"Our aim in education is to give a full life. Life should be all living, and not merely a tedious passing of time; not all doing or all feeling or all thinking - the strain would be too great - but, all living; that is to say, we should be in touch wherever we go, whatever we hear, whatever we see, with some manner of vital interest."
~ Charlotte Mason (1842 – 1923)
LIVING BOOKS, LIVING IDEAS, AND LIVING THINGS
Our curriculum is rich with living books, living ideas, and living things ... ones that foster wonder and delight.
Branches & Vine Cottage School selects the best of living books and original source documents (in lieu of dry textbooks and workbooks). We rely most heavily upon the captivating booklists and resources of AmblesideOnline, Charlotte Mason's own PNEU (Parents' National Educational Union), and Memoria Press.
AO Booklist
Memoria Press
Memoria Press exists to promote and impart the classical heritage of the Christian West. We do this through an emphasis on the liberal arts and the great works of the Western tradition. In order to achieve this goal, we have produced a comprehensive and accessible classical Christian curriculum that encourages the development of wisdom and virtue through a pursuit of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful.
Our curriculum is rich with living books, living ideas, and living things ... ones that foster wonder and delight.
Branches & Vine Cottage School selects the best of living books and original source documents (in lieu of dry textbooks and workbooks). We rely most heavily upon the captivating booklists and resources of AmblesideOnline, Charlotte Mason's own PNEU (Parents' National Educational Union), and Memoria Press.
AO Booklist
Memoria Press
Memoria Press exists to promote and impart the classical heritage of the Christian West. We do this through an emphasis on the liberal arts and the great works of the Western tradition. In order to achieve this goal, we have produced a comprehensive and accessible classical Christian curriculum that encourages the development of wisdom and virtue through a pursuit of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful.
LITERATURE & HISTORY
We desire for our students to explore and enjoy all aspects of a life cultivated by books, stories and ideas. We have fashioned a literature-centered curriculum with chronological history as the pivot upon which our academic year turns.
Each academic year, Branches & Vine Cottage School students focus on three primary branches of learning:
1. World History/Western Civilization - 4-year rotation: Middles Ages to Modern Times
2. Classical Studies - 4-year rotation:
3. American Studies - 3-year rotation: US Geography, Leaders, Inventors, Literature, Documents & Speeches
Our Book of Centuries (timeline), History Notebooks center around:
Rotation 4 (2024-2025) *CURRENT
Western Civilization IV: 20th Century
Classical Studies I: Ancient Civilizations
American Studies III: Presidents, Documents & Speeches, Inventors/Innovators, National Parks
Rotation 1 (2025-2026)
Western Civilization I: Middle Ages & Renaissance
Classical Studies II: Greece
American Studies I: Geography, Leaders, Literature, Documents & Speeches, Inventors, National Parks
Rotation 2 (2026-2027)
Western Civilization II: 1700s
Classical Studies III: Rome
American Studies II: Geography, Leaders, Literature, Documents & Speeches, Inventors, National Parks
Rotation 3 (2027-2028)
Western Civilization III: 1800s
Classical Studies IV: Early Church
American Studies III: Geography, Leaders, Literature, Documents & Speeches, Inventors, National Parks
LITERATURE & HISTORY RESOURCES include:
Ambleside Online, Memoria Press, and PNEU booklists
Original Source Documents
Book of Centuries (timeline books)
Mapwork
History Notebooking
We desire for our students to explore and enjoy all aspects of a life cultivated by books, stories and ideas. We have fashioned a literature-centered curriculum with chronological history as the pivot upon which our academic year turns.
Each academic year, Branches & Vine Cottage School students focus on three primary branches of learning:
1. World History/Western Civilization - 4-year rotation: Middles Ages to Modern Times
- Peasants & Kings: 800s to 1500s
- Patriots & Revolutionaries: 1600s to Late 1700s
- Pioneers & Industrialists: Late 1700s to Late 1800s
- Progressives & Developers: 20th Century
2. Classical Studies - 4-year rotation:
- Ancient Civilizations
- Greece
- Rome
- Early Church (to 800s)
3. American Studies - 3-year rotation: US Geography, Leaders, Inventors, Literature, Documents & Speeches
Our Book of Centuries (timeline), History Notebooks center around:
- Great Men & Women
- Wars, Conflicts, and Political Changes
- Religions, Church History & Christian Worldview
- Great Books
- The Arts: Theatre, Music & Art
- Inventions & Technology
- Daily Life
Rotation 4 (2024-2025) *CURRENT
Western Civilization IV: 20th Century
Classical Studies I: Ancient Civilizations
American Studies III: Presidents, Documents & Speeches, Inventors/Innovators, National Parks
Rotation 1 (2025-2026)
Western Civilization I: Middle Ages & Renaissance
Classical Studies II: Greece
American Studies I: Geography, Leaders, Literature, Documents & Speeches, Inventors, National Parks
Rotation 2 (2026-2027)
Western Civilization II: 1700s
Classical Studies III: Rome
American Studies II: Geography, Leaders, Literature, Documents & Speeches, Inventors, National Parks
Rotation 3 (2027-2028)
Western Civilization III: 1800s
Classical Studies IV: Early Church
American Studies III: Geography, Leaders, Literature, Documents & Speeches, Inventors, National Parks
LITERATURE & HISTORY RESOURCES include:
Ambleside Online, Memoria Press, and PNEU booklists
Original Source Documents
Book of Centuries (timeline books)
Mapwork
History Notebooking
NATURE STUDY
Our Branches & Vine nature study approach incorporates:
Ambleside Online booklists
Nature Journaling
Our Branches & Vine nature study approach incorporates:
- captivating nature lore & poetry
- term nature study emphasis
- nature observation & journaling
- nature walks
- gardening and landscaping projects
- creature care (chickens, fish, small animals, birds and bird feeders)
- nature-based playground, forts, and tree-climbing
- nature-based classrooms (weather-permitting)
- greenhouses and growing centers
Ambleside Online booklists
Nature Journaling
READING & LANGUAGE ARTS
Our Branches & Vine approach to learning to read incorporates generous:
Our Branches & Vine approach to learning to read incorporates generous:
- living books (the Good and the Great Books) woven throughout our day
- phonics-based activities and a rigorous traditional spelling emphasis with proven resources like Traditional Spelling by Memoria Press
- regular independent reading level practice
- small guided reading groups
- plentiful teacher and student read-alouds
- extensive writing in the form of oral and written "narrations" across all content areas
- Charlotte Mason-style language arts learning:
- copywork (penmanship and spelling)
- studied dictation (grammar and spelling)
- word study (vocabulary)
- notebooking (written narrations)
- recitations (oral narration and public speaking)
- progymnasmata
- systematic grammar learning with the excellent Memoria Grammar Catechism
- vocabulary, spelling, and grammar strengthened through systematic study of Latin Grammar and classical language roots
- Speech Meet Week
- Annual Short Story Exhibition
- regular composition classes that use our proven narration framework that reflects the Charlotte Mason approach to developing eloquent and original writers
- Form I: Traditional Spelling (six levels of phonics-based spelling & vocabulary)
- Forms II-V:
- Spelling Wisdom (6,000 most commonly spelled words incorporated into timeless literary passages)
- Progymnasmata (Memoria Press's Classical Composition program)
- Institute for Excellence in Writing (support materials)
- Ambleside Online, Memoria Press Booklists for Independent Reading
CLASSICAL STUDIES & LATIN
CLASSICAL STUDIES RESOURCES include:
Form I: Ancient Myths & Stories, Aesop's Fables, Ancient Tales, D’Aulaires’ Greek Myths, Stories of the Saints
Form II: Ancient Myths, Greek Myths, Famous Men of Greece, Famous Men of Rome, Famous Men of Middle Ages, Story of King Arthur
Form III: Plutarch every year ... plus ... Book of the Ancient Egyptians, The Book of the Ancient Greeks, The Book of the Ancient Romans, Book of the Middle Ages, History of English Literature plus ... Horatius at the Bridge, The Trojan War
Form IV: Plutarch every year ... plus ... the Epic of Gilgamesh, Code of Hammurabi, Book of Job, Iliad, Odyssey, The Aeneid, Greek Plays (Euripides, Sophocles, and Aeschylus), William of Malmesbury's Chronicles of the Kings of England, Dante's Divine Comedy
LATIN
Latin begins in 1st grade, culminating in the translation of Latin literature in grades 9-12. All new students in both the Lower and Upper Forms study age-appropriate resources.
We emphasize the memorization of the Latin Grammar by the time-tested method of oral recitation and form drills, the study of syntax and translation, and reading Latin literature like Caesar, Ovid, and Cicero.
Memorizing the Latin Grammar is a great challenge and thrill for students. The mastery of the grammar greatly enhances English language skills and builds the kind of confidence that comes only from great achievement. There is no substitute for the mental development provided by the study of the Latin Grammar.
LATIN RESOURCES include:
Form I: Song School Latin (Classical Academic Press)
Form II: Latina Christiana and First Form Latin (Memoria Press)
Forms III-V: Henle Latin (Ecclesiastical)
Form I: Ancient Myths & Stories, Aesop's Fables, Ancient Tales, D’Aulaires’ Greek Myths, Stories of the Saints
Form II: Ancient Myths, Greek Myths, Famous Men of Greece, Famous Men of Rome, Famous Men of Middle Ages, Story of King Arthur
Form III: Plutarch every year ... plus ... Book of the Ancient Egyptians, The Book of the Ancient Greeks, The Book of the Ancient Romans, Book of the Middle Ages, History of English Literature plus ... Horatius at the Bridge, The Trojan War
Form IV: Plutarch every year ... plus ... the Epic of Gilgamesh, Code of Hammurabi, Book of Job, Iliad, Odyssey, The Aeneid, Greek Plays (Euripides, Sophocles, and Aeschylus), William of Malmesbury's Chronicles of the Kings of England, Dante's Divine Comedy
LATIN
Latin begins in 1st grade, culminating in the translation of Latin literature in grades 9-12. All new students in both the Lower and Upper Forms study age-appropriate resources.
We emphasize the memorization of the Latin Grammar by the time-tested method of oral recitation and form drills, the study of syntax and translation, and reading Latin literature like Caesar, Ovid, and Cicero.
Memorizing the Latin Grammar is a great challenge and thrill for students. The mastery of the grammar greatly enhances English language skills and builds the kind of confidence that comes only from great achievement. There is no substitute for the mental development provided by the study of the Latin Grammar.
LATIN RESOURCES include:
Form I: Song School Latin (Classical Academic Press)
Form II: Latina Christiana and First Form Latin (Memoria Press)
Forms III-V: Henle Latin (Ecclesiastical)
MATH & SCIENCE
Our Branches & Vine math and science approach incorporates:
Math-U-See Classes (Alpha through Zeta up to Upper Form Math Classes)
Elective Math Curricula (parent-directed when preferred during our morning math period)
Novare Science (or parent-directed science curricula)
Ambleside Online Nature and Science booklists
Our Branches & Vine math and science approach incorporates:
- daily morning math classes that include review, games, manipulatives, and hands-on games
- students have the option of joining our math classes (currently using Math-U-See) or doing preferred math curricula in our supervised Study Hall during math periods
- weekly STEM clubs & electives
- Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry Math Classes (highschool transcript math)
- Novare Science Classes offered for students (ages 11 through 18)
- Yr 1: Astronomy (with labs)
- Yr 2: Earth Science (with labs)
- Yr 3: Biology (with labs for transcript science)
- Yr 4: Physics (with labs for transcript science)
- Yr 5: Chemistry (with labs for transcript science)
Math-U-See Classes (Alpha through Zeta up to Upper Form Math Classes)
Elective Math Curricula (parent-directed when preferred during our morning math period)
Novare Science (or parent-directed science curricula)
Ambleside Online Nature and Science booklists
MUSIC & THEATRE
Branches & Vine is a recognized partner school with the Royal Conservatory of Music. All students are given an option of private music lessons with the additional option of exam preparation and certification (at the Cincinnati Conservatory).
Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) Syllabus
Branches & Vine is a recognized partner school with the Royal Conservatory of Music. All students are given an option of private music lessons with the additional option of exam preparation and certification (at the Cincinnati Conservatory).
- two morning music classes per week that include ensembles, music theory rudiments
- students have the choice of either our strings track or our brass/woodwinds track
- we have four orchestra levels and one brass/woodwinds band
- every student (age 6 and up) learning and playing an instrument
- additional music clubs & electives twice a week that include acoustic guitar groups, songwriters' circle, ukulele, etc.
- three Shakespeare plays studied (and loved) each academic year
- two to three Shakespeare plays performed during our spring Shakespeare Festival Week!
- additional audition-based performance play opportunities
Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) Syllabus
SPREADING THE FEAST ... with our Chapels and R&R Publication!
Our daily chapels and Branches & Vine weekly publication also provide rich content that help students become well-rounded individuals:
Our daily chapels and Branches & Vine weekly publication also provide rich content that help students become well-rounded individuals:
- Hymns, Scripture Songs, Folk Songs
- Monthly Habit Focus through Scripture and Tales
- Scripture Memory Work by Term: Parables, Passages & Psalms
- Composer Study
- Artist Study
- Poetry Study
- Nature Study
- American Studies
- Map Study
- Bible Survey
- Classical Studies: Major Heroes - Hercules, Perseus, Jason, Theseus
- Shakespeare
- Phonics/Spelling & Studied Dictation Selections
- Latin Vocab
- Grammar Catechism
B&V UPPER FORM CLASSES:
- *PRIME SOLVERS (Math Class; four mornings)
- *PARCHMENTS & PLATFORMS (Composition Class)
- *PSALMS & PRAISES (Music Class)
- *PROFICIENCIES OF LATIN (Latin Class)
- *PHILOSOPHERS & WORLDVIEW THINKERS (Worldview Class)
- *PRECEPTS (Bible Classes)
- *LITERARY PERSPECTIVES (Morning Great Books Class)
- *PILLARS OF CIVILIZATION (Classical Studies Class)
- *PATRIOTS & PENS (American Government Class)
- *COMPASS POINTS (Geography Class)
- *PROFILES IN COURAGE (Biography Class)
- PASSAGES (Afternoon Literature Class)
- PATHWAYS OF NATURE (Nature Study Class)
- PIONEER SCIENCE SOCIETY (Highschool Science Class)
- PAGEANT OF HISTORY (Chronological/Original Source History Class)
- PHRASES & PLACES (Spanish Class)
- PLAYWRIGHTS (Shakespeare Class)
- CLUBS & ELECTIVES (Afternoon Clubs span a variety learning areas that include: Practical Life Skills, Strategy, Nature Study/Science, Fine Arts, Language & Culture, Athletics; T/Th afternoons)
- STUDY HALL (for students who want to work ahead on home assignments)
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Form I Booklists (sample from prior year):
Book of Psalms and Proverbs Child's Story Bible (Vos) This Country of ours (Marshall) The Story of the World Volumes 3-4 (Bauer) Poetry of Robert Louis Stevenson, A.A. Milne, James Whitcomb Riley Aesop Fables (Winter edition) Beatrix Potter Treasury (Potter) Our Island Story (Marshall) Fifty Famous Stories Retold (Baldwin) James Herriot's Treasury (Herriot) Winnie The Pooh (Milne) Dr. Dolittle (Lofting) Grimm's Fairy Tales Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare Charlotte's Web King of the Wind (Henry) Along Came a Dog (De Jong) Pocahontas (D'Aulaire) Benjmain Franklin (D'Aulaire) Leif the Lucky (D'Aulaire) Little House on the Prairie Series Stories of the Saints (Wallace) Parables of Nature (Gatty) A Drop of Water (Wick) Pagoo (Holling) Great Musical Works of Ravel, Vivaldi, Mozart Great Art Works of Titian, Constable, Van Gogh Math-U-See (or other math curricula) Traditional Spelling (Memoria) Song School Latin (Classical Academic Press) Royal Conservatory of Music Syllabus Suzuki Violin (for violinists) |
Form II Booklists (sample from prior year):
Book of Psalms and Proverbs Job to Malachi (New King James Version) This Country of ours (Marshall) Abraham Lincoln's World (Foster) Poetry of Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg, John Greeleaf Whittier Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales Wizard of Oz (Baum) Carry On Mr. Bowditch (Latham) Black Beauty (Sewell) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Dahl) Johnny Tremain (Forbes) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Irving) The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Lewis) Paul Revere's Ride (Longfellow) Caddie Woodlawn (Brink) Rip van Winkle (Irving) The Incredible Journey (Burnford) Rifles for Waitie (Keith) Famous Men of the Middle Ages (Haaren, Poland) Shakespeare Plays: The Winter's Tale, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream The Ocean of Truth (McPherson) The Storybook of Science (Fabre) Mrs. Frisby and the Rats (P'Brien) The Railway Children (Nesbit) My Side of the Mountain (George) Kim (Kipling) Hans Brinker: Silver Skates (Mapes) Heidi (Spyri) Great Musical Works of Ravel, Vivaldi, Mozart Great Art Works of Titian, Constable, Van Gogh Math-U-See (or other math curricula) Traditional Spelling (Memoria) Spelling Wisdom (Shafer) Latina Christiana and First Form Latin (Memoria) Royal Conservatory of Music Syllabus |
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Form III Booklists (sample from prior year):
Book of Psalms and Proverbs 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Joshua & Judges, 1, 2, 3 John & James More Than a Carpenter (McDowell) Live Your Truth and Other Lies (Childers) This Country of ours (Marshall) The Great Republic (Guerber) A History of England (Arnold-Forster) Poetry of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, John Keats, Oxford Book of English Verse Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery) Oliver Twist (Dickens) Age of Chivalry (Bulfinch) Of Courage Undaunted (Daugherty) The Silver Chair (Lewis) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Irving) A Christmas Carol (Dickens) Paul Revere's Ride (Longfellow) The Magician's Nephew (Lewis) Treasure Island (Stevenson) Rip van Winkle (Irving) Around the World in Eighty Days (Verne) Goodbye Mr. Chips (Hilton) Book of the Middle Ages (Miller) History of English Literature (Marshall) Age of Chivalry (Bulfinch) Plutarch's Lives: Alcibiades, Coriolanus, Cato the Younger Great Musical Works of Ravel, Vivaldi, Mozart Great Art Works of Titian, Constable, Van Gogh Math-U-See (or other math curricula) Henle Latin It Couldn't Just Happen (Richards) The Elements of Style (Strunk) Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation Spelling Wisdom (Shafer) Royal Conservatory of Music Syllabus |
Form IV/V Booklists (sample from prior year):
Book of Psalms and Proverbs 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Joshua & Judges, 1, 2, 3 John & James How Should We Then Live? (Schaeffer) More Than a Carpenter (McDowell) History of the English Speaking Peoples (Churchill)
Original Source Documents & Speeches Poetry of Coleridge, Browning, Emerson, and Whitman Pride and Prejudice (Austen) Lord of the Flies (Golding) The Man Who Was Thursday (Chesterton) Divine Comedy (Dante) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Stevenson) The Picture of Dorian Gray (Wilde) Silas Marner (Eliot) Great Expectations (Dickens) Red Badge of Courage (Crane) The Grand Inquisitor (Dostoyevsky) Out of the Silent Planet (Lewis) Perelandra (Lewis) That Hideous Strength (Lewis) The Open Boat (Crane) The Early Church (Chadwick) Bede's Ecclesiastical History (Bede) Walden (Thoreau) Plutarch's Lives: Alcibiades, Coriolanus, Cato the Younger Great Musical Works of Ravel, Vivaldi, Mozart Great Art Works of Titian, Constable, Van Gogh Math-U-See (or other math curricula) Henle Latin On Writing Well (Zinsser) The Elements of Style (Strunk) English Handbook (Rod & Staff) Spelling Wisdom (Shafer) Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation Vocabulary from the Classical Roots Royal Conservatory of Music Syllabus |
You may ask ... "WHY WE RECOMMEND VIOLIN?"
Learning to play stringed instruments offers unique benefits! Both the Athenians and the Spartans recognized that true education was not complete apart from stringed instrument learning.
Physical Benefits of Learning the Violin
Physical benefits include development of hand strength, dexterity, coordination and balance, posture, fine motor skills, upper body strength, muscle tone, muscle stimulation, and endurance. These are all incredibly important tools central to learning.
Mental Benefits from Playing the Violin
The mental benefits of playing violin, or music in general, are impressive. Learning to play and read music has proven to deepen communication, reading, writing, math understanding, and memorization skills. Those who learn to play music generally enjoy higher test scores and better school performance than those who don’t. Learning the violin helps students to have better focus, higher mental processing speeds, and greater working memory capacity.
Learning violin also especially enhances a person's tonal awareness that translates well to other music instrument expressions and life-long enjoyment down the road.
Social Benefits of Learning the Violin
There are also countless emotional and social benefits to learning violin. Music is indeed a language, and this
nonverbal communication can lead to a strong sense of belonging with other individuals while playing and
performing together. The inherent social activity of participating in an ensemble offers a venue to make friends, fellowship together, and enjoy shared interests with others for a lifetime. Involvement in performance builds confidence, rapport, and treasured memories with others.
From building life skills like listening, follow-through, cooperative learning, and attention to detail ... to developing advanced brain functions and improving performance on so many levels, the benefits of playing violin are immeasurable.
Learning to play stringed instruments offers unique benefits! Both the Athenians and the Spartans recognized that true education was not complete apart from stringed instrument learning.
Physical Benefits of Learning the Violin
Physical benefits include development of hand strength, dexterity, coordination and balance, posture, fine motor skills, upper body strength, muscle tone, muscle stimulation, and endurance. These are all incredibly important tools central to learning.
Mental Benefits from Playing the Violin
The mental benefits of playing violin, or music in general, are impressive. Learning to play and read music has proven to deepen communication, reading, writing, math understanding, and memorization skills. Those who learn to play music generally enjoy higher test scores and better school performance than those who don’t. Learning the violin helps students to have better focus, higher mental processing speeds, and greater working memory capacity.
Learning violin also especially enhances a person's tonal awareness that translates well to other music instrument expressions and life-long enjoyment down the road.
Social Benefits of Learning the Violin
There are also countless emotional and social benefits to learning violin. Music is indeed a language, and this
nonverbal communication can lead to a strong sense of belonging with other individuals while playing and
performing together. The inherent social activity of participating in an ensemble offers a venue to make friends, fellowship together, and enjoy shared interests with others for a lifetime. Involvement in performance builds confidence, rapport, and treasured memories with others.
From building life skills like listening, follow-through, cooperative learning, and attention to detail ... to developing advanced brain functions and improving performance on so many levels, the benefits of playing violin are immeasurable.
All applicants and BVCS parents are expected to have read: For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay and In Vital Harmony by Karen Glass. Our families must be supportive of classically-based Charlotte Mason principles and methods to ensure that your hopes for your children resonate with our vision and priorities for B&V, and are in keeping with the philosophical distinctives of our work.
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Branches & Vine Cottage School is a four-day Charlotte Mason/Classical Cottage School walking alongside families located in Dayton, Ohio.
Abiding in Christ and His Word, aligning with Charlotte Mason’s classically-based principles, and partnering alongside parents ... we spread a rich and varied feast of a life-giving education (truth, goodness, beauty) through three-fold knowledge with deepening relationships (God, humanity, universe). Our three instruments of education are atmosphere, discipline, and life. This is to be used by the Holy Spirit in transforming students to genuinely love the Lord and others, lead gracious and flourishing lives of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, and bear much fruit for His glory. (Deut 6:4-9, Prov. 24:3-4; John 15:1-11) |
“I am the VINE, you are the BRANCHES. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." John 15:5
A 501c3 educational ministry initiative of Calvary South Dayton |