What’s on My Bookshelf: Challenge B Resources

In the Classical Conversations programs, Challenge B would be equivalent to the 8th grade, however any student (I'm talking about myself here) could have a rich year of study in the materials assigned.  There were so many new things to learn like formal Logic, the history of astronomy, and Mock Trial.  Much like Challenge A, the curriculum is complete and doesn't need any supplementing.

challenge-b-resources

Here's a list of other books we utilized while implementing the program.  Again, they are simply resources, not supplements.  Everything in the program can be implemented without any of these options.  I'm not listing the required materials...for that list, click here.

LATIN: 

  • Henle Latin I Study Guide Units I-V by Memoria Press (I love the answer key in the back)
  • Cassell's Latin Dictionary
  • 501 Latin Verbs
  • Latin with Andy - a video resource that connects the skills learned in Essentials to Learning Latin. If you feel confident at the first of the year in repeating, then you probably don't need extra help until Lesson 17 when you hit passive verb forms. That trips us up every time!
  • YouTube Vocabulary Videos- if you want a little help learning and reviewing that Latin vocabulary, check out Andy's YouTube channel which features vocabulary videos that correlate with the Henle Latin vocabulary.

American Experience/Mock Trial:  

I'm looking forward to the new Great Tales of Heroism in U.S. History. There might be certain characters we want to dig into more, and I love the Heroes of History series for that:

MATH:

SCIENCE: In Challenge B the research seminar covers four studies of focus over the year:  History of Astronomy,  Defeating Darwinism, and Discovering Atomos (or intro to Chemistry)

History of Science resources:

Defeating Darwinism -

Discovering Atomos (Intro to Chemistry)

EXPOSITION/COMPOSITION:

RHETORIC:

MOM HELPS:

Challenge B is a fantastic year that lays the groundwork in self-discipline that is required for any man to develop virtue and wisdom.  I loved studying with 13-14 year-olds as I saw them mature in amazing ways over the course of the year.  While I may never come back to tutor Challenge B, I am truly thankful for the ways in which my thinking was challenged!

My ultmate list of Classical Conversations Resources for Challenge B

Looking for resources from another level?

Challenge A

Challenge B

Challenge I

Challenge II

Challenge III

Challenge IV

8 Comments

  1. Portia Bergman on May 4, 2016 at 10:13 am

    This is an amazing list! Thank you for posting! I am a Challenge B Director in Georgia. If okay, may I share a direct link to your article openly with the upcoming class in preparation for next year? I also recently heard a speaker from Bryan College (the home town of the Scopes Trial). Here is a link to information on their “myth buster” movie called Inherit the Truth http://www.bryan.edu/college-history/scopes-trial
    One other very helpful resource I use, a concise supplement for the Mock Trial Notebook, and one that I provided as a loan book to students is http://www.amazon.com/Mock-Trials-Preparing-Presenting-Winning/dp/1556817134
    thank you again for publishing this very helpful article!

    • Betsy on May 4, 2016 at 6:56 pm

      Portia, I love meeting fellow directors! What a cool website on the scopes trial. Such great information! I totally wish I had that Mock Trial book. I’ll be sharing that tip with my friends who are directing CHB this year. Share the link as you like!

  2. Allyson Willis on April 3, 2018 at 10:07 pm

    Thank you for posting these resources. I will be tutoring Challenge B in the fall and am grateful to get started gathering resources. You have done such a beautiful job presenting all the amazing info contained in your website. We are excited about starting Latin with Andy soon! YOU ARE A BLESSING! I prayed for you tonight.

  3. Roxann on April 3, 2019 at 10:45 am

    Thank you for all you do for us!! I have a question about Intermediate Logic. My son is stuck around lessons 14-16. Our director is very encouraging and said it will get easier around 17 or 18. The dvds are helpful but I was wondering if you know of any other resources out there to help. I’m lost as his lead teacher in this subject. Thanks in advance!

    • Betsy on April 3, 2019 at 1:33 pm

      The Intermediate Logic is very difficult! Some catch on quickly, and it takes others quite a bit longer. I like to think of this semester of Logic as a preview to Intermediate Logic. Most students won’t become proficient in this in only one semester. With that in mind, I encourage students who are struggling to approach it from a different direction. Use the answer key heavily. See if you can figure out how they got the answers and be content with that level of understanding. In Challenge I and Challenge II, students continue practicing the logic similar to the first semester. They don’t come back to this in their CC career, so it’s okay to let it be a good preview of things they could pursue in the future. Hope this helps!

      • Roxann on April 9, 2019 at 7:04 pm

        Thank you! What a relief! So appreciate your input. Blessings!

  4. Leah on May 23, 2019 at 9:39 am

    Thanks for sharing! Directing Challenge B in the Fall, and it’s great to have additional resources!

  5. Doris Knick on August 17, 2023 at 11:00 am

    Do you have any resources that make Astronomy 2 Paragraph’s easier? I’m thinking of providing the KWO multiple source sheets from Essentials to help our 8th grader. Unfortunately, there are ZERO samples of the papers included or sheets that can help them in preparing them. I wish there was at least one sample video also in CC connected but I can’t find one. Thanks in advance! There should be reference books we can purchase as libraries don’t seem to have a lot of materials on the ones created. Thanks for the list you’ve used that’s helpful!

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