Books published by publisher The Well-Trained Mind Press

A complete beginning grammar text that uses copywork, narration, picture study, and other classical techniques to develop the young student’s language ability.Scripted lessons give the teacher direction and confidence, while exquisite pencil reproductions of great paintings are used to encourage children in oral composition. Originally published as a single two-year volume, Level 2 (Grade 2, this book) and Level 1 (Grade 1, available separately) have been redesigned as two separate simple-to-use one-year programs. Grade Recommendation: Grade 2.

William Shakespeare's masterpiece of young love and feuding families has thrilled audiences for four centuries. Jim Weiss seamlessly transports his listeners to the torch-lit feasting halls, dusty streets and moonlit gardens of Renaissance Italy. Meet naive, lovestruck Romeo and Juliet, the swashbuckling Mercutio, Juliet's comical nurse, wise Friar Laurence and more. A perfect introduction to this classic play.

Ride across Texas on a mountain lion with Pecos Bill...Work up a giant appetite with the mighty lumberjack Paul Bunyan...spread happiness with Johnny Appleseed...and confront the Fastest Draw in the West! This beautifully illustrated Companion Reader is an exact transcript of Jim Weiss’s award-winning storytelling performance of three classic American stories and one original tall tale. The Reader can be enjoyed on its own, or used along with the recorded performance to build strong language skills. Listen to the Jim Weiss stories, read along to improve fluency, vocabulary, and grammar, and then speak great words and sentences out loud by practicing and performing the short, accessible dramatic versions of Jim’s performances (including a stage play, a puppet show, and a dramatic monologue). 28 full color illustrations

Parents can assure their child's success in language arts with this simple-to-use, scripted guide.First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind uses picture study and other classical techniques to develop the child's language study in those first two all-important years of school. Each lesson leads the parent, step-by-step, through the simple oral and written projects that build reading, writing, spelling, storytelling, and comprehension skills. Use this book to supplement school learning, or as the center of a home-school language arts course.

On its own or as a supplement to the Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind program, this complete compendium of grammar rules and examples will become an indispensable guide to writing―throughout high school, into college, and beyond. Designed to accompany the Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind program, this Comprehensive Handbook of Rules assembles into one handy reference work all of the principles that govern the English language―from basic definitions (“A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea”) through advanced sentence structure and analysis. Each rule is illustrated with examples drawn from great literature, along with classic and contemporary works of science, history, and mathematics.Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind is an innovative program that combines the three essential elements of language learning: understanding and memorizing rules (prescriptive teaching), repeated exposure to examples of how those rules are used (descriptive instruction), and practice using those rules in exercises and in writing (practical experience). Each year, parents and teachers go through the dialogue, rules, and examples in the Core Instructor Text; students follow along in the Student Workbook. This repetition solidifies the concepts, definitions, and examples in the student’s mind. There are four Student Workbooks, one for each year. Each Student Workbook contains the same rules and examples―but four completely different sets of exercises and assignments, allowing students to develop a wide-ranging knowledge of how the rules and examples are put to use in writing. Each Student Workbook comes with its own Key, providing not only answers, but also explanations for the parent/instructor, and guidance as to when the answers might be ambiguous (as, in English, they often are). All of the rules covered, along with the repeated examples for each, are assembled for ongoing reference in this Comprehensive Handbook of Rules. Use Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind to teach English grammar thoroughly, effectively, and with confidence―no matter what your background or experience!

Renowned voice actor Jim Weiss presents Dickens' beloved story of miserly Scrooge, ghostly visitors, and human compassion. The O. Henry and Bret Harte masterpieces also included here will make holiday literature year-round favorites on this masterful recording. Includes three stories: A Christmas Carol, The Gift of the Magi, and Dick Spindler's Family Christmas

Discover the intriguing story of Johannes Gutenberg in this junior-level biography from Peace Hill Press. Johannes Gutenberg spent his days shut away, working on a mysterious project. His neighbors wondered what he was doing in his metal shop. Why did he need so much money? Was he making expensive gold jewelry? Weapons? Armor? What project could possibly take up so many hours of Johannes’s time? And how did his invention change the world? Outstanding illustrations from Jed Mickle complement the fabulous story, giving second-grade readers insight into the life of this influential figure.About the series: The classical curriculum introduces even the youngest student to the pleasures of true learning. Elementary students learn history not through predigested textbooks with multiple-choice answers, but through reading the stories of history. Unfortunately, biographies of great men and women of the past are almost all written for older students, limiting the ability of young students to explore history through reading. Libraries are crammed with biographies written for high school students and adults―while beginning readers are provided with a shelf full of junior-level books about football players, NASCAR drivers, and movie stars. Now, Peace Hill Press puts real history back into the grasp of the youngest historians with the Who in the World Biography Series. The first entries in the series provide young readers and their parents and teachers with biographies of great men and women of the Middle Ages. Designed to be used as part of The Story of the World curriculum, these biographies give beginning historians in grades 2–4 a chance to explore beyond the textbook. An audio version is also available separately. Black-and-white illustrations throughout

Classic poems about nature, bravery, love, and the wild journeys of the imagination, all performed by Jim Weiss. CD, 70 minutes. Poems can sweep us away to fantasy lands or long-ago times, or show us everyday people and creatures in a whole new light. In this new recording, master storyteller Jim Weiss introduces children to the magic of poetry, performing 40 classic poems, and providing brief introductions to the poets, including Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, e.e. cummings, and many more.

A simple-to-use, scripted guide to grammar and composition that makes successful teaching easy—for both parents and students.This volume, the Level 4 Instructor Guide in the complete elementary grammar series, uses classical techniques of memorization, dictation, and narration to develop your child's language ability in the important, foundational years of language study.The text covers a full range of grammar topics, including parts of speech, punctuation, sentence diagrams, and skills in beginning writing and storytelling. Optional end units provide practice in dictionary use and letter writing. Designed to follow Levels 1-3, the Level 4 Instructor Guide can also be used as a first grammar text for older students. A Level 4 Student Workbook is available separately with worksheet and activities. Grade Recommendation: Grades 4-5.