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AmblesideOnline for Groups Form 2B Booklist

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.

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.

Asterisks refer to which term the book is used: * Term 1 ** Term 2 *** Term 3

β - manybooks.net, another free ebook site.
α - free etext at archive.org; newer books can be borrowed for one hour at a time.
K - free Kindle text from amazon.com.
(£amzn) - Living Books Press purchase using AO's amazon.com affiliate link.
($amzn) - book purchase using AO's amazon.com affiliate link.
(K) - Kindle purchase using AO's amazon.com affiliate link.
(£) - Purchase directly from Living Books Press with an affiliate link; save 10% with discount code: AOBooks
Λ - 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.

AO is an affiliate of Living Book Press, which means that when you purchase from livingbookpress.com we receive a commission which allows us to keep offering AO for free. LBP links are identified like this: (£)

AmblesideOnline is part of Amazon.com's Affiliate program. If you use the Amazon links, we receive a small commission which enables us to cover the costs of keeping the website and curriculum. Amazon links are identified like this: ($amzn) or (£amzn) or (K), but we have provided links to free and alternate sources as well.

AmblesideOnline Form 2B Curriculum

Bible ^[5]

Old Testament: 1 and 2 Samuel
New Testament: The ministry of Jesus taken from all four gospels

History: 1780-1914

Keep a simple timeline. ^[4]

This Country of Ours by H. E. Marshall β α (£) (£amzn) (£amzn) ($amzn) K Ω ^[6]
Answering the Cry for Freedom by Gretchen Woelfle, ch 5-8 ($amzn) (K)
¹ ² Abraham Lincoln's World by Genevieve Foster ($amzn) ^[7]
³ The Story of the World Volume 4, The Modern Age by Susan Wise Bauer ($amzn) (K) ^[8]

Biography

Trial and Triumph by Richard Hannula ($amzn) (K) ^[10]
George Washington Carver: Man's Slave Becomes God's Scientist by David Collins (or other Carver biography; ($amzn)

Literature

The Age of Fable by Thomas Bulfinch β α α ($amzn) (K) Ω K Ω ^[28]
¹ Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table by Andrew Lang ($amzn) (K) Ω
² ³ Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens β α ($amzn) ($amzn) (K) Ω K Λ ^[30]

Shakespeare for the 2022-2023 School Year:
* Henry V
** The Tempest
*** The Merchant of Venice

Poetry ^[27]

¹ Rudyard Kipling
² Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ^[26] Hiawatha (£) (£amzn) Ω Λ
³ John Greenleaf Whittier and Paul Laurence Dunbar Λ

Purchase AO's Volume 5 poetry collection which includes Kipling, Longfellow, Whittier, and Dunbar in paperback or Kindle ($amzn) (K)

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: ($amzn) Level B: ($amzn)
Getty Dubay Italic Handwriting Series ($earch)

Dictation

Grammar and Composition

Recitation ^[recit]

Term 1
Psalm 11:7; Luke 2:30-32; Psalm 51:10-12
The Children's Song from Puck of Pook's Hill by Rudyard Kipling
If by Rudyard Kipling
A passage from the term's Shakespeare play
Term 2
Matthew 5:14-16; Matthew 6:19-21; Hosea 1:7
The Arrow and the Song by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Excelsior by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A passage from the term's Shakespeare play
Term 3
Matthew 18:1-5; Luke 15:3-7; 2 Kings 18:5-7
Forgiveness by John Greenleaf Whittier
Sympathy by Paul Laurence Dunbar
A passage from the term's Shakespeare play

Foreign Language

Latin

Geography

¹ ² Of Courage Undaunted: Across the Continent with Lewis and Clark by James Daugherty ($amzn)
² ³ The Story of David Livingstone by Vautier Golding ($amzn) (K) ^[12]
Material World: A Global Family Portrait by Peter Menzel ($amzn) ^[20]
What the World Eats by Faith D'Aluisio and Peter Menzel ($amzn) ^[14]

Ten minutes of map drills each week ^[16]
Locate places from the day's reading on a map

In addition, these geography concepts should be explained and taught this year: ^[18]
Term 1: Animal features (feet, teeth, covering) and their purposes; how we use animals (meat, milk, fur, silk, horns, hooves, labor, pets)
Term 2: Things mined from the earth: minerals and metals such as coal, iron, gold, silver, lead, tin, copper, mercury, salt. Quarried stones: granite, sandstone; limestone (chalk), marble, slate and their uses. Where brick and glass come from; mortar.
Term 3: People around the world live in different dwellings, eat, work, learn and play. Terms: agriculture (farming), stock-raising, mining, lumbering, fishing. Town people: manufacturing, trade/commerce, transportation and other occupations.

Citizenship

Plutarch for the 2022-2023 School Year:
Term 1: Marcus Brutus (Study Guide with text; Text Only)
Term 2: Pericles (Study Guide with text; Text Only)
Term 3: Fabius (Study Guide with text; Text Only)
Purchase this year's study guides, Vol 8, in one book: ($amzn) (K)
AO's full Plutarch rotation

Nature Study and Science

The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock α ($amzn) as scheduled in 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 all

The Storybook of Science by Jean-Henri Fabre (used over three years) α (£) (£amzn) ($amzn) (K) Ω
Madam How and Lady Why, Volume II, Further Afield by Charles Kingsley, with notes by Anne White ($amzn) (K) ^[20]
The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson, selections (over three years; for older students) ($amzn) (K) ^[21]
It Couldn't Just Happen by Lawrence Richards (used over three years; ($amzn) (K)
The Child's Book of Nature: Part II. Animals, by W. Hooker, (£) (£amzn) or Christian Liberty Nature Reader, Book 5 by W. Hooker, edited by Michael J. McHugh (used over two years) ^[24]
Wild Animals I Have Known by Ernest Thompson Seton (selections) β α (£) (£amzn) ($amzn) K ^[25]

Great Inventors and Their Inventions by Frank P. Bachman (£) (£amzn) (K)
(or The Story of Inventions Michael J. McHugh and Frank P. Bachman) α ($amzn) Ω ^[22]

Nature Study Topics for the 2022-2023 School Year:
summer/fall: Birds
winter: Mammals
spring: Wildflowers/flowerless plants AO's full Nature Study rotation

Mathematics

Select a program from our page of Math Options.

Art

Artists (Picture Study) for the 2022-2023 School Year:

2022-2023 Term 1 Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890; Dutch Post-Impressionist)

(This term's composer: Mahler, Bruckner)

1. The Starry Night, 1889, Museum of Modern Art, New York City
2. The Chair and the Pipe, 1888, National Gallery, London
3. The Night Café, 1888, Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut
4. Self Portrait as an Artist, 1888, Paris, Arles, St. Remy, Auvers-sur-Oise (part of a traveling exhibit?)
5. The Vase with Sunflowers, 1888, Paris, Arles, St. Remy, Auvers-sur-Oise
6. Bedroom at Arles, 1889, Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Further Interest: The Yellow House (be sure it's the picture book by Susan Goldman Rubin)
Download a pdf file of this term's six prints here ^[NOTE]

2022-2023 Term 2 Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520; Italian Renaissance)

(This term's composers: Ralph Vaughn Williams, Edward Elgar; 20th Century British.)

Biography. Note: If you use the Wikipedia biography, preview it first.
1. The Knight's Dream, 1504, National Gallery, London
2. St. George and the Dragon, 1504-6, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
3. Galatea, 1512, Villa Farnesina, Rome
         OR Young Woman with a Unicorn, 1506, Galleria Borghese, Rome (more here)
4. Sistine Madonna, 1512-1514, Dresden, Germany
5. The Miraculous Draft of Fishes, 1515, The Vatican, Rome (more about this series here)
6. Ezekiel's Vision, 1518, Palazzo Pitti, Florence
Download a pdf file of this term's six prints here ^[NOTE]

2022-2023 Term 3 John Singer Sargent (1856-1925; American)

(This term's composer: Grieg and Sibelius)

Biography
1. Oyster Gatherers of Cancale, 1878, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
2. The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit, 1882, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
3. The Breakfast Table, 1884, also here Fogg Museum of Art, Cambridge, MA. The woman is Violet, Sargent's younger sister.
4. Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, 1885-6, Tate Britain, London (also here)
5. An Artist in his Studio, 1904, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
6. Lady Agnew of Lochnaw, 1892-3, National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
Further Interest: Theodore Roosevelt, 1903, The White House, Washington, D.C.
       Robert Louis Stevenson and his Wife, 1885, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR
Download a pdf file of this term's six prints here ^[NOTE]

AO's full Artist rotation

Note: PDF files for AO's picture study are being made available for you to download and print yourself from "A Humble Place"; you can access the PDF files of pictures by clicking the "Individual Artworks Only" link by each artist's name. The "Picture Study aid" link is an additional optional resource and may require you to submit your email address or make a purchase, but the "Artworks Only" link is provided with no strings attached.

Music

Composers for the 2022-2023 School Year:

2022-2023 Term 1 Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) and Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) (This term's artist: Vincent Van Gogh)

1. Mahler: Symphony 1 in D major "Titan" * *
2. Mahler: Symphony 9 * *
3. Mahler: Kindertotenlieder (song cycle) * *
4. Bruckner: Symphony no 4 in E-flat major "Romantic" WAB 104 * *
     Classics for Kids Past Shows: Bruckner; Mahler

2022-2023 Term 2 Edward Elgar (1857-1934) and Ralph Vaughn Williams (1872-1958; 20th Century British) (This term's artist: Raphael Sanzio)

1. Ralph Vaughan Williams: Symphony 1 (A Sea Symphony) * *
2. Ralph Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Greensleeves * *
3. Ralph Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis * *
     Further Interest: The Lark Ascending * *
4. Edward Elgar: Serenade for String Orchestra in E minor Op 20 * *
5. Edward Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance Op 39 No.1 March in D Major * *
6. Edward Elgar: Enigma Variations Op 36 * *
     Classics for Kids Past Shows: Elgar; Vaugn Williams

2022-2023 Term 3 Jean Sibelius (1865-1957; zhan suh BAY lee us) and Edvard Grieg (1843 -1907) (This term's artist: John Singer Sargent)

1. Grieg - Peer Gynt Suite no 1 Op 46 * *
2. Grieg - Piano Concerto in A Op 16 * *
3. Grieg - Norwegian Dance Op 35 no 2 * *
4. Grieg - Lyric Suite Op 54 * *
     For further interest: Lyric Pieces Op. 12 * *
5. Sibelius - Finlandia Op. 26 no 7 * *
6. Sibelius - Symphony No. 1 in E min Op. 39 * * or Symphony No. 2 in D maj Op. 43 * *
     Free Ebook for younger students Edvard Grieg: The Boy Who Made Music in the Land of the Midnight Sun by Thomas Tapper
     Classics for Kids Past Shows: Sibelius; Grieg

AO's full Composer rotation

Hymns for the 2022-2023 School Year:
August: More Love To Thee, O Christ * ∘
September: He Leadeth Me * * * * ∘
October: Dear Lord and Father of Mankind * ∘
November: He Hideth My Soul * * * * ∘
December: How Sweet The Name of Jesus Sounds * * * ∘
January: What A Friend We Have In Jesus * * ∘
February: I'll Praise My Maker While I've Breath * * ∘
March: Redeemed, How I Love To Proclaim It * ∘
April: I'm Not Ashamed to Own My Lord *
May: Sweet Hour of Prayer * * *
June: Rock of Ages * *
July: I Stand Amazed in the Presence *
August: The Rock That Is Higher Than I *

AO's full Hymn rotation

Folksongs for the 2022-2023 School Year:
July: My Country 'Tis of Thee ∘ AO doesn't schedule folksongs for summer, but Hannah Fridenmaker picked a couple of songs to supplement for those doing folksongs in July/August.
August: America The Beautiful ∘
Bonus: I Know Moonlight, I Know Starlight * * * * ∘

September: Did You Go To the Barney * * ∘ ($mp3)
October: Waltzing Matilda * ∘ ($mp3)
November: The Fox (went out on a chilly night) * * ∘ ($mp3)
During your Christmas break, try a carol you may be less familiar with:
The Wexford Carol ∘ or While Shepherds Watched Their Flock *
January: The Mermaid * * ∘ ($mp3)
February: Wayfaring Stranger * ∘ A Christian "take" from 1978 * ($mp3)
March: Whoopie Ti Yi Yo Git Along Little Dogies * ∘ ($mp3)
April: Red River Valley * ($mp3)
May: Crawdad Song * ($mp3)
June: I'll Fly Away * * ($mp3)

AO's full Folksong rotation

Physical Education

One option is Swedish Drill Revisited by Dawn Duran purchase

Additional Books for Free Reading ^[32]

Passion for the Impossible: The Life of Lilias Trotter by Miriam Huffman Rockness There is much focus on this book right now, with the movie/DVD associated with it, and there is a great need for such a hero of the faith, who worked with Muslims. Students should read the first half; the second half is optional. ($amzn) (K)

Biography of Alexander Graham Bell, like Always Inventing by Tom L. Matthews ($amzn), or Talking Wire by O.J. Stevenson ($amzn) OR biography of Marie Curie

Kim by Rudyard Kipling β α ($amzn) (K) Ω
The Courage and Character of Theodore Roosevelt by George Grant ($amzn) Also called Carry a Big Stick: The Uncommon Heroism of Teddy Roosevelt ($amzn) (K)
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott β α ($amzn) (K) Ω Λ
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens β α ($amzn) Ω K Λ ∩
Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling β α (£) (£amzn) ($amzn) (K) Ω K
Puck of Pook's Hill by Rudyard Kipling β α ($amzn) Ω K
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain β α ($amzn) (K) Ω K Λ
The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain β α ($amzn) (K) Ω
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson β α ($amzn) (K) Ω Ω K Λ
Lad: A Dog (or another book in the Lad series) by Albert Payson Terhune α ($amzn)
The Treasure Seekers by Edith Nesbit β α ($amzn) (K) Ω K
The Wouldbegoods by Edith Nesbit; sequel to The Treasure-Seekers β α ($amzn) Ω K
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery β α ($amzn) ($eries) (K) Ω Λ
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder ($amzn) (K) 9-book series: ($amzn) Paperback: ($amzn) (K)
Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder ($amzn) (K)
These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder ($amzn) (K)
The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder ($amzn) (K)
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin β α ($amzn) (K) Ω K
Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge β α (£) (£amzn) Ω K
Michael Faraday, Father of Electronics by Charles Ludwig ($amzn) (K)
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham ($amzn) (K)
Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith ($amzn) (K) (Contains some violence pertaining to war.)
Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt ($amzn) (K)
Falcons of France by Charles Nordhoff, James Norman Hall ($amzn) (K)
Goodbye Mr. Chips by James Hilton ($amzn) (K)
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller β ($amzn) (K) Ω K
Rilla of Ingleside by Lucy Maud Montgomery; shows WWI effects on a community. Eighth book in the Anne of Avonlea series; those who like these books might enjoy Rilla more if they read some of the earlier ones first. β α ($amzn) (K) ($et) Ω

If you would like some easier, but still excellent, living books, for a Form 2 student to read independently for free reading, consider choosing from this list:

Sarah Plain and Tall series by Patricia MacLachlan
Sarah Plain and Tall ($amzn) (K)
Skylark ($amzn) (K)
Caleb's Story ($amzn) (K)
More Perfect than the Moon ($amzn) (K)
Grandfather's Dance ($amzn) (K)

The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen by Lloyd Alexander ($amzn)
Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop ($amzn)
Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson ($amzn)
The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois($amzn) (K)
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George ($amzn) (K)

Kate Seredy books, including:
The Good Master ($amzn)
The White Stag ($amzn)
The Singing Tree ($amzn)
The Chestry Oak ($amzn)

Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien ($amzn)
The Rescuers by Margery Sharp ($amzn) (K) (and others in the series)
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden ($amzn) (K)
Homer Price by Robert McCloskey ($amzn) (K)
Centerburg Tales by Robert McCloskey ($amzn) (K)
The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald; particularly interesting to boys; skip (or preview) the last chapter, ch 8, "The Great Brain's Reformation," as it's a light-hearted tale told in a frivolous manner about a boy's attempts to do himself in after his father disparages his disability. ($amzn) (K)

Noel Streatfeild books (appealing to girls in particular)
Ballet Shoes ($amzn) (K)
Skating Shoes ($amzn) (K)
Dancing Shoes ($amzn) (K)
Theater Shoes ($amzn) (K)

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. (Cindy Rollins did a Circe Mason Jar podcast that included the role of audiobooks with difficult books.) 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 ClassicsHeidi Nash has a list of some favorite Librivox readers. Be aware that apps, including Librivox, that have clickable ads can open a browser and allow children unfiltered access to the internet, even when browsers have been disabled by the parent. There are options: either download mp3 files from Librivox and listen without the app, or only install the app on a parent-controlled device. Librivox has a pay option to turn off ads. (Back)

4. Timeline: At this age, students should be keeping a simple, single-page timeline of major events and a Book of Centuries. Read an Advisory member's blog post about early timelines at Wendi Wanders. 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 ($amzn). Two Book of Centuries options: (£) (£) (Back)

5. It is a good idea for children 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. For more about this, read Lynn Bruce's article on the King James Version.
Optional Bible Resources: Bible Gateway has many versions of the Bible online. Timeline; Study questions with maps. (Back)

6. This Country of Ours: Washington-Wilson this year.
Term 1: ch 64-72 (Washington-Adams, 1783-1828)
Term 2: ch 73-82 (Jackson-Buchanan, 1829-1861) ch 83-91 are skipped
Term 3: ch 92-99 (Johnson-Wilson, 1865-1919)
This Country of Ours is our first choice for this term's US history book, and is used in all terms. The 'OR' options are world history selections; they are not an adequate substitute for this book. This year uses the chapters that cover the time period between 1783-1919. 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 This Country of Ours. (Back)

7. Abraham Lincoln's World: This book has several different editions with slightly different page numbers and section headings. Weekly schedules use the Beautiful Feet reprint; adjust the schedule to fit the copy you have. (Back)

8. Story of the World: The historical books that were recommend for Forms I and II such as An Island Story, A Child's History of the World, Abraham Lincoln's World, The Story of Mankind were carefully selected based on literary quality and availability for those historical periods and we believe that Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the World Volume 4 is the best book for the twentieth century that meets that same criteria. The book is not used until Term 3. To help with your planning, a table of contents for this book, with loose dates.
Term 3: ch 1-22 (Back)

10. Trial and Triumph: Descriptions of some trials of the Christians may be intense; preview chapters to determine suitability based on their student's sensitivities. If you prefer, you can skip this book and cover church history in Form 3 with a different book, Saints and Heroes by George Hodges.
This book tells church history from a definite Protestant perspective; some may wish to skip this book or find an alternative. (Back)

Recitation: Charlotte Mason's PNEU schools expected children to be able to recite two Bible verses and a poem for their term exams. We have listed suggestions, but students should be allowed to have some input into what is memorized for recitation. Some students will gravitate towards a specific poem, or want to memorize all of a Psalm, and that should be encouraged. There are some possible suggestions for Shakespeare passages on our Shakespeare recitations page. (Back)

12. Livingstone's journeys were selected for their geography of Africa, so map work is vital. The map link goes to a Map created by Livingstone himself. (Back)

14. Material World/What the World Eats - How to use these books:
Leave them out, preferably near a globe or world map, and browse through them together from time to time.
Leave them out, browse through them and maybe once a month pick a country of interest. Look it up (briefly) on Wikipedia or in a good Atlas. Read a little bit more about it. Find it on a map or globe.
If a child is interested, he can pursue additional research in his free time and learn more about countries that particularly interest him, but this should be his own delight directed study or hobby.
How not to use these books: as the basis of a unit study or a burdensome checklist of additional tasks to fulfill.
Note: Material World: pg 16 and pg 70 have some National Geographic types of photos that may need screening.
Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio looks similar to What the World Eats; we think it could be used interchangeably. ($amzn) (Back)

16: Geography: SeterraOnline offers Free Map Quiz Games. If you have an iPad or iPhone, TapQuiz is a free map quiz app. (Back)

18: 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.
Term 1: Animal features (feet, teeth, covering) and their purposes; how we use animals (meat, milk, fur, silk, horns, hooves, labor, pets)
These topics are covered in these chapters:
Long's Home Geography α (£) (£amzn) 37. The Parts of Animals
Long's Home Geography α 38. The Covering of Animals
Long's Home Geography α 39. Uses of Animals
Term 2: Things mined from the earth: minerals and metals such as coal, iron, gold, silver, lead, tin, copper, mercury, salt. Quarried stones: granite, sandstone; limestone (chalk), marble, slate and their uses. Where brick and glass come from; mortar.
These topics are covered in these chapters:
Long's Home Geography α 41. Things Found in the Earth
Long's Home Geography α 42. More About Things Found in the Earth
Term 3: People around the world live in different dwellings, eat, work, learn and play. Terms: agriculture (farming), stock-raising, mining, lumbering, fishing. Town people: manufacturing, trade/commerce, transportation and other occupations.
These topics are covered in these chapters:
Long's Home Geography α 43. How People Live, and What They Are Doing
Long's Home Geography α 44. More About What People Are Doing
Long's Home Geography α 45. A Review Lesson (Back)

Plutarch: Charlotte Mason recommended Thomas North's "inimitable translation." (Back)

20. Madam How and Lady Why: This year, the second half of the book is covered:
Term 1: The Chalk Carts, Madam How's Two Grandsons, The Coral Reef
Term 2: Field and Wild, The World's End
Term 3: Homeward Bound
Anne White has formatted the text with her study notes into separate volumes. Volume 1, "A Walk Through the Glen," is scheduled in Form 2a (last year). Volume 2, "Further Afield," is scheduled this year, in 2b.
Just the Further Afield text with a few edits (mostly for comments that would be considered racist by today's standards) for your student to read along.
The text with Anne White's study guide which is linked above is recommended but not required. If you prefer just the original book without the study guide or edits, it is available at these links: Project Gutenberg β α (£) ($amzn) (£amzn) Ω K There's a schedule for the original book. Groups 2B lines up with Year 5 on that schedule.
Madam How and Lady Why is scheduled slowly over two years. This is an earth science book; if you use the study guide, you'll see that it takes time to adequately cover the subject matter. Researching the topics is what makes this useful as a science book.

Of what value is an old science book like Madam How and Lady Why? Apart from the superior writing quality, the best thing you can get out of old science books is a strong sense that science is a constantly changing thing, and that the "scientific evidence/theory/conclusion" of today can be debunked in a year, or two, or ten. Children should learn to take the words "Scientists think . . ." for exactly what they are worth (always worth considering, but never to be considered the final word). Reading older books will help you develop that sense.
Note on Kingsley's "old earth" comments: During the era when Madam How and Lady Why was written, there was no "young earth" discussion out there: evidence seemed to show an old earth, and the Church of England (Charles Kingsley was a clergyman), by and large, accepted a kind of theistic evolution.
This book is invaluable for understanding the deeper ideas of how to approach science. If you do nothing else with this book, at the very least, read the preface and chapter 8 (Madam How's Two Sons) -- that's the bare minimum, but, really, this whole book is truly worthwhile. Some parents are hesitant to use this book because of outdated science information; keep in mind that whatever is current, accurate and up to date changes all the time. Even if you buy a current science book today, there is material in it that is already out of date and will be defunct next year. Some science teachers complain that in some areas what is currently held as true changes so fast that they think science would be best taught using science journals as the text, and even then, in some topics, over half of what is published in journals ends up being retracted later. But that's data, and it's easy to correct outdated data. The ideas in this book are the foundation of a CM philosophy. This is a book to read together with your kids, to discuss, to research together. Some of the style of the writing can be off-putting, but that is also something that could become an advantage: use it as a writing or narration project, asking your student to 'retell what the author is getting at, but in current terms.' (Back)

21. The Sea Around Us: If you're curious why this book is scheduled, The Guardian has an article that describes The Sea Around Us as "the first, and still perhaps the best science bestseller. . . The reader is immersed in a new and wonderful world, one where everything really is connected to everything else. This sense of the sea and all its constituents as part of an interrelated system infuses the entire book."
The special edition we've linked "features a new chapter written by Jeffrey Levinton, a leading expert in marine ecology, that brings the scientific side of The Sea Around Us completely up to date. Levinton incorporates the most recent thinking on continental drift, coral reefs, the spread of the ocean floor, the deterioration of the oceans, mass extinction of sea life, and many other topics." ($amzn) (Back)

22. 'The Story of Inventions' is online, except for the last 2 chapters, which were a later addition and still copyrighted. The online edition does not have the two later chapters. If you have the second edition, the chapter order may not match the AO schedule. AO member Amy H. posted a revised list on her blog. Great Inventors and Their Inventions by Frank P. Bachman (£) (£amzn) is an earlier version of the same book. If you have a copy, you can substitute. Or, boys might enjoy War Inventions by Charles R. Gibson (the Advisory hasn't read this yet.) All About Famous Inventors and Their Inventions α by Fletcher Pratt is similar; The Story of Great Inventions by Elmer Ellsworth Burns α might be another option. Chapter 10: Watch 6 min video on Medieval Manuscripts (Back)

24. Christian Liberty Nature Reader, Book 5: This book has been newly reprinted by Living Books Press and our amazon link will take you to that edition ($amzn). If you purchase a different edition, be sure to get either the 1992 edition, or the 2002 edition and its 2012 reprint, which is organized slightly differently but still fine to use. NOTE - the new (2018?) Third Edition reprint of this book by Wendy Kramer has the same title, but completely different content. The new reprint is about ocean animals, not about animals and the body. See image below to help identify the correct book cover. The book AO scheduled came from a public domain book called The Child's Book of Nature, a three-part volume by Worthington Hooker, "Part II - Animals." It's online at Project Gutenberg beginning at pg 2007, and archive.org beginning on pg 144. Part II (by itself) is online at Google Books.(Back)

25. Wild Animals I Have Known chapters are scheduled as followed:
Term 1. The Pacing Mustang; Silverspot (about crows)
Term 2. Raggylug (rabbits)
Term 3. Bingo (a dog) (Back)

26. Longfellow, used in Form 1, is repeated in Form 2 because his longer poems are more historically appropriate for this year; try breaking up longer poems and reading them over a few days. (Back)

27. 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)

28. Age of Fable, used over three years, is a book about Greek mythology, and some editions use illustrations of nudes, which some might find objectionable. This year: ch 15 (Graeae) - ch 28 (Troy)
Term 1: ch 15 (The Graeae, Perseus and Medusa, Perseus and Atlas) to ch 20 (Theseus)
Term 2: ch 20 (Olympic and other games, Daedalus, Castor and Pollux) to ch 24 (Amphion-Muusaeus)
Term 3: ch 25 (Arion) to ch 28 (Agamemnon-Troy) (Back)

30. Oliver Twist: Yes, the language in this book is a challenge, but the challenging books are the ones that will slowly scaffold children to comprehend the nuances and meanings of longer sentences and more complex sentence structure so that they'll be able to read anything by high school with ease. (Back)

32. 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) Students should understand 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)

Last update Mar. 16, 2021