trying to figure this out on my own. I concluded that I could get Maxim in him in about 10 weeks and Chreia in 20 by reducing the number of writing assignments, number of sentences shuffled, etc. My reconfiguration doesn't exactly match yours, but I'm relieved to know that this worked well.

I had considered completely skipping certain parts, as an example, memorizing the parts of the five paragraph essay and instead focusing on the types of paragraphs. He already knows the parts of the essay, and many other things, so I had planned verbal confirmation followed by a lesson only if needed. I think this could reasonably reduce the time needed in Maxim to only 7 or 8 weeks, though he may have learned more from Skills for Rhetoric than I thought.

I do not currently own a copy of Herodotus. I understand that all the material in Diogenes is important and foundational, but is there something key that students often have trouble with that prevents success with Herodotus?

[KathyWeitz]

It sounds like you have a good plan. As far as memorizing the parts of the essay, it comes naturally if they have been constantly reviewing the paragraph types and arrangement of the maxim essay (I reviewed this with my class each week), so yes, things like that can take far less time and very often be done verbally, particularly if you have read ahead and can explain it to your student more quickly.

As far as preparation for Herodotus, Maxim and Chreia are the best preparation! If you are consistently having your student revise his essays and using the editing checklists to catch areas that may be weak, your student will be adequately prepared for Herodotus.

[mneeltenn]

Thanks Kathy.