Memoria Press The Book of Ancient Greeks- A Review – The Delight Directed Homeschooler

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

There are many different philosophies and methodologies in the homeschooling world. If you’ve done much reading or been to any conferences, you’ve likely at least hear the word, “Classical”. During the Renaissance, there was a push to return to the old ways of learning… the classical approach. There was a focused movement to return to the use of classical learning from the Greek and Roman eras. This has carried on and influences the classical model of education found today in many homeschools.

I’m not going to lie. The classical approach has never been my cup of tea. I think it is great and carries much merit, but it has never been a priority for me. However… in my age and (hopefully) wisdom, I have come to appreciate the classical approach and have sought ways to incorporate it into our homeschool. We were recently given the opportunity to review The Book of the Ancient Greeks from Memoria Press. I was pleased to take the opportunity (especially since I am planning to teach ancient history at our homeschool co op next year!).

Memoria Press was founded in 1994 with the vision of providing Classical Christian Educational materials for private and home schools. The seek to promote the classical heritage of the Christian west. You can learn more about their vision and Classical Education HERE.

We are not a classical homeschool, but I do find it easy to incorporate materials from Memoria Press into our rhythm. For the purpose of this review, I received a teacher’s manual, student manual, and student workbook. This set is geared towards middle school- specifically 7th and 8th grade.

The text is written by Dorothy Mills. She wrote several historical texts in the 1920s. Her style of writing is great!

The text covers Crete and the Civilization of the Early Agean World through the Hellenistic Age. Through the text, students learn about the development of democracy. The book reads like a novel and is easy to follow. The text also has illustrations and maps that are helpful to keep the attention of kids who may be more visual.

The teacher’s guide is well thought out and easy to navigate. Each lesson has the following components:

Facts to Know
Vocabulary
Comprehension
Activities

The teacher’s guide also contains unit tests, a final exam, and the answer key.

The student guide is for students to use alongside the main text. Each lesson has corresponding pages to be read in the main text. The student guide mirrors the teacher’s guide in that contains the same components in the lessons. The student guide has blanks to fill in for vocabulary and comprehension questions. The book is broken into four sections with plenty of review.

The Book of The Ancient Greeks would not be a year long program, but more of a Unit Study (in my opinion). It is a great stand alone study or could easily be incorporated into a history program.

Like I said, we are not classical homeschool kind of people, but I can definitely appreciate the approach. As our homeschool changes and evolves, I am always looking to add solid literature and materials. I think Memoria Press has some great things to offer. This year, our family jumped into a local co op. We had done a few classes here and there, but I took a position as a director and teacher so we were much more involved. As I seek to develop classes for the co op, I am always looking for good curriculum.