Roman Roads Press Blog

Tag: Old Western Culture

The Education of the American Founders

by Daniel Foucachon on Posted on

“Dad had enough gall to be divided into three parts,” opens one of America’s beloved tales, Cheaper by the Dozen, published in 1948. To the audience of the day, this colorful description would evoke a commonplace pun from the ubiquitously read Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars, which opens “All Gaul is divided into three parts” (or Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres as the Latin student would have had to translate). The chances are, neither you nor your children have read Julius Caesar and his famous Gallic Wars. However, your grandparents very likely did, and nearly every educated (certainly college … Continue Reading “The Education of the American Founders”

Why Old Western Culture has no self-graded quizzes

by Daniel Foucachon on Posted on

Several years ago we produced self-grading quizzes for a unit of Old Western Culture as a trial. They worked great, and demonstrated that students were paying attention to the material. But we decided not to publish them. Here is why. While self-grading quizzes can be very useful, especially for subjects like math and language, we wanted to emphasize the “recitation,” or Socratic dialogue use of the workbooks for Old Western Culture. Ideally, the workbooks shouldn’t be used for mere comprehension, even if they accomplish that, but as a jumping point for discussion. Grappling with the questions from the lectures and readings … Continue Reading “Why Old Western Culture has no self-graded quizzes”

Athenian reaction to defeat similar to US reaction to 9/11 terrorist attacks

by Daniel Foucachon on Posted on

In this excerpt from The Histories, part of the Old Western Culture series, a Great Books video course, Wes Callihan shows how the reactions that the Athenians had to a defeat is very similar to other reactions of democracies throughout history, and specifically similar to the reaction of the United States to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001. Thucydides wants us to make these parallels as he explains at the beginning of “The History of the Peloponnesian War.” YouTube version here.

Seconds before dying, Croesus did THIS…

by Daniel Foucachon on Posted on

Welcome to #ClassicalClickbait, incredible stories from antiquity that still astound us today! Follow the Classical Clickbait on Facebook for more #ClassicalClickbait! Herodotus tells us of the story of Croesus, who is bound on a pyre about to be burned alive. Right as the fire is lit, Croesus remembers the words of Solon, and calls out loud, “oh, Solon, Solon – you were right!”. Watch the video to find out what happens next! YouTube version HERE. Want to purchase this video course? Click HERE.

Literature Done Right!

by Daniel Foucachon on Posted on

How is Old Western Culture  “Literature done right”? —It is a CHRISTIAN approach to Literature; it integrates the story of History, Theology, and Philosophy, into THE GREAT STORY. —It is a CLASSICAL approach to Literature, spanning the literary and ideological traditions that have shaped the fabric of our cultural heritage. —It is a HOMESCHOOL approach to Literature: cost effective, structured, flexible, and just as much for parents as for students! Learn the story of Western Civilization from a master storyteller! Old Western Culture: A Christian Approach to the Great Books! Find out MORE.

2015 Great Books Challenge for Parents (and how to earn FREE curriculum)

by Daniel Foucachon on Posted on

Are you giving your kids (or have given them) the classical education you never had? My invitation to you this new year is to dive in yourself! Old Western Culture is for parents too! While it may be daunting to pick up the Great Books and start reading, make 2015 the year you do it YOURSELF, and earn some FREE curriculum in the process! So here is my NEW YEARS CHALLENGE TO PARENTS: As a parent, use our newly released unit of Old Western Culture, The Aeneid, YOURSELF (with your kids if they’re the right age) before May 15th, 2015 UPDATE: EXTENDING DATE … Continue Reading “2015 Great Books Challenge for Parents (and how to earn FREE curriculum)”

Should the time ever come…

by Daniel Foucachon on Posted on

The United States was founded by men who not only knew their classics, but considered them an essential part of who they were, and who we are as a nation. Old Western Culture is designed as a tool to give this heritage to the current and next generation of Christian students (and adults)! “Should the time ever come when Latin and Greek should be banished from our universities and the study of Cicero and Demosthenes, of Homer and Virgil, should be considered as unnecessary for the formation of a scholar, we should regard mankind as fast sinking into an absolute … Continue Reading “Should the time ever come…”

Cathy Duffy's 102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum

by Daniel Foucachon on Posted on

We’re thrilled that the Old Western Culture curriculum will be included in Cathy Duffy’s upcoming book “102 Top Picks“! You can read Cathy Duffy’s online review of Old Western Culture here: HERE.

How do Credits and Transcripts work with Old Western Culture? | Webcast

by Daniel Foucachon on Posted on

I’ve received several questions from parents about how to record Old Western Culture on a transcript, and how much credit it’s worth in terms of completeing high school. I created a 10 min webcast to answer these questions. I hope this helps you, and don’t hesitate to post a question or comment below, or be emailing info@romanroadsmedia.com. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE VIDEO: – A blank high school transcript. Download: Word (RTF)  or PDF– Completed example transcript: PDF OVERVIEW: Old Western Culture is an integrated humanities, double credit high school course. Those credits most often fit into the “Social Studies” category. Depending … Continue Reading “How do Credits and Transcripts work with Old Western Culture? | Webcast”