AmblesideOnline - Year 2 Booklist

A Basic Overview of Year 2
Bible	History	Geography	Science and Math
Genesis Matthew	1000 A.D. to Middle Ages Medieval England Discoverers Joan of Arc	Compass Earth's orbit Midwest Oceans	Nature Study Mammals Math
Citizenship
The Little Duke

Language Arts	Literature	Foreign Language	Music and Arts
Simple Copywork Oral Narration Recitation Phonics	De La Mare, Field, Riley, Rossetti Pilgrim's Progress Robin Hood, Wind in the Willows, and more. . .	Modern Language	Hymns and Folk Songs Artist/picture study Composer Drawing and Handicrafts

History studied in Year 2: 1000 AD to Middle Ages

Students will be practicing reading, or doing a phonics program. They will do simple daily copywork, no more than ten minutes a day. They may keep a simple timeline. Every scheduled reading will still be narrated orally. They continue a formal history rotation, with medieval-era history. Foreign language study continues through songs and/or stories.

Note: These booklists and curriculum suggestions are incomplete without a thorough understanding of Charlotte Mason's ideas and methods. We cannot emphasize enough that you take time to familiarize yourself with her philosophy by reading her books.

If you're planning to use AmblesideOnline, your first stop should be the the FAQ for some information about the curriculum and basic instructions. Our FAQ answers all the questions that people routinely ask: AO's history scope and sequence, how to schedule your school days, how to do narration, and more.

Detailed weekly schedules for these books are available in various formats:
Html List; PDF; modifiable DOC; modifiable ODT

Table of Contents: KEY TO SYMBOLS DAILY WORK WEEKLY WORK BIBLE HISTORY BIOGRAPHIES GEOGRAPHY NATURAL HISTORY (SCIENCE) PENMANSHIP/COPYWORK PHONICS/READING MATHEMATICS FOREIGN LANGUAGE POETRY LITERATURE FREE READING EXAMS

Key: (What do all those symbols mean?) Book titles are linked to Project Gutenberg (which offers free etexts in a variety of formats) or other online text when no Project Gutenberg text is available. β - manybooks.net, another free ebook site. Δ - free etext at archive.org. K - free Kindle text from amazon.com. ($) - hard-copy book purchase from amazon.com. (K) - Kindle purchase from amazon.com. ☊ - free audiobook at Lit2Go Ω - free audiobook at Librivox [2] ∩ - other free audiobook source [0] - Click the bracketed numeral to view any notes about the book near the bottom of the page. [0] - red footnotes indicate a heads-up for parents about the title. We cannot foresee every incident that might potentially be an issue to every family, but we have red-flagged those that are commonly a concern. Asterisks refer to which term the book is used:       * Term 1      ** Term 2    *** Term 3

A list of Year 2 audio books here.

In order to complete the curriculum additional instruction should be provided in the following areas.

Daily Instruction or Practice:

Penmanship or Copywork
Phonics or reading practice
Recitation
Math
Foreign language

Weekly Instruction or Practice:

Art
Correspond history readings with a timeline ^[4] and map
Handicrafts
Music Appreciation, including folksongs and hymns
Nature Study
An artist and a composer each term

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Bible ^[6]

Old Testament: Genesis
New Testament: Matthew

History: 1000 A.D. to Middle Ages

An Island Story by H.E. Marshall β Δ ($ K) Ω Ω ^[8]
This Country of Ours by H. E. Marshall β Δ ($) Ω K ^[10]
A Child's History of the World by Virgil Hillyer ($ K) ^[12]

History Tales and/or Biography

Trial and Triumph by Richard Hannula ($ K) ^[18]
* ** The Little Duke by Charlotte Yonge β Δ ($) Ω K ^[20]
*** Joan of Arc by Diane Stanley ($)

Geography

* ** Tree in the Trail by Holling C. Holling ($) map
** *** Seabird by Holling C. Holling ($)

In addition, these geography concepts should be explained and taught this year: ^[22]

Term 1: A compass can show direction when sun and stars are not visible.

Magnetic needle always points north.
Points on the compass (N, S, E, W and points in between: NE)
How sailors use a compass.

Term 2: Planets orbit around the sun.

Earth orbits around the sun in 365 days, making a year.
The earth's turning makes day and night.

Term 3: The poles

Earth's spinning on its tilted axis makes the four seasons

Natural History/Science

The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock Δ ($),
as scheduled for Nature Study.

Supplies for Nature Study:

Nature notebook and pencils or paint for each student
Begin to build a library of regional field guides
Plenty of time to allow Nature Study to be a fun learning experience for both parent and child

The Burgess Animal Book for Children by Thornton Burgess - β Δ ($) Ω K ^[24]

Penmanship/Copywork

A curriculum or program for handwriting is not necessary, but if you want to use one, these are some we've used and can suggest:

A Reason for Writing (Level A: $) (Level B: $)
Getty Dubay Italic Handwriting Series ($earch)

AO's Language Arts Scope and Sequence for this level is here.

Phonics/Reading Instruction

Phonics and reading with CM's methods can be taught effectively and simply without a formal program, carefully following Charlotte Mason's sequence explained in Home Education, volume 1 of her book series (start at page 199). Jennifer S. described how to implement CM's method of teaching reading step by step on her Joyful Shepherdess blog.

Discover Reading by Amy Tuttle: guide, lesson plans and activities to teach reading with CM's methods.

Additional (non-CM) programs the AO Advisory has used and can recommend (not an exhaustive list):

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Engelmann, Haddox and Bruner ($)
Alpha-Phonics: A Primer for Beginning Readers by Samuel L. Blumenfeld ($ K)
Home Start in Reading by Ruth Beechick ($)

Beginning readers might gain confidence from classics retold in A Primary Reader by E. Louise Smythe ($)

Mathematics

Select a program that meets your family's needs from our page of Math Options.

Foreign Language

Choose a foreign language program that focuses on oral learning. Some that are popular among Charlotte Mason parents are The Learnables, Little Pim, Cherrydale Press, Language Learning for Children by Alyssa Johnson and Christine Lewis (K or free for AO Forum members)

Celeste at Joyous Lessons wrote a 3-part blog series on teaching young children a foreign language. There's also a vintage Parents' Review article on teaching foreign languages

Poetry ^[25]

* Walter De La Mare
** Eugene Field and James Whitcombe Riley (K)
*** Christina Rossetti (K)

Purchase all three terms of Year 2's poetry for Kindle (K)

Literature

Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb β Δ ($) Ω K

OR Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit β Δ ($ K) Ω

Parables from Nature by Margaret Gatty. Δ ($ K) Ω Ω

A modern English paraphrase is available ($ K). ^[26]

Pilgrim's Progress, Book 1 (Christian's Journey) Δ by John Bunyan ($) Ω K ^[28]
* Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher β Δ ($; be sure you get an UNabridged edition) Ω ^[30]
** The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame β Δ ($) Ω K ☊ ^[32]
*** Robin Hood by Howard Pyle β Δ ($ Ω) Ω K ^[34]

Additional Books for Free Reading ^[36]

Heidi, by Joanna Spyri. β Δ ($) Ω K ^[38]
A Wonder Book by Nathaniel Hawthorne β Δ ($) K
Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne β Δ ($) Ω K ^[40]
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney β Δ ($) Ω K
Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales Δ β ($ K) K (selections)
The Pied Piper of Hamelin Δ by Robert Browning ($) Ω K
Abraham Lincoln by Ingri D'Aulaire ($)
Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit β ($ K) Ω K ^[42]
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder ($) (9-volume set)
Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder ($)
The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting β Δ ($) Ω ☊
Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers ($ K) ^[44]
Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry ($)
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater ($ K)
Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle β Δ ($) Ω K ^[46]
Chanticleer and the Fox by Barbara Cooney's is one version ($)
Along Came A Dog by Meindert De Jong ($)
The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli ($ K)

If your Year 1-2 student needs some additional reading practice, we suggest choosing from the following:

The Boxcar Children (just the first one) by Gertrude Chandler Warner ($)
A Lion to Guard Us ($), Shoeshine Girl ($), or others by Clyde Robert Bulla
Henry and Mudge and others in the series by Cynthia Rylant ($)
A Toad for Tuesday by Russell Erickson ($)

Millicent Selsam's easy readers. Particularly good are:

Plenty of Fish
Seeds and More Seeds
Let's Get Turtles

Frog and Toad books (and others) by Arnold Lobel

Frog and Toad Are Friends ($)
Frog and Toad All Year ($)
Frog and Toad Together ($)
Days With Frog and Toad ($)
Owl at Home ($)
Grasshopper on the Road ($)
Mouse Soup ($)
Mouse Tales ($)

Little Bear books by Elsa Holmelund Minarik:

Little Bear ($)
Father Bear Comes Home ($)
Little Bear's Friend ($)
Little Bear's Visit ($)
A Kiss for Little Bear ($)

If your Year 2-3 student needs some additional reading practice, we suggest choosing from the following:

The Bears on Hemlock Mountain by Alice Dalgliesh ($)
The Hundred Dresses, by Eleanor Estes ($)
The Enormous Egg by Oliver Butterworth ($)
Impunity Jane: the Story of a Pocket Doll by Rumer Godden ($)
The Story of Holly and Ivy (a Christmas book) by Rumer Godden ($)

Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace:

Betsy-Tacy ($)
Betsy-Tacy and Tib ($)
Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill ($)

Billy and Blaze books by C. W. Anderson:

Billy and Blaze ($)
Blaze and the Forest Fire ($)
Blaze and Thunderbolt ($)
Blaze and the Mountain Lion ($)
Blaze Finds the Trail ($)
Blaze and the Lost Quarry ($)
Blaze and the Gray Spotted Pony ($)
Blaze Shows the Way ($)

Fairchild Family series by Rebecca Caudill:

Happy Little Family ($)
Schoolhouse in the Woods ($)
Up and Down the River ($)
Schoolroom in the Parlor ($)

(Purchase a Kindle)

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Footnotes

2. Note on Audiobooks: While links to audio books are added as a courtesy, Miss Mason's approach to grammar and composition is heavily dependent upon the children receiving an immense amount of visual exposure to the written word over many years, so parents should exercise extreme caution in how many audiobooks they use each year. Our brains just work differently when we see the words. For children who have difficulty reading, one solution is to have them follow the audio version along in a written text. Librivox free audio is done by volunteers, and some are better than others. Forgotten Classics has a list of some favorite Librivox readers. (Back)

4. Timeline: At this age, students should be keeping a timeline of their own personal history. Instructions for making your own timelines and charts are included in these Parents' Review articles: Book of the Centuries; Teaching Chronology; The Correlation of Lessons. For more details about the why, when, how of keeping CM timelines (and other notebooks), we recommend Laurie Bestvater's book, The Living Page ($). (Back)

6. Bible: Bible Gateway has many versions of the Bible online. It is preferable for a child to become accustomed to the language and flow of the King James Version of the Bible, as a familiarity with King James English will make other literature more accessible. Please read Lynn Bruce's article on the King James Version by clicking here.
The weekly schedule lists readings taken from J. Paterson Smyth's commentaries, with Old Testament readings focusing on Genesis, and New Testament in the book of Matthew. (see AO's Bible plan) Charlotte Mason taught both with commentaries, reading the Bible passage first, then narration, then reading the commentary, but Smyth's commentaries may reflect the doctrine of his era and denomination; they are not necessary to follow the Bible schedule.
Optional Bible Resources: Timeline; Calvary Chapel Coloring Sheets; Study questions with maps. (Back)

8. An Island Story, Chapters 22-60 1066-1553, Harold II-Edward VI this year. Term 1: ch 22-32, 1066-1189, Harold II Henry II.
Term 2: Chapters 33-50 1189-1399, Richard I Richard II.
Term 3: ch 51-61 1399-1553, Henry IV-Henry VII.
Kings and Queens Timeline Figures
This book was published in the UK under the title, 'OUR Island Story;' both books are identical except for the title. Be aware that the edition for sale from Wilder Publications has no Table of Contents or chapter numbers. Public domain texts are available for anyone to copy, paste and publish, and many new companies are springing up publishing and selling these texts without editing for typos.
For planning purposes, there is a Table of Contents with dates for An Island Story here. (Back)

10. This Country of Ours, Term 1: ch 1 How the Vikings...
Term 2: not used.
Term 3: ch 2-5 Columbus, 1492-1497, Henry VII.
For planning purposes, there is a Table of Contents with dates for This Country of Ours here.
Optional: Leif the Lucky by D'Aulaire or Part II of Viking Tales, by Jennie Hall can be used in place of This Country of Ours in Term 1.
Optional: Columbus by Ingri D'Aulaire can be used in place of This Country of Ours in Term 3. (Back)

12. A Child's History of the World, ch. 47 on Charlemaigne-60; skip ch. 48 ("Getting a Start") on Alfred, as that is also covered in 'An Island Story.'
Term 1 are ch 47, ch 49-53 (ch 45, 47-51 in 1st edition) 1000 AD Charlemaigne, Vikings Peter the Hermit; 800-1100.
Term 2: ch 54-57 (ch 52-54 in 1st edition) Richard I-John I Magna Charta, 1189-1215.
Term 3: ch 58-61 (ch 55-58 in 1st edition) Marco Polo-Joan of Arc; 1275-1456.
For planning purposes, there is a Table of Contents with dates for A Child's History of the World and M. B. Synge's Story of the World here.

If you need an online book, you may use The Discovery of New Worlds by MB Synge ($) Ω
Term 1: ch 12-18
Term 2: ch 19-22
Term 3: ch 23-29
For planning purposes, there is a Table of Contents with dates for A Child's History of the World and M. B. Synge's Story of the World here. (Advisory note: look also at Synge's A Book of Discovery Δ)

Chapters from 'The Story of Mankind' by Hendrick Van Loon Ω Δ are shown where they overlap with history being studied for those wishing to have an older student (5th grade and up) follow along in the same rotation or for those who are limited to only this text. Story of Mankind is for an older age group and not really recommended for children this young. The text for the Story of Mankind is online here.
Term 1: ch. 29-32 Charlemaigne, Norsemen, Feudalism, Chivalry.
Term 2: ch. 33-35, Pope vs. Emperor, Crusades, The Medieval City.
Term 3: ch. 36-38, Medieval Self-Government, The Medieval World, Medieval Trade.
For planning purposes, there is a Table of Contents with dates for The Story of Mankind here. (Back)

18. Trial and Triumph: Descriptions of some trials of the Christians may be intense; parents should preview chapters to determine suitablity based on their children's sensitivities. If you prefer, you can skip this book and cover church history in Years 7-9 with a different book, Saints and Heroes, by George Hodges.
This book tells church history from a definite Protestant perspective; some families may wish to skip this book or find an alternative.
Trial and Triumph used to be online, but now only a sample of the book is available online. This is what we used to post about the online posting: Google Books does have permission from Canon Press to have Trial and Triumph in full online. Here is a statement from Canon Press: "I believe we have extended permission to them to display that title. Obviously we would love for folks to purchase hard copies but we understand the limitations of many folks. If they do benefit from the online version though, we would be grateful for some sort of review whether it be on a blog, on Amazon, or on our own website. Thanks for contacting us to check. We really appreciate it." - David Hoos, Canon Press - Customer Service www.canonpress.com (Back)

20. The Little Duke: Charlotte Yonge is an author CM used in the PNEU curriculum. This is a lively, literary biography of Richard, Duke of Normandy, great-grandfather of William the Conqueror, beginning in 943 AD. Yonge's historical information about events of the Viking era is meticulously researched, although presented in a somewhat Victorian tone. AO Advisory member Anne White has written a study guide for this book, which is here. (Back)

Geography: The Following geography concepts should be explained and taught this year; a book is not necessary as these can be explained informally during walks and outings. AO's complete list of geography topics is here.
   Term 1: A compass can show direction when sun and stars are not visible. Magnetic needle always points north. Points on the compass (N, S, E, W and also halfway in between: NE), how sailors use a compass.
          These topics are covered in these chapters:
          Long's Home Geography Δ 4. How the Compass Shows Direction
          Charlotte Mason's Elementary Geography: The Points of the Compass
          Charlotte Mason's Elementary Geography: The Mariner's Compass
   Term 2: Planets orbit around the sun. Earth orbits around the sun in 365 days, making a year. The earth's turning makes day and night.
          These topics are covered in these chapters:
          Charlotte Mason's Elementary Geography: Our World and Other Worlds Part I
          Charlotte Mason's Elementary Geography: Our World and Other Worlds Part II
          Charlotte Mason's Elementary Geography: Day and Night
   Term 3: The poles; earth's spinning on its tilted axis makes the four seasons
          These topics are covered in these chapters:
          Charlotte Mason's Elementary Geography: Poles and Axis
          Charlotte Mason's Elementary Geography: The Four Seasons Part I
          Charlotte Mason's Elementary Geography: The Four Seasons Part II
          2 minute explanation on YouTube; also look for Bill Nye The Science Guy episode: "Seasons" (23 minutes) (Back)

24. The Burgess Animal Book: Term 1: ch 1-15; Term 2: ch 16-27; Term 3: ch 28-40
See up-to-date searchable taxonomy and/or Kelly Kenar's taxonomy key to research more about the animals in the book (Back)

25. Poetry: How do you "do" poetry? Simply read it and enjoy it, re-read it, read it again and listen to the sound of the phrases, let them paint a word picture in your mind. Do you feel like you need more direction? How to Read a Poem: Based on the Billy Collins Poem "Introduction to Poetry" by Tania Runyan is "less as an instructional book and more of an invitation." This is a suggested optional parent resource that encourages you read poetry for enjoyment. (Back)

26. "Parables of Nature" is a Christian character book using elements of nature to make its point. and is scheduled for 3 years - Years 1, 2 and 3. It is not a science book. If you feel you must substitute, we suggest Clara Dillingham Pierson's "Among the __ People" series because "each story closes with a gentle moral, inspiring children to right behavior," rather than substituting with a science book. (Back)

28. Pilgrim's Progress: The original language is recommended; read why and see recommended versions by clicking here. (Back)

30. Don't let your son be put off by Understood Betsy because it's "about a girl." We've had many, many requests from moms to suggest a Boy Option because their son balked at this book - only to have the same moms later report that "Understood Betsy" turned out to be a favorite book. "Understood Betsy" was also published as "Betsy" in the UK. (Back)

32. The Wind in the Willows: we recommend the edition illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard (Back)

34. Robin Hood may be continued into the summer if necessary to finish. Don't let the language put you off this book. After getting a feel for the rhythym and phrases, many moms report that this is a favorite with their children, especially boys. It can be the book that helps transition children to some other challenging AO books. You can purchase an unabridged audio of Robin Hood read in a wonderful British accent by David Case from BLackstone Audio. ($) (Back)

36. Free Reading books are books that no child should miss, but rather than overloading school time, these can be read during free time. No narrations need be required from these books. Advisory member Wendi C. suggests, "How you handle these is up to you . . ." (more) Parents should also explain to students that historical fiction, while often well-researched, is still fiction, and contains the author's ideas of how things might have happened. Books with asterisks pertain to that term's historical studies. (Back)

38. Heidi wasn't written in English, and there are various translations out there; some leave things out. Look for one that has all of the chapters and includes the hymns. There is a beautifully illustrated, unabridged 'gift edition' online (it's the one at Project Gutenberg linked to the title 'Heidi'), and one with Jessie Wilcox Smith illustrations, although that one may not be complete. (Back)

40. "Tanglewood Tales" is similar to Charles Kingsley's book 'The Heroes,' which is read in Year 3 (Back)

42. Five Children and It: In ch 11, near the very end of the book, there's this line: 'Him outside and me in, I was,' said Martha; 'except for fetching up a fresh pail and the leather that that sl-- of a Eliza 'd hidden away behind the mangle.' The word didn't used to mean what it does now; it used to mean a lazy person. (Back)

44. Some versions of Mary Poppins say 'revised' because P.L. Travers revised chapter 6 herself in 1981 to get rid of some rather nasty racist things; read more about that here. (Back)

46. Otto of the Silver Hand: Be aware that the child loses a hand in this story; if your child is sensitive, you might want to gloss over or edit that part. (Back)

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For those on a strict budget, recommended purchases are:

Hillyer's Child's History of the World (is used for multiple years; $ K) unless you plan to use M.B. Synge's online books instead
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock (used for 6 years; ($) - online, but would be cumbersome to utilize that way.)
Joan of Arc by Diane Stanley if your library does not have it ($)
a Math program
a phonics program (although you can make do yourself, as this mom did)
Tree in the Trail ($) and Seabird ($) by Holling C Holling if your library does not have them
Laura Ingalls Wilder books if your library does not have them ($)
D'Aulaire's Abraham Lincoln (free reading), if your library doesn't have it ($)
Other books can be read online or borrowed from the library.

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Last update June 19, 2017