A Path to Plutarch, Part Three: Teaching Plutarch

 This is the second in a short series of posts I plan to write about teaching Plutarch.  

My first post was about why we even bother teaching Plutarch.  

The second post was about how to begin, including which retellings or beginner stories I like, and how to prepare less experienced students for Plutarch.

Today I will discuss the way I teach Plutarch once my child is old enough to read the North translation.

{a few farm scenes to break up the post: I loved the Christmas lights and snow combo!}

First, a few words of encouragement!

I think that most books teach themselves, if we let them.  You don't need a doctorate in ancient history in order to explore Plutarch with your students.  There are some preparations to make, yes, but going back to college isn't one of them!  In some subjects, it truly is okay to learn alongside your student. 

Also: don't overthink it, don't overcomplicate it, and keep it sustainable.  Anything we do must be sustainable, whether we're homeschooling, exercising, setting up a schedule, or whatever.  If it's not sustainable, it won't last.

The first thing I like to do when preparing to teach one of Plutarch's biographies is to dive into a retelling of that life.  I mentioned last time that I really like Plutarch's Lives for Boys and Girls by W.H. Weston.  This book contains selected lives, but if you're reading a life that is included in this book, I think it's a great way for you, as the teacher, to become familiar with the overall narrative and the character of subject.  But if you're ready to dive right in, simply read the biography you are planning to teach--in the North translation! 

I like to use the Anne White study guides.  You may find them for free here (find the life you wish to read, then click on "study guide with text" next to it), but they're also available for purchase in book form here. One thing I like about these guides is that Anne White has broken each biography down into a dozen or so lessons.  She includes a bit of vocabulary, helpful notes, and some useful questions. She has also already made the "suitable omissions" Charlotte Mason mentions, so you don't need to worry about running into something that is beyond the pale for your 12-year-old to read.  

{Finn's birthday last year}

As you read, take note of important characters mentioned and places described.  I like to find a few maps with these places, and keep them in a page protector in my binder for easy reference during class.  It really helps everyone to be able to see where things were happening!

You may also need to look up and make notes on the pronunciation of difficult names. I stumbled my way through about a year of teaching before it dawned on me that I should prepare my pronunciation ahead of time.  And I took four years of Latin in high school!  Even so, it's great to brush up on how to pronounce tricky names.

If you have more than one student, I think it's imperative that they each have their own copy of Plutarch.  

When beginning a lesson, set the stage by briefly recapping anything you've read before, or--if this is the first time you've read the biography--somehow set the stage by discussing the setting, the era in which the tale takes place, etc.  When I taught Coriolanus, it was quite interesting for us to record his lifetime on a timeline and compare it with Julius Caesar's lifetime.  So often we think "ancient history" is all clumped together into one crumbling era, but Coriolanus lived several hundred years before Julius Caesar.  In order to emphasize this, we compared life in the 21st Century with life in the 17th Century.  Granted, the Industrial Revolution seems to have sped things along, but still.  The changes in fashion, in the world, in politics, in country borders...a lot can happen in a few hundred years. 

I believe it is imperative that you (the adult) read the text, and your students follow along in their own books.  Plutarch is tough.  It's going to be tough for a student to read the text in an engaging way, pronouncing everything correctly, and still understand enough of the story to narrate it.  You read; they read along.  It just works better this way. Read with as much expression as you can, and if that means you need to practice reading ahead of time--do it! It's worth it to inject interest into the story.  (As you grow accustomed to reading Plutarch, this pre-reading will be unnecessary because you'll become more "fluent.") And I do think the students need their own copies!  I began Plutarch by reading aloud while the students in my class listened, but it didn't take me long to figure out that they probably needed the visual assistance a text can provide. My own son has an auditory processing delay, so I am sensitive about this issue.  Once I provided all the students with their own copies of the texts, the narrations took off!  

{we get lots of rainbows around here}

A few tips on narrations: do not expect too much from your students at first. Read short chunks and have them narrate bit-by-bit.  Also, listen attentively! It goes without saying that narration time isn't the time to zone out or check your watch.  The student is working hard when he or she is narrating, and they deserve your full attention. :) 

I know that opinions vary on this point, but if I'm getting absolutely nothing out of a student, I'll switch gears and ask leading questions, or employ the Socratic method. I suppose this is part of my legal training!  I find that once I can draw a little bit out, some discussion can begin--and yes, I count thoughtful discussion as *good* quality narration.  I believe discussion implies some assimilation and ownership. 

You may also employ alternative methods of narration: try a drawing narration, or an acting narration (the latter is especially popular with middle school boys and battle scenes...ask me how I know). 

I keep a running character quality list in my notebook or in the back of the book we are reading.  During each class, I write some of these qualities on the board, and as we read, I welcome students to add to it.  Some of our best discussions spring from looking at these lists.  You can also have students add important dates (such as crossing the Rubicon) to their Book of Centuries, if they keep one. (The Book of Centuries is essentially a timeline of history--on steroids. This is the one we use! I have a copy and Finn has a copy.  Annie will receive one either this fall or next fall.) 

Next time I'll write a little bit about teaching Plutarch in group settings. 

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And in other news: today I finished the first draft of my first book. (Well, the first book I've written since I was 12 years old.)  I printed it and it's sitting in a respectable pile of papers at my side, 94,000 words and ready to be edited.  

I can't believe it!

I finished my book!

A Path to Plutarch, Part Two: Beginnings

 I wrote a little bit about why to study Plutarch, and when, last month. 

So now we'll discuss how to start! 

The way I look at education is by examining the end goal. What's the point?  In citizenship studies, the point is to study the lives of other humans in order to gain wisdom and discernment on how we should live our own lives.  There are plenty of ways to do this. Plutarch is just one.

Right now I have a fourth-grader who is in what I will informally call my "Plutarch Prep Period." Here's the path that I take, and the rough ages of when, to prepare my children:

In the early years of Form 1 (roughly grades 1-3), Charlotte Mason advises that students should read tales, fables, and biographical stories. When I have a very young child, we read Aesop's Fables--such pithy little lessons! We have lots of versions, but the most-used one in our household is the Milo Winter edition.  To get a young-ish child used to narrating, read the story, then act it out.  I used to read my children one of the fables, then give them 5 minutes to grab props and organize themselves.  Their "acting narrations" were hilarious and on-point!  Then we would discuss the fable--what's the lesson here?  Do we feel it's the same lesson that Aesop presented?  

The next book that I enjoy using for younger students is the classic Fifty Famous Stories Retold, by James Baldwin. The stories are short and fairly easy to understand.  For a very young student, I'd go slowly, stop to discuss/narrate often, and keep expectations light.  Annie, who is now in fourth grade/Form 2, can hear an entire story now and narrate it, but we have worked on this skill for a few years.  

By Form 2 (grades 4-6), Mason notes that citizenship is a "definite subject" that centers on the inspiration of good citizenship, as opposed to simple facts about government or civic duty. The book that I like for this age range is Stories from the History of Rome by Mrs. Beesly.  These are, of course, stories based on ancient Roman history, and they're a good way to prepare a child to begin learning about some of the major characters in the ancient world. The stories aren't at all dumbed-down, so most children will need to go slowly and narrate often.  (When my son did this book in co-op, they did a LOT of acting narrations!)  Annie, who is in fourth grade, is still doing the Baldwin book.  I will probably transition her into Mrs. Beesly's book in fifth grade or so.  

The last "intro" book that I like is one that I'm actually using this year with Finn, who is in eighth grade and Form 3.  We are reading selected lives from Plutarch's Lives for Boys and Girls by W.H. Weston. This book goes a step farther than Mrs. Beesly's book about general Roman history; it actually is a retelling of Plutarch for children.  At first I was skeptical, but when I read it, I was impressed.  Lofty language and well-chosen details of each life make this pretty good reading for the student who is inching in the direction of reading North's translation, but isn't quite "there yet."  Last year in our co-op, I used this book because my juniors and seniors in high school had moved on, and I only had a couple of middle schoolers.  Weston's book was perfect! I simply choose two lives per year and focus on those.  We don't try to read it cover-to-cover. 

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As with anything in parenting, choosing when to begin teaching citizenship is highly individualized.  Mason's recommendation is that a child in Form 2--roughly 5th grade--would begin reading Plutarch.  In my own experience, I have found that my children appreciate an easing-in.  Finn was in no way ready for North's translation in 5th grade, and he's a language-loving reader who has been hearing Elizabethan English via Shakespeare since he was tiny!  The Holy Spirit does give us judgment and discernment and direction regarding our own families, and I think it's wise to follow the lead of the Spirit and study your own child.  I have no doubt that some children could tackle Plutarch in late elementary or middle school and flourish.  I also have no doubt that some children would wither. The great thing about being a homeschool parent is that, in general, you make the rules! :) 

Next time, we'll talk about preparing to teach the actual translation of Plutarch's Lives.

(It'll be fun! I promise!)

A Path to Plutarch, Part One: Why and When?

Last week I mentioned that I'm going to create a little series of posts about teaching Plutarch for anyone out there who wants to incorporate this into their homeschool but feels intimidated or lost on how and when to start.  I'm sure there are lots of good resources online about this; I'm just sharing my own thoughts and experiences, and a few bits from Charlotte Mason.

To be frank, I am not sure I would have taught Plutarch at all if it had not been for the fact that my small Charlotte Mason homeschool co-op needed a Plutarch teacher.  There are many things our children can learn; Plutarch wasn't really top on my own list.  But he has moved up in my estimation!

Plutarch lived in the first century and wrote biographies of famous Romans and Greeks. He was born into a prominent, wealthy Greek family, and eventually became a Roman citizen.  His Parallel Lives contain paired biographies of one Greek with one Roman.

First of all: why bother? It's a valid question.

Plutarch, in some ways, is a means to an end.  In the Charlotte Mason model of education, the scope of education encompasses knowledge of God, knowledge of the universe, and knowledge of man; Plutarch is used to facilitate a student's understanding of the "knowledge of man."  We can study human behavior via history, literature, and even the Bible.  Why do people choose what they choose?  How do we assess whether their choices are good or bad?  Are all choices always all good or all bad? 

I'd like to linger on this for a few minutes, because I think recognition of this nuance is often absent in our culture.

I see, more and more, in our current society, a hyper-focus on people as though they are all good or all bad.  We want to categorize other human beings.  We don't always want to acknowledge that a good person can have a flawed belief system, or a deeply-flawed person can do good in the world. 

Interestingly, a reading of the Bible can quickly lead us out of these murky waters.  The Bible is a place where we do find nuance.  We see that humans are inconsistent, flawed, imperfect, and yet can also be deeply loved by God, redeemed, and create good and beautiful things in the world. It's important for me to pass this along to my children.   

So what does Plutarch have to do with this?

Reading Plutarch's biographies is a study in human motivation, character, and behavior.  Charlotte Mason used his works to teach "citizenship".  There are plenty of ways to teach citizenship; Plutarch isn't the only way!  I can envision many options: certain films, various biographies. But Plutarch was what Charlotte Mason used, and I find that his works are an interesting choice.  In addition to providing a biographical sketch of a notable ancient Greek or Roman, Plutarch's works allow us to easily incorporate some geography and ancient history into our days.  I like this!  It's also worth noting that Shakespeare leaned heavily on Plutarch's Lives when he wrote several of his plays, including "Julius Caesar" and "Coriolanus."

So, if we decide to try Plutarch, when should his works be introduced?

In general, it seems Charlotte Mason introduced Plutarch during "Form 2", or roughly around fifth grade. Mason used the North translation, which is written in Elizabethan English.  As a result, I recall Nancy Kelly saying at some point that it's helpful for a student to have at least a year of Shakespeare under his or her belt before beginning the North translation of Plutarch, and I agree that this is a good idea.

As for the age (here's where my own experience comes into the post)....fifth grade was too early for my son, who had been steeped in language, including Shakespeare, for a lot of his childhood.  Sixth grade was also too early, although we struggled through because he was in co-op and that's what we were using!  In seventh grade, I had a few young-ish students, so I taught Plutarch using another version, and that worked much better; we are using the same thing for eighth grade.  Next year--when he's in ninth grade--I will transition him to the North version once again, and I think it'll be a more pleasant experience.  (He probably would have been fine with the North translation this year, but I felt no urgency, and I'm happy with the choices I've made.) I will be interested to see how Annie's Plutarch education goes--she's in fourth grade now!

I think we shouldn't underestimate our children's abilities, and that some children will be ready to read the North translation in late elementary or early middle school.  But I'm also a big believer in using maternal wisdom to discern what is best for our own unique children.  A living book must be living for that child!  So "when" to start Plutarch is going to involve a certain amount of discernment. Don't force it...you may risk frustrating yourself and your child, and souring them on Plutarch.

Next week I'll write a little bit about Beginnings, because one must start somewhere!

A Path to Plutarch

Not too long ago one of my friends asked me a few questions about teaching Plutarch.  Her son is in late elementary school, and according to Charlotte Mason's timeline, it's about time to introduce a bit of Plutarch.

I've been asked to give a couple of talks on Plutarch at a couple of (small) homeschool conferences, and the one sense I always get from mothers at these conferences is that they are straight-up intimidated by teaching Plutarch. I understand that, because I was, too: I barely knew who he was when I began teaching his Lives in our homeschool co-op a number of years ago.  So I'm not an expert; I just have some experience. 

{That's Plutarch! From a Wikipedia photo.}

I thought that I'd write a few blog posts about my own experience teaching Plutarch.  I may quote Charlotte Mason here and there, because in general I do follow her methods and wisdom in our own homeschool. But I've also learned a lot from just teaching Plutarch.  

Here's what I plan to cover in these posts:

Part One: Why? When?

Part Two: Beginnings

Part Three: Teaching Plutarch

Part Four: Group Teaching Tips 

I hope to publish one each Monday in December. 

In the meantime, if you have any questions about teaching Plutarch, or any advice/wisdom of your own to share, do feel free to speak up.  We learn best when we learn from each other!