Preparing Younger Students for Equip Education

This page is designed to assist families with children who are too young for Equip Education or who would like to enroll a student in Equip after Dialectic I (7th grade) and who would like to make sure their student is as well prepared for our curriculum as possible. The following is a few suggestions about the type of work that will smooth the transition for your student into our educational environment.

General Matters

By the grace of God, home educated students are not beaten into a pre-defined mold that they might not hinder the smooth operation of some institution. Typically, these students are accustomed to a relaxed and joyful educational environment where learning is fun and loved for its own sake. This is a wonderful foundation which Equip Education will use to build the skills and knowledge necessary for success at university. Students and families should be prepared for a little more formality during the class day than they are most likely utilizing at home. We enjoy our day together and have a lot of laughs, but we are serious about education. Students must be able to sit through a class of one hour and fifteen minutes without a break and without disruption of the classroom. They must be able and willing to follow the behavior and dress codes found in our handbook. And most importantly, they must be open to our mission of building disciples of Jesus Christ. There is no statement of faith required for admission to the program, but we will not allow scornful students to poison our classrooms.

Writing/Grammar

Intro to Writing at Equip Education utilizes the Classical Writing program Aesop and Homer course (which includes significant work in Harvey's Elementary Grammar). Therefore, students who have completed the Classical Writing Aesop A program will be well prepared for Equip. It is not a requirement but will give the student a much greater level of familiarity with the Classical Writing approach.

Latin

We utilize First Form Latin from Memoria Press in our introductory Latin class and recommend that students arrive with some prior work in the language. The First Form program is methodical and thorough and is the first in a four year course covering the entire Latin grammar. Students find this course much more enjoyable when it is not their first look at a foreign language. We recommend the Latina Christiana I program from Memoria Press as an appropriate precursor to First Form Latin. However, prior experience with Latin is not a requirement and diligent students do fine even without it.

If you are considering joining the program in Dialectic II, we recommend completing the First Form Latin program prior to entering Equip. This allows your student to join the program as a Second Form student and remain with their normal classmates for Latin.

Mathematics

Dialectic I math at Equip is composed of the Math-U-See Pre-Algebra program. The scope and sequence of the program is availabe online at the Math-U-See website and we recommend families review it. Skills necessary to success in Pre-Algebra are found in the Math-U-See Zeta program, which we recommend students complete prior to entering Equip. Whether or not you choose Math-U-See, the skills covered in the Zeta program are the foundation we need. This is espectially true of the work with fractions. Student are at a real disadvantage if they are not comfortable adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions. Trust us!

Remember, the most important thing your student needs to succeed at Equip is a love of learning. We learn so that we are able to be anything and everything the Lord might have in mind. If there are further questions on this topic, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@equipeducation.org.