Explore the Progymnasmata
Order of exercises
- Fable:
- a re-telling of story with a moral
- Introduced in 1st grade
- Description:
- a vivid presentation of details with word pictures
- Introduced in 1st grade
- Narrative and Anecdote:
- a re-telling of a story from given facts and a re-telling of what a person said
- Introduced in 2nd grade
- Comparison and Contrast:
- compare and contrast particular persons, things, or ideas
- Introduced in 3rd grade
- Encomium and Invective:
- praise or condemn a particular person or thing
- Introduced in 3rd grade
- Proverb and Maxim:
- praise or refute a proverbial saying
- Introduced in 4th grade
- Confirmation and Refutation:
- defend or refute an alleged fact or event
- Introduced in 5th grade
- Commonplace:
- declaration against general vices
- Introduced in 7th grade
- Characterization:
- write in the voice and style of a particular character (real or fictional)
- Introduced in 7th grade
- Thesis:
- argue an undecided subject
- Introduced in 6th grade, but practiced primarily in 7th grade and on.
- Proposal of Law:
- argue for or against old or new laws
- introduced in 8th grade
- Suasoria:*
- exercises in political oratory
- Introduced in 11th grade
- Controversia:*
- exercises in judicial oratory
- Introduced in 11th grade
* Suasoria and Controversia are not technically part of the progymnasmata. Instead they are the culminating projects done by students of the progymnasmata.