Principle Approach

The Principle Approach provides a well-developed philosophy of Christian education, and a challenging one. It includes elements of classical education, ideas from Charlotte Mason, cultural literacy, and other ideas, as it offers a foundation that really makes the teacher think about why you do what you're doing in education.

To really "do" a Principle approach, the teacher/parent will need to do much study and planning in preparation, but the results can be worth the effort. Most people who use the Principle approach have children keep a notebook for recording information that has been researched, studied and applied. The "principles" being applied with this approach vary slightly from person to person, but the following list from Rus Walton's Fundamentals for American Christians is typical:

  • God's sovereignty
  • Individuality
  • Personal property
  • Self-government
  • Family government
  • Stewardship
  • Local autonomy
  • Voluntary association

History is an important aspect of the Principle Approach—primarily America's Christian History—but the approach can be applied to all subject areas. A key idea of the approach is the westward chain of movement of Christianity. This involves some theological assumptions and historical conclusions that are debatable, so parents will want to study the underlying principles of the approach and materials themselves before deciding on the approach.

If you decide to use the Principle Approach, we recommend using it in intermediate and high school grades, as children in those grades are better able to grasp abstract ideas. However, there are families using this approach very successfully with younger students.

(we thank Cathy Duffy for much of this content)

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38 Items found Print
Abigail Adams Package (FACE)
by Rosalie J. Slater, Evelyn Witter
from Foundation for American Christian Education
for 3rd-6th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$24.00 (1 in stock)
Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin (FACE) - Teacher Guide and Student Notebook Packet
by Rosalie J. Slater
5th edition from Foundation for American Christian Education
for 3rd-6th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$17.00 (1 in stock)
Bible and the Constitution
by Verna M. Hall and Rosalie J. Slater
1st edition from Foundation for American Christian Education
for Adult
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
Bible and the Constitution
by Verna M. Hall and Rosalie J. Slater
1st edition from Foundation for American Christian Education
for Adult
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (FACE) - Teacher Guide and Student Notebook Packet
by Rosalie J. Slater
5th edition from Foundation for American Christian Education
for 3rd-6th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$17.00 (1 in stock)
Charles Dickens - Teacher Guide
by Carole G. Adams
from Foundation for American Christian Education
for 9th-12th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Christian History of the American Revolution
by Verna Hall & Rosalie Slater
from Foundation for American Christian Education
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
Christian History of the Constitution of the United States of America - Volume I
by Verna Hall
from Foundation for American Christian Education
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
Christian History of the Constitution of the United States of America - Volume II
by Verna Hall
2nd edition from Foundation for American Christian Education
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
Christian Idea of the Child
by Carole G. Adams
from Foundation for American Christian Education
for Adult
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Courtship of Miles Standish - Teacher Guide and Poem
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, teaching notes by Elizabeth L. Youmans
from Foundation for American Christian Education
for Adult
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$10.00 (2 in stock)
George Washington
by Verna Hall
from Foundation for American Christian Education
Biography for 10th-Adult
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
Guide to American Christian Education for the Home and School: The Principle Approach
by James Rose
1st edition
for Adult
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$24.00 (1 in stock)
Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates (FACE) - Teacher Guide and Student Notebook Packet
by Rosalie J. Slater
from Foundation for American Christian Education
for 3rd-6th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$17.00 (1 in stock)
Heidi (FACE) - Teacher Guide and Student Notebook Packet
by Rosalie J. Slater
from Foundation for American Christian Education
for 3rd-6th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$17.00 (1 in stock)
Ivanhoe and Sir Walter Scott Package (FACE)
by Sir Walter Scott, Pearle Henriksen Schultz, Rosalie Slater & Carole Adams, edited by Cheri Mabe
from Foundation for American Christian Education
for Adult
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
Land That I Love
by Bobbie Ames
from Nordskog Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Little Women (FACE) - Teacher Guide and Student Notebook Packet
by Rosalie J. Slater, revised by Cheri Mabe
2nd edition from Foundation for American Christian Education
for 3rd-6th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$17.00 (1 in stock)
Noah Plan English Language Curriculum Guide
Noah Plan
by Carole Goodman Adams
3rd edition from Foundation for American Christian Education
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$28.00 (1 in stock)
Noah Plan History and Geography Curriculum Guide
Noah Plan
by Elizabeth L. Youmans
2nd edition from Foundation for American Christian Education
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
Noah Plan History and Geography Curriculum Guide (old)
Noah Plan
by Elizabeth L. Youmans
1st edition from Foundation for American Christian Education
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$28.00
Noah Plan Homeschool Companion
by Joni Harsh
from Foundation for American Christian Education
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Noah Plan Lessons: 2nd Grade
by Rosemarie Ricciardi & Barbara Keller
from Foundation for American Christian Education
for 2nd grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$40.00 (1 in stock)
Noah Plan Lessons: 4th Grade
by Barbara Keller with Martha Shirley and Rosemarie Ricciardi
for 4th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$20.00 (2 in stock)
Noah Plan Literature Curriculum Guide
Noah Plan
by Rosalie Slater
from Foundation for American Christian Education
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$39.95 $24.00 (1 in stock)
Noah Plan Mathematics Curriculum Guide
Noah Plan
by Arthur Paul Ricciardi
from Foundation for American Christian Education
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$39.95 $28.00 (1 in stock)
Noah Plan Reading Curriculum Guide
Noah Plan
by Martha Barnes Shirley
2nd edition from Foundation for American Christian Education
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$39.95 $24.00 (1 in stock)
Noah Webster (FACE) - Biography Teacher Guide
by Rosalie J. Slater
4th edition from Foundation for American Christian Education
for Adult
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Noah Webster: Father of the American Dictionary
by Isabel Proudfit, illustrated by I.B. Hazelton
from Bradford Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$13.00 (1 in stock)
Pinocchio - Teacher Guide and Student Notebook Packet
by Rosalie J. Slater
3rd edition from Foundation for American Christian Education
for 3rd-6th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$17.00 (1 in stock)
Principles of American Government
by Ben Gilmore
from Foundation for American Christian Education
for 9th-12th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$19.00 (1 in stock)
Renewing the Mind for Teaching and Learning
by Elizabeth L. Youmans
3rd edition from Foundation for American Christian Education
for Adult
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$19.00 (1 in stock)
Self-Directed Study in the Principle Approach
Noah Plan
by Carole Goodman Adams & Elizabeth L. Youmans
from Foundation for American Christian Education
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$37.95
StoneBridge Art Guide
Noah Plan
by Wendy Giancoli
from Foundation for American Christian Education
for Kindergarten-8th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$29.95
Teaching and Learning America's Christian History
by Rosalie Slater
from Foundation for American Christian Education
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$42.95 $15.00 (3 in stock)
Teaching Christopher Columbus, Christ-Bearer to the New World
by Rosalie June Slater & the StoneBridge School Faculty
5th edition from Foundation for American Christian Education
for Adult
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
Teaching George Washington - Set (FACE)
by Rosalie June Slater
from Foundation for American Christian Education
for 9th-12th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$24.00 (1 in stock)
Value of the Bible
by Noah Webster
from Foundation for American Christian Education
for 8th-12th grade
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
$16.00 (1 in stock)