Hello Hive, Well-Trained Mind Press is in the early stages of revising the book-lists (fiction and non-fiction) in the Activity Book of "The Story of the World, Volume 3." We'll be adding new titles that have come out in the past 15 years (or titles that we missed the first time around!), and deleting some that are so thoroughly out of print that no parent could be expected to find them. We have a plan for doing it that we think will provide a variety of parental viewpoints, and keep any one contributor from getting stuck with too much work. We've divided the book into sections (chapters 1-7, 8-14, etc). Each section would pay a little differently, based on how many books we need to find (you'll notice that some sections need a lot more work than others do). Each contributor can do one, two, or three sections, but no more (to spread the work around). Each section will end up being a combination of the work of two contributors plus our editors. Time Frame: We will ask you to submit a sample list from a particular chapter, to evaluate your abilities. Your full booklists would be due by mid-to-late January of 2019. Here's what we consider a "successfully found" book:- age appropriate - period appropriate - in print (we make occasional exceptions if it's REALLY good) - available in physical form (you can make 1 fiction exception and 1 nonfiction exception per chapter...kindle, etc...but not more than that) - relatively easy to find - write a one-sentence summary like we did in the first edition We will provide a PDF of the original booklist, and a PDF of the actual textbook; we have gone through and crossed out the out-of-print ones or ones we want to delete, and we'll tell you how many fiction and nonfiction books are now needed for each chapter (it's usually between 2 and 8 books needed from each genre). If this interests you, and you feel you could do a good job with it, please contact Justin Moore (justin@welltrainedmind.com) for further information.

Hi all, "Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind," the follow-up to "First Language Lessons," will be available on PDF in just a couple of weeks and in physical form by late September or early October. But we know that many of you are eager to get started, so we're giving away the first six weeks of the curriculum here. This grammar curriculum was formerly known as "Advanced Language Lessons," and you may have heard about it under that title. It consists of a Core Instructor Text (used for all four years), yearly Student Workbooks (the first one is being released now, and #2 is in development), yearly Answer Keys to explain all answers for the Student Workbook, and a Comprehensive Handbook of Rules (a handy reference guide for grammar, useful for all writers of whatever age). The free PDF includes: The first 6 weeks of the Core Instructor Text The first 6 weeks of the Student Workbook for Year 1 The first 6 weeks of the Answer Key for Year 1 (which gives all answers AND thorough explanations) The first part of the Comprehensive Handbook of Rules I'll be available to answer questions in this thread. We will also be releasing explanatory videos in the coming weeks. Follow us on Facebook for updates on that. To answer some possible questions: --Yes, this is good for middle-grade students, but could also be used with high-school students --Yes, it can be pre-ordered on Amazon (but their release dates aren't always accurate) --Yes, some of the sentences in the exercises are drawn from "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" and "The Princess Bride." --Yes, schools and co-ops can get bulk pricing. Contact us at 1.877.322.3445 or order@welltrainedmind.com Again, the first six weeks are available here. Here's a longer description of the curriculum: Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind takes middle-grade or high school students from basic definitions through advanced sentence structure and analysis—all the grammar skills needed to write and speak with eloquence and confidence. This innovative program, by experienced educator Susan Wise Bauer, combines the three essential elements of language learning: understanding and memorizing rules (prescriptive teaching), repeated exposure to examples of how those rules are used (descriptive instruction), and practice using those rules in exercises and in writing (practical experience). Scripted lessons make it possible for any parent or teacher to use the program effectively. Step-by-step instruction takes students from the most basic concepts through advanced grammatical concepts Extensive diagramming exercises reinforce the rules and help technical/visual learners to understand & use the English language effectively. All diagrams are thoroughly explained to the instructor/parent. Examples and exercises are drawn from great works of literature, as well as from well-written nonfiction texts. Regular review is built into each year of work. Core text is designed to be used effectively with students from fifth grade through high school, regardless of background. The program is easily customizable to each student’s strengths and weaknesses. Description of the Program Each year, parents and teachers go through the dialogue, rules, and examples in the Core Instructor Text; students follow along in the Student Workbook. This repetition solidifies the concepts, definitions, and examples in the student’s mind. The Core Instructor Text provides not only rules and examples, but scripted dialogue that makes it possible for any parent or teacher to use the program effectively, along with instructor notes that thoroughly explain ambiguities and difficulties. There will eventually be four Student Workbooks, one for each year (the Year 1 Workbook will be released first). Each Student Workbook contains the same rules and examples—but four completely different sets of exercises and assignments, allowing students to develop a wide-ranging knowledge of how the rules and examples are put to use in writing. Each Student Workbook has its own Key, providing not only answers, but also explanations for the parent/instructor, and guidance as to when the answers might be ambiguous (as, in English, they often are). All of the rules covered, along with the repeated examples for each, are assembled for ongoing reference in the Comprehensive Handbook of Rules. This will become the student’s indispensable guide to writing through high school, into college and beyond.