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THE LOST TOOLS OF WRITING (LTW) from the publisher Circe Institute is an excellent composition study for middle school and high school students. Good writing is like an art or craft that demands careful attention and persistent hard work, and all writers face similar challenges. LTW, Levels 1-3, is designed to help young writers develop a competency in writing that will enable them to move forward with confidence in all forms of writing. While it is not required for most students, we certainly recommend Classical Composition as the starting composition course. LTW classes meet in-person once weekly, supplemented by daily at-home writing activities 3-4 days each week.
The Lost Tools of Writing, Level One is an intermediate writing course rooted in the canons (categories) of rhetoric, which define the writing process used. Classical rhetoric consists of five canons that organize the writer's and speaker's task: invention, arrangement, elocution (style), memory, and delivery. This course focuses on the first three—invention, arrangement, and elocution. With adaptation, these writing exercises are still essential for today's students who wish to prepare for clear, thoughtful, and winsome communication. Once a young person grasps how to use these tools effectively, the stress, confusion, and fear that may have accompanied previous writing courses fades, replaced by a new sense of confidence. This is the course for the student who is looking for practical help in areas like these:
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Getting started with a composition
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Coming up with good ideas
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Locating facts
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Defending an argument
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Moving or convincing the reader
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Arranging ideas for maximum impact
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Creating and organizing outlines
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Transitioning from one thought to the next
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Finding enough to say
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Saying the right things
Will be offered in 2024-2025
Availability based on enrollment
The Lost Tools of Writing, Level Two builds on Level 1 while focusing on the judicial address (sometimes called "forensic oratory"), one of the three kinds of rhetoric defined by Aristotle.* In classical rhetoric the student tried to persuade an audience of a defendant's guilt or innocence. The judicial essay refines the persuasive essay and is directed toward what has happened and how the audience should respond. LTW Level 2, then, is for students who have learned the persuasive essay in Level 1** and in addition to the above, are looking for guided direction in:
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Evaluating arguments
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Fostering imaginative and strategic thinking
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Applying sound judgment in decision-making
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Arranging ideas for maximum impact
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Building a case for prosecution and defense
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Identifying goals, obstacles, and means of persuasion
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Promoting harmony by resolving the discord of injustice
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Developing poise and stye in delivery
The Lost Tools of Writing, Level Three advances the writing process over earlier levels while focusing on the deliberative address (sometimes called "political oratory"), one of the three kinds of rhetoric.* Like the judicial address, the deliberative address is a type of persuasive writing or speech. From ancient times, its purpose was to preserve the well-being and harmony of the community by enabling it to resolve discord created by uncertainty about the future. As recent events have painfully revealed, harmony in a community is difficult to maintain, and it can't be preserved unless citizens learn how to do so. The skills of deliberative reflection are essential to a successful life. Everyone faces decisions that demand thoughtful attention, and skills learned in the deliberative address help students think sensibly, respond skillfully, and act wisely. This course also lays important groundwork for the rhetoric course and for preparing a formal thesis (both offered as a separate courses).
LTW Level 3 is highly recommended for students who have mastered the persuasive essay (e.g., LTW 1 an/or 2) and who look forward to succeeding in Rhetoric in their junior or senior year. LTW 2 is for students looking to polish their skill in:
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Using the deliberative tools of reason to gather information and arrive at conclusions
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Applying the means of expression to present winsome arguments
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Practice in the modes of persuasion
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Recovering harmony through resolving public discord
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Engaging in deliberation for affirming positive change
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Preparing to deliver and defend a formal thesis
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Establishing confidence and eloquence in communication
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Honing the art of rhetoric in writing and oral delivery
BOOKLIST FOR THE LOST TOOLS OF WRITING, LEVELS 1-3
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The Lost Tools of Writing, Levels 1, 2, or 3 (Circe Institute)
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The Elements of Style, 4th Edition (Strunk & White)
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Supplemental readings
* The three types are the judicial (i.e., what has been done in the past), deliberative (i.e., what might be done in the future) and the ceremonial address (i.e., praising or blaming).
** or a comparable course that meets the basic prerequisites, such as Classical Composition
Offered in 2023-2024
THE LOST TOOLS OF WRITING
Classical composition for modern young people
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