Rhetoric 1 (Ages 14+) — Agenda + Live Mentorship

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About Course

✔ Built on trusted classical curriculum: Lost Tools of Writing · Socratic Logic · The Discovery of Deduction · The Riot and the Dance (Biology)

See our 2026–2027 Academic Calendar for all important dates.

Rhetoric 1 Books & Materials

Everything your student uses this year — designed for ages 14+, built on trusted classical curriculum.

Look for the badge on each book — we cover some, you provide others.

Core Curriculum used all year in class
The Lost Tools of Writing — Persuasive — Rhetoric 1 curriculum

Essay Writing

The Lost Tools of Writing — Persuasive

ISBN 978-0986325717

CiRCE

Family provides

The Lost Tools of Writing — Comparison — Rhetoric 1 curriculum

Essay Writing

The Lost Tools of Writing — Comparison

ISBN 978-0999146699

CiRCE

Family provides

The Riot and the Dance — Rhetoric 1 curriculum

Biology

The Riot and the Dance

ISBN 978-1591281238

Gordon Wilson

Family provides

Everyday Debate & Discussion — Shelly Johnson

Debate

Everyday Debate

ISBN 978-1600512933

Classical Academic Press

Family provides

The Discovery of Deduction — Classical Academic Press

Logic

The Discovery of Deduction

ISBN 978-1600510335

Classical Academic Press

Family provides

Socratic Logic

Logic

Socratic Logic

ISBN 978-1587318085

Peter Kreeft

Optional

Lost Tools of Writing — Level I Teacher's Edition — Rhetoric 1 curriculum

Writing

Lost Tools of Writing — Level I Teacher’s Edition

ISBN 978-0986325700

The Circe Institute

Optional

R1 Readers great books we read & discuss together
Self-Reliance & Other Essays — Rhetoric 1 reader

Self-Reliance & Other Essays

ISBN 978-0486277905

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Family provides

Starship Troopers — Rhetoric 1 reader

Starship Troopers

ISBN 978-0441014101

Robert A. Heinlein

Family provides

The Call of the Wild — Rhetoric 1 reader

The Call of the Wild

ISBN 978-0486264721

Jack London

Family provides

The Giver — Rhetoric 1 reader

The Giver

ISBN 978-0385732550

Lois Lowry

Family provides

The Gold-Bug and Other Tales — Rhetoric 1 reader

The Gold-Bug and Other Tales

ISBN 978-0486268750

Edgar Allan Poe

Family provides

The Hunger Games — Rhetoric 1 reader

The Hunger Games

ISBN 978-0439023528

Suzanne Collins

Family provides

The Old Man and the Sea — Rhetoric 1 reader

The Old Man and the Sea

ISBN 978-0684801223

Ernest Hemingway

Family provides

The Witch of Blackbird Pond — Rhetoric 1 reader

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

ISBN 978-0440995777

Elizabeth George Speare

Family provides

Through Gates of Splendor — Rhetoric 1 reader

Through Gates of Splendor

ISBN 978-0842371520

Elisabeth Elliot

Family provides

To Kill a Mockingbird — Rhetoric 1 reader

To Kill a Mockingbird

ISBN 978-0060935467

Harper Lee

Family provides

Something Beautiful for God — Rhetoric 1 reader

Something Beautiful for God

ISBN 978-0060660437

Malcolm Muggeridge

Family provides

Up From Slavery — Rhetoric 1 reader

Up From Slavery

ISBN 978-0486287386

Booker T. Washington

Family provides

Want this year’s book list?

Download the Rhetoric 1 book list — every title, author, and purchase link for this level, in one place.

⬇ Download the Book List

What comes next
Ready for Rhetoric 2?

Rhetoric 2 advances into more sophisticated persuasive writing, deeper literature, and personal finance.

Explore Rhetoric 2 →

What Will You Learn?

  • Master formal deductive logic, learning to test whether an argument truly holds, with The Discovery of Deduction and Socratic Logic
  • Write clear, well organized essays, both persuasive and comparison, with the Lost Tools of Writing
  • Reason inductively with the common topics, and build sound arguments from real evidence
  • Develop a strong thesis and defend it with well ordered reasoning
  • Debate real questions with skill and confidence, using Everyday Debate
  • Read and discuss great literature, including To Kill a Mockingbird, The Call of the Wild, The Giver, and The Hunger Games
  • Study biology through hands on labs, lab reports, and scientific drawings, guided by The Riot and the Dance
  • Analyze theme, character, and argument in guided class discussion
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