Wield words well.
Wield words well.
Embedded Files
Fall/Spring 2025-26 classes
Fall/Spring 2025-26 classes
Registration open now!
Registration open now!
* Please note recent time changes for some classes! *
Adventures in Writing
Adventures in Writing
(3rd-5th, online)
Explore a wide variety of fascinating subjects in Adventures in Writing! In this theme-based writing curriculum, students write about adventurous topics such as Roman hoplites, tornadoes, Leif Eriksson, and other interesting subjects while they learn to write with the Structure and Style® writing method. Offering a full year of instruction for students in 3rd grade, these lessons cover seven of the nine IEW Units. Includes one novel unit.
Literature selection: Ben and Me
Thursdays, 10:00-11:00 a.m. PST (online) ** day/time change
Meets September 11 - May 21
Tuition (4 or more students): $400/semester; payable $80 monthly
Tuition (private class, 2-3 students): $500/semester; payable $100 monthly
U.S. History-Based Writing
U.S. History-Based Writing
(6-8th, online)
(6-8th, online)
Travel back in time to early United States history! This theme-based writing curriculum allows students to delve into the excitement of explorers, battles, land expansion, famous ships, and founding fathers while learning to write with the Structure and Style® writing method.
Includes two novel studies:
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
The Sign of the Beaver
Wednesday 1-2:30 p.m. (in person, Wilsonville) ** just added
Thursdays 11:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. PST (online) **Time change
September 10 - May 21
Tuition (4 or more students): $720/yr; payable $80 monthly
Tuition (private class, 2-3 students): $900/yr; payable $100 monthly
Literature & The Lost Tools of Writing
(6th-8th, in person)
High school students welcome, too!
In this class, we will pair quality fiction with persuasive essays. Every writer - no matter how experienced - has to invent ideas, organize those ideas clearly, and express them effectively. The three canons of classical rhetoric - Invention, Arrangement, Elocution - do this. Students will also learn literary terms and maintain a literary response journal.
Literature selections include* (selections may change):
I, Juan de Pareja
The Trumpeter of Krakow
Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze
The King's Fifth
Johnny Tremain
Moccasin Trail
Rifles for Watie
The Giver
*Some selections may contain distinctly Christian content
Tuesdays 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. PST (in person, Wilsonville)
**day/time/place change
September 9 - May 19
Tuition (4 or more students): $400/semester; payable $80 monthly
Tuition (private class, 2-3 students): $500/semester; payable $100 monthly
SSS Year 1 Level C plus Literature & The Lost Tools of Writing combined! *New!*
SSS Year 1 Level C plus Literature & The Lost Tools of Writing combined! *New!*
(9-12th, online)
For the first half of the year, Using the acclaimed IEW Structure and Style approach, students will enjoy writing about perilous pirates, wacky perfume ingredients, cheeky chimpanzees, a faithful priest, and a famous pirate author. Students will practice writing solid paragraphs leading to formal reports, essays, and critiques. Includes three novel studies.
Literature selections*:
"A Christmas Carol" (pdf)
Julius Caesar
Treasure Island (if time allows)
During the second half of the year, we will pair quality fiction with persuasive essays. Every writer - no matter how experienced - has to invent ideas, organize those ideas clearly, and express them effectively. The three canons of classical rhetoric - Invention, Arrangement, Elocution - do this. Students will also learn literary terms and maintain a literary response journal.
Literature selections include* (selections may change):
The King's Fifth
Johnny Tremain
Moccasin Trail
Rifles for Watie
The Giver
*Some selections may contain distinctly Christian content
Thursdays, 1-2:30 p.m. PST (online) ** day/time change
September 11 - May 21
Tuition (4 or more students): $720/yr; payable $80 monthly
Tuition (private class, 2-3 students): $900/yr; payable $100 monthly
Great Books of American Literature* ♱
Great Books of American Literature* ♱
(9th-12th, online)
(9th-12th, online)
What is the chief purpose of man?
What is the purpose of government?
Where does the idea of equality come from?
What role do we play in ensuring life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans?
Should people engage in revolution to enact change?
What does it mean to be a leader?
What is the purpose of human expression?
How does literature affect a culture?
Course Overview:
Get ready for a whirlwind year of radical reading and writing! This year we'll be encountering revolutionaries, romantics, and realists as we examine the ideas and literature of early America, the American revolution, the Civil War, and the Civil Rights Movement.
Great Books is an honors-level class that incorporates historic primary documents, quality literature, and various essay writing skills. This is a gently challenging course for those who want a superior, classical education. Together, we will discover the ideas contained in the Great Books of American Literature that have shaped Western civilization and filter these ideas through the lens of Scripture.
The emphasis of the class will be to annotate literature and share in class discussions. Based on notes and discussions centered on essential life questions, students will demonstrate understanding of themes as they learn to construct a variety of essays designed to encourage a modern culture to engage with and embrace timeless lessons from classic literature. Types of essays include: Definition, Persuasive, Expository, Narrative, Literary and Poetry Analysis, Comparison, and creation of an original poem.
Literature selections/excerpts include*:
Plimouth Plantation; The Scarlet Letter; Common Sense; The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution; The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin; The Last of the Mohicans; Walden, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass; Uncle Tom's Cabin; The Killer Angels; Tom Sawyer; The Great Gatsby; Of Mice and Men; and selected short stories and American poetry.
(*Note - selections may change)
Course Duration: 34 weeks, 221 hrs. (1.5 hrs./wk. in class + 5 hrs./wk. reading, writing, and revising at home)
Equivalent to 1.5 credits for transcript.
Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. PST (online)
September 10 - May 20
Tuition (4 or more students): $720/yr; payable $80 monthly
Tuition (private class, 2-3 students): $900/yr; payable $100 monthly
♱ some selections contain distinctly Christian content
*some selections contain mature themes
Classes may be subject to day/time change or cancellation depending on enrollment.
*Note: Great Books classes may contain mature themes
♱ Note: some classes contain distinctly Christian content or a biblical worldview
Grades 3 - 5
(Grammar Stage)
Grades 3 - 5
(Grammar Stage)
The stage where children build foundational knowledge. Students often think in concrete terms, repetition, and memorization. Vocabulary, word lists, and drills through games are valuable weapons!
Grades 6 - 8
(Dialectic Stage)
Grades 6 - 8
(Dialectic Stage)
The strategic stage where students begin to ask questions and compare and contrast to understand how knowledge relates to other knowledge. Theme-based writing is a powerful tool at this level.
Grades 9 - 12
(Rhetoric Stage)
Grades 9 - 12
(Rhetoric Stage)
The stage when foundational knowledge and critical thinking skills have armed students with the arsenal to engage in reasoned debates, persuasive writing and literary analysis.
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