What it does
Every text is examined in the classical order: first the Trivium, then Wisdom.
Grammar
What exactly is being claimed? Key terms, ambiguous words, and whether the text states a fact, an opinion, a prediction or a moral claim.
Logic
Does the claim hold up? Common fallacies, hidden assumptions, and what the text leaves out.
Rhetoric
How is it written? Loaded words, emotional framing, and a Veritas grade from A to F for how fairly the text presents its claim.
Wisdom
When the text makes a moral claim or shows someone's choices, the virtue at stake is weighed against Scripture.
Socrates 1776 examines the words on the page. It does not guess at a writer's motives or anyone's heart.
Works on paper. No student screens required.
Socrates 1776 is built for the teacher. Print a student worksheet and a teacher's copy with the full analysis, and discuss the Socratic questions out loud. Where screens are welcome, Student Mode sends the worksheet to a tablet or laptop by link, QR code or email. Students never need an account.
How it works
From text to classroom discussion in a few minutes.
- Paste a passage from a textbook, lesson or article, or a news headline.
- Choose a grade level: Primary (K-5), Middle (6-8), Secondary (9-12), or Advanced / Adult. The words and depth adjust to fit.
- Read the analysis tab by tab. Every part can be edited, so the final word is always the teacher's.
- Teach with it: print the worksheet, share it through Student Mode, or use the Socratic questions to lead a discussion. Every analysis is saved to your History.
A sample
What a teacher sees for one headline at the high school level, shortened.
A statement of fact: the senator posted criticism of a rival. "Slams" is ambiguous: sharply criticized, mocked, or insulted? The rival is not named.
No fallacy. The headline reports an event and makes no argument.
B"Slams" and "furious" are the headline writer's dramatic words. They color a plain report without quoting what was actually said.
No virtue is clearly at stake: the headline summarizes a post without showing its words, so readers cannot judge the senator's character from it.
Does "slams" mean (A) sharply criticized, (B) mocked, or (C) insulted? Why might a headline describe a post instead of quoting it? How could you find out what the senator actually wrote?
Wisdom literature and the founders
When a text invites it, Socrates 1776 draws on sources that have shaped Western thought and the American founding, always labeled as a thought for the reader.
- The Bible (World English Bible)
- The Federalist Papers
- John Locke, Second Treatise of Government
- Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
- Epictetus, Enchiridion
Made for
Teachers
Check the curriculum you teach, or build a lesson from today's news, with an answer key and discussion questions.
Homeschool families
Teach logic and discernment at the kitchen table, at any grade level.
Classical educators
The Trivium applied to the words students meet every day.
Start with what your students read
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