The students, ranging in age from 7 to 12, earned the Memory Master award in April when each child spent about five hours recalling facts from six subjects, as well as a history timeline.
Classical Conversations is an academic homeschool group that follows the Classical Education model. Memory Master is a program that is available to all elementary-aged Classical Conversations participants nationwide.
Besides a chronological timeline of 160 events and people, the students had other subjects of study such as history, including the world leaders and countries of World War 1 and 2, the formation of the United Nations, the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe and free elections in South Africa; 122 geographical locations in Africa, Central America, and cities, features and bodies of water in the Euro-Asian continent; Science, which included facts in ecology, astronomy and physics, including the Laws of Thermodynamics and Newton Laws of Motion; Latin verb endings in the first conjugation; English grammar facts; Math, including multiplication tables to the 15’s, common squares and cubes, basic geometry formulas, and unit conversions; and reciting all 45 US presidents.
“Memory Master is a very difficult endeavor that very few students accomplish,” says Nanette Brown, director of Classical Conversations Palmdale East. “The goal is mastery, which is getting the material into the long term memory.”
“This is not a test where you cram and then forget the information once the test is over,” Brown continued. “There are four tests given over a period of three to four weeks…Students must exhibit 100 percent accuracy in order to receive the title Memory Master. These students work very hard.”
Classical Conversations is a nationwide program for home educators that helps train and equip both students and parents. It provides children an academic structure within the framework of a Christian, classical education. It also offers parents support, accountability, and community which are vital in homeschooling. Classical Conversations campuses meet weekly throughout the school year. The program is for students in grades kindergarten through 12.
Classical Conversations hosts a free three-day homeschool conference for parents each summer called Parent Practicum. This year the conference will be held online.
To learn more about Classical Conversations, email Nanette Brown at Nanette_brown30@hotmail.com, or visit www.classicalconversations.com.