At Regina Pacis Academy, our mission is for our students to achieve spiritual and academic excellence through Catholic classical education, a curriculum that is rooted in Christ and grounded in His Church. Through our distinctively classical approach, our students are encouraged to understand the wonders of the world God created by nurturing their natural desire to learn. One important way our curriculum inspires that wonder in our students is through our use of classical literature, a delightful playground for children to exercise their imaginations. Below are some points on the importance of having students engage with classical literature as part of their Catholic education.
Classical Literature
Achieving in our students a strong culture of reading and writing is an important goal for our school. Our literature program fosters in our students a love for reading and for books, while also teaching the practical skills and nuts and bolts of reading comprehension and strengthening their critical thinking. This beautiful literature aids in the formation of their person, while at the same time helps children incorporate historical and cultural knowledge.
Literature through the Grades
From Kindergarten to Grade 8, students are welcomed into the world of literature by reading classic books such as Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web, Fingal's Quest, A Wrinkle in Time, The Hobbit, and more. For those younger children who are still in the process of learning to read fluently, our teachers read classical literature out loud to them. Later on, as students learn to read independently, they engage with fiction and poetry that is thoughtfully chosen, such as C. S. Lewis' The Horse and His Boy or one of Charles Dickens' classics, A Christmas Carol. By the time they are ready to graduate, students have mastered reading challenging classic novels and poems, including one of Shakespeare’s plays.
Moral Choices and Christian Values
Classic literature teaches children about life lessons through the depiction of the human story. One of our students' favorite novels to read and discuss is E. B. White's Charlotte's Web, due not only due to its compelling narrative but to the invaluable life lessons it teaches them. The author creates an ordinary setting and plotline, and explains the meaning of complex topics such as life and death, friendship, and sacrifice in a way that even children in Third Grade can appreciate. In the Christian context, it is easy for students to relate Charlotte’s sacrifice for Wilbur to Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross to save all of humanity from the chains of sin and death that bind us. Through the reading of classical books such as this, students come to recognize the beauty of God's grace and His presence in all of creation.
At Regina Pacis Academy, the works chosen for our literature curriculum promote deep discussion about moral choices and Christian values. Our Catholic classical education approach ensures that our students learn in a structured ascending way, working on particular skills appropriate to their age and stage of development, while always inviting them to think about permanent truths.
