Composition & Grammar

The art of writing matures in Dialectic 2. Building on the analysis and structure refined in earlier years, students now begin to craft essays that move from comprehension to interpretation. Through Write Source – Grade 8 and the literary essays in Omnibus II, they trace themes, study motive, and learn to weave supporting evidence with style and conviction. Literature becomes a conversation partner, guiding them to perceive beauty, virtue, and tension within human stories. Writing assignments include an autobiography, a research project on a Roman emperor, and a poetry analysis—each a window into the student’s growing capacity to observe, reflect, and articulate truth. Poetry and Scripture memorization continue, nurturing eloquence of thought and word alike.  

Texts & Resources: Omnibus II, Using Write Source Grade 8, The Shakespeare Stealer, The Dragon and The Raven, A Sound of Thunder, The Pedestrian, There Will Come Soft Rains, Augustine, Farmer’s Boy of Tagaste, The Hobbit. 

History

History in Dialectic 2 resumes its great cycle—beginning with the Early Church and reaching through the Reformation. Students encounter this era not as distant chronology but as living testimony: the shaping of faith, art, and intellect in the crucible of medieval and early-modern life. They trace how ideas of order, virtue, and creativity rose from centuries of struggle and renewal. Through discussion, character studies, art projects, and presentations, they come to see the Middle Ages and Renaissance not as darkness and light, but as the unfolding of one continuous story of grace and growth.

Texts & Resources:  Famous Men of the Middle Ages, The 100 Most Important Events in Christian History, Rats, Bulls, and Flying Machines, Core Knowledge Foundation, Beowulf, Augustine, Farmer Boy of Tagaste, Henry V, Rule of St. Benedict, The Canterbury Tales, Church History in Plain Language. 

Deductive Logic

This year introduces students to formal logic—the disciplined language of reasoning. Through The Discovery of Deduction, they study both informal and formal logic, exploring terms, propositions, and arguments that reveal how truth coheres. The process trains the mind to see relationships and patterns, to distinguish sound reasoning from fallacy, and to engage ideas with humility and rigor. Logic, at its best, teaches not argument for its own sake but clarity in pursuit of understanding. It invites students to love God with all their minds, perceiving the beauty of order and the integrity of truth.

Texts & Resources: Discovery of Deduction

Latin – Wheelock’s Level 3

In their final year of Latin, students advance through the next nine chapters of Wheelock’s Latin, bringing years of disciplined study to fruition. Translation now becomes a lens for insight—revealing the shared logic and artistry that underlie language itself. Working from Latin to English and English to Latin, students refine vocabulary, syntax, and rhythm while perceiving how language mirrors the reasoning of the mind. Latin’s beauty is honored here not as superior but as one thread within humanity’s grand tapestry of expression. Alongside other tongues, it illuminates the way thought and culture intertwine. Participation in the National Latin Exam serves as a joyful milestone, celebrating both diligence and delight in this noble study.

Texts & Resources: Wheelock’s Latin