Beginning with the first full week of school in August, each Grammar School class (starting in second grade) and each Dialectic and Rhetoric homeroom begin each day by reading key Bible passages. These readings are designed to take 5-10 minutes and to acquaint our students with those important passages of the Old and New Testaments that inform so much of our conversation here at Geneva.
While each class has its own readings to follow (see list below), at three points in the year the entire school community joins in reading the same passages. First, for four weeks in October, leading up to All Saints Day, the readings focus on the ministry of Christ from the Gospels. Second, for three weeks in Advent before Christmas break, the readings focus on the birth of Christ. Finally, for three weeks during Lent, leading up to Easter, the readings focus on the Passion of Christ. These three joint time frames constitute 50 daily readings. The readings designed for each specific grade level comprise another 120 daily readings to fill out the year.
Below are the reading plans for each class.
- Second Grade: The Pentateuch (Genesis–Deuteronomy)
- Third Grade: Historical Books (Joshua–Kings) and selected Psalms
- Fourth Grade: Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) and Wisdom (especially Proverbs)
- Fifth Grade: The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
- Sixth Grade: Acts through Revelation
- Seventh Grade: Selected Key Old Testament Passages
- Eighth Grade: Selected Key New Testament Passages
- Ninth Grade: The Pentateuch (Genesis–Deuteronomy)
- Tenth Grade: Historical Books (Joshua–Kings) and selected Psalms
- Eleventh Grade: Prophets and Wisdom Literature
- Twelfth Grade: Key Pauline Epistles