Dialectic (7th-9th Grade)

Logic forms the second level of Trivium based classical education. Logic is the “why” behind a thought or an argument. We think this is becoming a lost art in our culture and we intend to help recover it. How you might ask? By teaching it as an actual subject (8th grade), but also by teaching students to think critically throughout their entire day at our school.

6th grade at The River Academy marks the transition from the grammar to the logic stage. If you were to come to one of our middle school classrooms you might find the students in a round table discussion or debate over one of the subjects they are studying. Why? Because thinking critically, logically, and with sound reason requires practice. More importantly it requires ownership by the student and the Logic stage is the perfect time to help students begin to own their learning experience. Conveniently it also happens to be when students start to want to debate and argue. Why not teach them to do this with wisdom and eloquence?

You might also view this transition by observing Latin in 5th grade (focused on memorizing of basic vocabulary) to Latin in 6th grade, where students take what they have learned and apply it to our own language by discovering English derivatives of Latin words. By 8th grade, they will begin speaking the language - the ultimate application.