ASSOCIATION of CLASSICAL & CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS

A Classical Approach Pro-gym-nas-what?

by Amy Kim, The Oaks: A Classical Christian Academy
to Writing . . .
NOTES When I first began teaching at and any examples I had were either
1. Whether learning through the Oaks Academy, I was not only clunky and formulaic or difficult
process theory or modern transitioning from twelve years to comprehend because of their
composition theory. at home with my children, but ancient language conventions.
also transitioning from teaching Over the next year, my
2. Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria,
in the public school system. colleagues and I spent a
Book II, Chapter 5, http://
Some parts of my newfound considerable amount of time
penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/
Roman/Texts/Quintilian/
job description were familiar rethinking our goals for writing
Institutio_Oratoria/home.html. to me: grammar and literature education at the Oaks as well
would be taught similarly to as the best means to accomplish
3. Comparison, contrast, cause and my previous experience. On the those goals. At what ages, we
effect, description, and explication.
other hand, when I was told that wondered, would the different
4. Narrative, descriptive, I would be teaching writing by steps of the progymnasmata be
expository, and argumentative. utilizing the progymnasmata, I most effective? At what grade
5. Donald M. Murray, “Teach was at a loss. What exactly was should the process begin? How
Writing as a Process, Not progymnasmata?1 My department could we develop fluency with the
Product,” in Cross-Talk in head gave me a list of the fourteen progymnasmata in our secondary
Comp Theory: A Reader, 2nd steps of the progymnasmata and scope and sequence? A watershed
ed., ed. Victor Villanueva their respective elements, which point came when we began
(Urbana, IL: National Council was somewhat helpful, but I still conferencing with Mrs. Cindy
of Teachers of English, 2003). struggled to understand these Marsch (Writing Assessment
6. The essay portion of the writing exercises. What did they Services, ACCS member since
ACT and SAT are optional. look like in “real life”? Where could I 1997) and commissioned her to
Only those students who think find examples of them? How could I help us adapt her progymnasmata
they can write spend another incorporate them into my teaching materials for use at the Oaks.
hour completing the essays. in a comprehensive fashion? Why As a result of this philosophical
7. I am aware of at least should writing be taught this and practical refining, the Oaks
one writing curriculum that way? I had no idea how to tackle writing curriculum now includes
extends the rhetorical canon this strange “new” approach. progymnasmata instruction in
of invention down into the What followed included hours grades three through ten, with
logic and grammar stages. spent on the internet, trying to find eleventh- and twelfth-graders
8. http://www.leeds.ac.uk/classics/ examples of the progymnasmata employing the progymnasmata as
resources/rhetoric/prog-aph.htm and examples of teaching materials. needed for rhetoric assignments.
I endeavored to incorporate into Formal writing instruction begins
9. Aristotle, The Rhetoric and
our literature study the steps of with third- to sixth-graders
the Poetics of Aristotle, trans.
Rhys Robers and Ingram the progymnasmata which I had focusing on fable and narrative.
Bywater (Columbus, OH: been assigned to teach my seventh In grades seven through ten,
McGraw-Hill, 1984), 2. and eighth graders. I began to we introduce the remaining
understand the place of the exercises along with outlining and
10. Cicero, Rhetorica Ad
progymnasmata in the Trivium traditional five-paragraph essay
Herennium, trans. Harry Caplan
as a tool for building skilled form. In each grade we review
(Cambridge, MA: Harvard
rhetoricians.2 And yet, I still found the previous progymnasmata
University Press, 1958), II.I.1
myself struggling to make writing exercises in order to help students
11. Aristotle, The Rhetoric, Rhys instructions with these forms become fluent with them. We have
Roberts (New York: Modern meaningful and effective. The also decided to teach some of the
Library / Random House: 1984),
exercises seemed difficult, if not progymnasmata “out of order”
62 (Book 1, ch. 9, 1368a.10ff).
impossible, to tie to the literature, to better coincide with other
12. Aphthonius, Progymnasmata,
trans. Malcolm Heath, http:// Amy Kim teaches 7th & 8th grade language arts at The Oaks:
www.leeds.ac.uk/classics/ A Classical Christian Academy in Spokane, WA. The Oaks is an
resources/rhetoric/prog-aph.htm ACCS-accredited school.
13. Ibid. SPRING 2011
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 ASSOCIATION of CLASSICAL & CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS

Pro-gym-nas-what? . . .
elements of our instruction as about a week ago Joseph made me Macbeth, though insane, shows
well as student development.3 For a little jealous. As we walked to my Shakespeare’s godly wisdom when
instance, since our students begin father’s tent, Israel came running she says that one’s deeds cannot
logic instruction in eighth grade, we out of the purple cloth that served be changed, no matter how much
postponed confirmation/refutation as a door. He held a magnificent one regrets having done them.
instruction until ninth grade. robe of various colors and all our Lady Macbeth knows that things
Here is an abbreviated look at eyes were drawn to it. To our like murder cannot be reversed
our scope and sequence across the dismay, Israel gave Joseph the once committed and knows so
grades, focusing on the placement robe. I envied him, but I think my because her conscience, even in
of newly taught exercises: brothers despised him. They began her sleep, has been afflicted by
whispering horrible things about her murder of King Duncan: she
Grades 3-6: Fable, narrative
him and almost started a riot.” says this while sleepwalking.”
Grade 7: Maxim, chreia,
In another instance, after Last spring, our end-of-the-
characterization (as a
condensing and expanding the year culminating activity found
speech-in-character
Grade 8: Encomium/ fable, “The Fox, the Ass, and students writing and delivering
invective, comparison, the Lion,” students retold it in speeches-in-character as the
description another setting, using human various characters from the year’s
Grade 9: Confirmation/ characters instead of the original literature. This required students
refutation,common animal characters. In the following to attend to the plot details and
topic sample, the fox and the ass become to consider the character’s speech
Grade 10: Thesis, for/ juvenile pranksters, while the lion patterns (word choice) as well
against laws is the boys’ school administrator: as that character’s particular
Along with teaching the “Monster Moor and Goblin perspective within the story.
progymnasmata forms, Fester haunted the halls of When they gave their speeches
Mrs. Marsch’s approach also Evergreen Elementary School orally, students also practiced
incorporates classical tools like for six long years. Their rhetorical elements of delivery.
imitation. For example, when partnership had proved to be a Here is an excerpt from an eighth-
writing fable or narrative, troublesome problem for Mrs. grade student’s characterization
students are given excerpts from Pratt, Evergreen’s principal. of Bertie Wooster from PG
excellent literature as source Somehow the boys always Wodehouse’s Joy in the Morning
material. Utilizing the principle of managed to evade detection, (which he delivered in a suit and
imitation, students first condense although they traumatized the tie while using a British accent):
the original narrative passage, school with constant pranks.” “Engaged?! Again?! And to
working to retain its narrative Through these kinds of Florence Cray of all the pie-faced
core (the who? what? when? processes, students learn to adapt females?! Now, mind you, I did
where? why? and how?), then the elements of the progymnasmata not ask for this, but due to an
expand their condensed versions, to suit different rhetorical goals. unfortunate set of past events,
adding in meaningful details. We also endeavor to connect she finds it necessary to bung
After completing those steps, they progymnasmata and literature to my side and announce our
might use one of various narrative instruction. For instance, engagement. The old heart bleeds
slants to rework the text. 4 In when teaching maxim (proverb for all the men she has lured in,
this example, the student writer amplification), I have found it and I squirm like a worm on a hook
retells a biblical narrative (Gen. helpful either to draw a proverb at the thought of a man actually
37:2-11) from the perspective of from literature we are reading or to going through with the marriage.”
Joseph’s older brother Reuben: use the literature selection as the As I grow in my comfort with
“My dear brother, Joseph, example within an amplification. the progymnasmata, I continue to
is my younger sibling and the Here is a portion of a student’s see more ways to integrate them
favorite of my father, Israel. I maxim from Macbeth, written with literature instruction and
have always loved him and have after we read Shakespeare’s play: comprehension. Description can
ignored the many gifts that have “ ‘What’s done cannot be be used to draw out the details
been showered on him, although undone.’ Lady Macbeth, 5.1. Lady from a particular scene in a novel
or play and to emphasize the
Volume XVIiI Number 1
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 ASSOCIATION of CLASSICAL & CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS

Pro-gym-nas-what? . . .
importance of “showing” versus of fronts. Becoming a student not labor in the hope that the skills
“telling” language. Encomium/ only required me to carefully work students develop through the
invective (praise/blame) is useful through my understanding of the progymnasmata will be tools for
for highlighting the admirable or exercises,5 but my written pieces them to use later on when they
negative qualities of particular have also served as a classroom are inventing and delivering
characters in literature, while resource, providing a model for my persuasive essays and speeches.
comparison can be As D’Angelo states
u s e d t o c o n s i d e r Resources: The following include some of the resources in his preface to
t w o d i f f e r e n t we perused while developing goals and materials for Composition in the
p r o t a g o n i s t s o r progymnasmata instruction. Classical Tradition,
antagonists from • Cindy Marsch, “Writing Assessment Services,” “These exercises
different works, or www.writingassessment.com embody a familiar
the protagonist and • Frank J. D’Angelo, Composition in the Classical Tradition way of teaching and
antagonist from the (Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2000). learning writing,
same work. Here preserving its
i s t h e b e g i n n i n g • Gideon O. Burton, Silva Rhetoricae, rhetoric.byu.edu/ advantages, while
o f a n e n c o m i u m • Lene Jaqua, et al., Classical Writing, harking back to and
speech for Aragorn www.classicalwriting.com/index.htm obtaining additional
from JRR Tolkien’s • Susan Wise Bauer, Writing with Ease: Strong Fundamentals advantages from a
T h e F e l l o w s h i p (Charles City, VA: Peace Hill Press, 2008). venerable rhetorical
o f t h e R i n g : • Andrew Pudewa, Institute for Excellence in Writing, tradition whose
“My comrades, we www.excellenceinwriting.com/ practical usefulness
have gathered for has proved itself over
the coronation of his many centuries and
soon-to-be majesty, Aragorn II. students and authenticity for me that remains relevant today.” 6
We have come from the corners as students see that I have actually
of Middle Earth: the grassy done what I’m asking them to do. NOTES
Shire, the cold Dwarves’ mines, The final factor that has increased
1 “The word progymnasmata is
the mysterious Elves’ forests, the m y c o m f o r t w i t h t e a c h i n g
Greek for ‘preliminary exercises.’
massive Plains of Rohan, the halls progymnasmata has been the These exercises were taught
of Gondor, and as far away as the use of Mrs. Marsch’s curriculum. in ancient Greece and Rome to
palace in Dunadain. Every one of Even in places where I haven’t educate young men in rhetoric,
us recognizes this man standing been able to directly apply her in effective and persuasive
before us as the honest, valiant material, it has given me ideas for public speaking and writing.”
warrior, Strider. Even his mere developing my own assignments. Lene Jaqua, et al. http://www.
name lifts our spirits and makes A l o n g w i t h g r o w i n g i n classicalwriting.com/Progym.htm
us proud of our hero and friend.” understanding the practical 2. Frank J. D’Angelo,
A t o n e p o i n t I c o u l d application of progymnasmata, Composition in the Classical
not have used “comfort” and I am increasingly grasping the Tradition (Needham Heights,
“progymnasmata” in the same philosophical underpinnings of MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2000).
sentence, but I am becoming the progymnasmata as a vital
3. Even the ancients did not
more comfortable with these component of developing skilled
entirely agree on the order of
exercises. Three primary factors rhetoricians. Additionally, I am
the progymnasmata exercises.
have contributed to this. First of coming to realize the ways that
all, I read every example of the the progymnasmata are the 4. For examples of narrative
progymnasmata exercises I could basis of the composition forms slant, see D’Angelo or Marsch.
find. Along with that, I received (description, narration, exposition, 5. An idea which D’Angelo echoes
instruction in the progymnasmata and argumentation) taught to me in his preface to Composition
by taking Mrs. Marsch’s tutorial as a student. Even though, as a in the Classical Tradition.
myself. My personal examples seventh/eighth-grade teacher, I 6. D’Angelo, Composition in
and experience from this have work with students who haven’t the Classical Tradition.
been invaluable to me on a couple yet reached the rhetoric stage, I
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