History and Biblical Narrative Centered Curriculum
“Education is the science of relations,” as Charlotte Mason said. All education aims to give the students a sense of their proper “fit” in the world.
Modern education operates as a factory
that produces good employees. In that system, students learn that they fit in the world as a cog fits in a machine. We think that’s a terrible lesson to learn, and we want something better for our children. At Hammersmith, we form students who love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, who love their neighbors well, who imitate Jesus as priest, king, and prophet, and are skilled at continual learning.
Instilling that identity and those loyalties is our central task, and our principal vehicle is story. The backbone of our curriculum is history and biblical narrative: by learning and reflecting on the true story of their world, students come to know their place in it.
As it turns out, this approach has far-reaching effects. As human beings, we make hundreds of decisions every day, and we don’t have time to subject each choice to careful reasoning. Rather, we make the vast majority of decisions intuitively, from the gut, based on the story we believe we are living in and who we are in that story. By situating our students in the true story of the world, we give them a proper sense of their place in time, space, and story that instills proper habits of behavior.
Enacting the Story
Of course, a merely cognitive grasp of the story and our place in it is not enough. Stories are not just told in history books; they are enacted through art, music, and literature. At Hammersmith, our students learn to love the best artwork and music of history. They learn to sing the songs of the Bible. They learn to be fruitful citizens, people who make — make art, handcrafts, food, poetry, music.
Exploring the Whole World
From the strong center of the story, expressed in storytelling as well as in art, literature, and making, we branch out to explore the world God has given us in math, science and nature, writing, and more.
| Subject | School | Home |
|---|---|---|
| History | Full history curriculum and timeline memory | Supplement with reading, map-work |
| Bible | Full Bible curriculum with Bible Chant memory, and Psalm and Hymn memory | Supplement with family devotions and singing |
| Artist and Composer Study | Regular artist and composer study | Supplement as desired |
| Nature Study | Regular nature study and journaling | Supplement as needed |
| Writing | Full writing curriculum | Homework required, can be supplemented at home |
| Singing | Full singing program, folk music at younger ages and harmony and music reading for the older students | Practice required at home |
| Math | Supplemented when possible | Parents to customize math curriculum for each child |
| Literature | Partial literature curriculum | Supplement at home |
| Reading | Supplemented by in class reading and narration | Parent to customize reading curriculum for each child |
| Writing | Supplemented with regular copy-work (younger kids) and essay writing (older kids) | Parents to customize writing curriculum for each student |
| Handcrafts | Occasional handcrafts | Parents to implement regular handcrafts |