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AmblesideOnline for Groups Form 3B 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.
(ChrBk) - purchase from Christianbook.com using AO's affiliate link.
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 our (£) links, we receive a commission which allows us to keep offering AO for free.

AO is an affiliate of Christianbook.com, which means that when you purchase from our (ChrBk) links, we receive a commission that helps with our costs.

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).

AmblesideOnline Form 3B Curriculum

The previous version of this page can be accessed until June 2024 here.

Bible

Numbers 1-36, Deuteronomy 1-34, Joshua 1-24
Matthew 1-28
Psalms 56-105, Proverbs 17-31
^[4]

Spiritual Formation

More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K)
OR The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K)

History: 1327-1600

Term 1: 1327-1454; Term 2: 1455-1529; Term 3: 1530-1600

Make a century chart of the period studied. ^[6]

The Birth of Britain by Winston Churchill ($amzn) (K) ^[8] and
The New World by Winston Churchill α ($amzn) (K) ^[10]
OR A History of England by H. O. Arnold-Forster α ($amzn; Lulu.com) ^[12]

A slightly abridged version of Martin Luther's defense before the Diet of Worms

Biography

Saints and Heroes, Vol 1 by George Hodges α ($amzn) (K) ^[14]
Saints and Heroes, Vol 2 by George Hodges α ($amzn) (K) ^[14]
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc by Mark Twain α Vol 1 β; Vol 2 β (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K) Ω ^[16]
A Man For All Seasons by Robert Bolt ($amzn (K) ^[18]
The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey ($amzn) (K) ^[20]

Literature

Watership Down by Richard Adams ($amzn) (K) ^[31]
The History of English Literature for Girls and Boys by H.E. Marshall ch 1-31 β α ($amzn) (K) ^[32]
Chaucer for Children: A Golden Key by Mrs. H. R. Haweis α (£) (K)
Everyman, a Morality Play α (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K) Ω ^[34]

Shakespeare for the 2023-2024 School Year:
* Twelfth Night
** King Lear
*** Measure for Measure

Poetry ^[27]

Fierce Wars and Faithful Loves by Roy Maynard (ChrBk) ($amzn) OR The Faerie Queene, Bk I, ed. by Carol Kaske ($amzn) (K) ^[36]
The Roar on the Other Side: Guide for Student Poets by Suzanne Clark, 1st half (ChrBk) ($amzn)

Copywork

Include selections from Shakespeare, the Bible, poetry and other sources. These selections may be the same ones used for recitation.

Dictation

Grammar and Composition

Easy Grammar Plus by Wanda Phillips ($ from their website or CBD) ^[38]

Recitation

Foreign Language

Begin Latin if you've not started already.
Continue with previous foreign language studies. ^[60]

Geography

1493 for Young People: From Columbus's Voyage to Globalization by Charles C. Mann ($amzn) (K)
OR The Life of Christopher Columbus by Edward Everett Hale β α ($amzn) (K) ^[22])

Citizenship

Plutarch for the 2023-2024 School Year:
Term 1: Alcibiades (Study Guide with text; Text Only)
Term 2: Coriolanus (Study Guide with text; Text Only)
Term 3: Cato the Younger (Study Guide with text; Text Only)
(Purchase this year's study guides, Vol 9, in one book: ($amzn) (K)
AO's full Plutarch rotation

Ourselves by Charlotte Mason (£) (£amzn) ^[28]
Character is Destiny by Russell Gough (£) (£amzn) ∫

Government and Economics

Whatever Happened to Penny Candy by Richard Maybury ($amzn) (K) ^[24]

Current Events

Students should have a plan for keeping up with current events. ^[30]

Science ^[40]

The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock α (ChrBk) ($amzn)
Continue to use as in previous years with the AmblesideOnline curriculum.

The Wonder Book of Chemistry by Jean Henri Fabre α ($amzn) (K) ^[42]
First Studies of Plant Life by George Francis Atkinson α ($amzn) ^[44]
Great Astronomers by R.S. Ball β α (£) (£amzn) (Brahe, Kepler) ^[43]
The Mystery of the Periodic Table by Benjamin Wiker and Jeanne Bendick ($amzn) (K)
The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe by Theodore Gray, selected elements ($amzn) Or, purchase the app.
A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking ($amzn) (K) ^[46]
Adventures with a Microscope by Richard Headstrom ($amzn) (K) ^[48]
Signs and Seasons: Understanding the Elements of Classical Astronomy by Jay Ryan (ChrBk) ($amzn) (CBD) ^[49]

Nature Study

Keep flower and bird lists of species seen, select a special study for outdoor work, and continue to maintain nature notebooks.

Social Life in the Insect World by J. Henri Fabre, selections (ch 10, 11, 14) ($amzn) K
The Lay of the Land by Dallas Lore Sharp (ch 4, 2, 8, 10) α (£) (£amzn) (K) ^[50]

Nature Study Topics for the 2023-2024 School Year:
summer/fall: Trees/shrubs/vines
winter: Stars/sky
spring: Amphibians
AO's full Nature Study rotation

Mathematics

Continue your math program; for some options, see this page.

Logic

The Fallacy Detective by Nathaniel Bluedorn and Hans Bluedorn ($amzn) (K) students should complete the book before moving on to Form 4. ^[51]

How To Read a Book by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K) students should read Parts I and II before moving on to Form 4 ^[52]

Art

Work on drawing skills. Illustrate a scene from one of this week's readings.

The Story of Painting by H. W. Janson ($amzn) ^[54]

Artists (Picture Study) for the 2023-2024 School Year:

2023-2024 TERM 1 Tintoretto (1518-1594; Renaissance)
(This term's music: Renaissance)
Self portrait
1. Crucifixion, 1565, Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice; study
2. Christ Before Pilate, 1567, also here Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice
3. The Adoration of the Magi, 1582, Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice; study
4. Portrait of a Man, 1586-1589, State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia
5. Paradise, 1588, Doge's Palace, Venice
6. The Last Supper, 1592-1594, San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice
Download a pdf file of this term's six prints here ^[NOTE]

2023-2024 TERM 2 Claude Monet (1840-1926; French Impressionist)
(This term's composer: Ravel)
Biography
1. Terrace at St. Adresse, 1866, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
2. Women in the Garden, 1866, Musee d'Orsay, Paris
3. Jean Monet on His Hobby Horse, 1872, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
4. Woman with a Parasol: Madame Monet and Her Son, 1875, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (see also here)
5. Tulip Fields in Holland, 1886, Musee d'Orsay, Paris
6. The Waterlily Pond, 1899, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey (Similar image here)
Download a pdf file of this term's six prints here ^[NOTE]

2023-2024 TERM 3 Georges Seurat (1859-1891; French Post-impressionist)
(This term's music: Opera Overtures)
1. Rock-Breakers, Le Raincy, 1882, also here Norton Simon Art Foundation, Pasadena, CA, USA
2. Man Cleaning His Boat, 1883, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, UK
3. Bathers at Asnieres, 1883-84, National Gallery, London, UK
4. Sunday on La Grande Jatte 1884, Art Institute of Chicago, USA
5. The Eiffel Tower, 1889, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, USA (also here)
6. The Circus, 1891, Musée d'Orsay, Paris
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 2023-2024 School Year:

2023-2024 TERM 1 Renaissance Music (This term's artist: Tintoretto)
1. Songs * * * * *
2. Guillaume Dufay * *   Ave Maris Stella ("Hail, star of the sea") * *
3. Dance Music * * * * *
4. Josquin des Prez * * * *
5. Vocal Music of William Byrd * * * * *
6. Claudio Monteverdi * * * *   Monteverdi wrote the earliest opera still regularly performed: "L'Orfeo" *
     CD and mp3 Options:
     -- The Hillard Ensemble: Music for Tudor Kings seems to offer a nice variety of music from the era. ($amzn) ($mp3); also English and Italian Renaissance Madrigals. ($mp3) The Hilliard Ensemble has multiple CD's featuring Renaissance era composers.
     -- Gloriae Dei Cantores: Masters of the Renaissance (choral sacred music) ($amzn) ($mp3)
     -- Oxford Camerata: Renaissance Masterpieces (vocal) ($amzn) ($mp3)
     -- Dances of the Renaissance ($amzn) ($mp3)
     -- Catherine King: Elizabethan Songs and Consort Music (solo voice, instrumental) ($amzn) ($mp3)

2023-2024 TERM 2 Maurice Ravel (1875-1937; Impressionist) (This term's artist: Claude Monet)
1. Daphne et Chloe - selections * *   complete *
2. Bolero * *
3. Mother Goose Suite * *
4. Pavane pour une infante dufunte (no, there really is no dead princess) * *
5. Piano Concerto in D for the Left Hand (composed for a pianist who lost his right arm in WWI) * *
6. Rhapsody Espagnole * *

2023-2024 TERM 3 Opera Selections (This term's artist: Georges Seurat)
1. Giuseppi Verdi: "Triumphal March" from Aida * * and "Vedi! le fosche" (Anvil Chorus) * * from Il Trovatore
2. Giuseppi Verdi "Libiamo Ne'lieti Calici" (Brindisi; drinking song - parents, preview!) from La Traviata * * and "La Donne Il Mobile," from Rigoletto * *
3. Giacomo Puccini: "O Soave Fancuilla" * * and "Quando M'en Vo" * * from La Boheme, and "E Lucevan Le Stelle" * * from Tosca.
4. Giacamo Puccini: "Un Bel Di Vedremo" * * from Madama Butterfly, and "Nessun Dorma" * * from Turandot.
5. Gioacchino Rossini: overture * * and "Largo al factotum" (Figaro Figaro Figaro. . .) from Il Barbiere Di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) * *
6. Gioacchino Rossini: William Tell overture * *
We suggest using a selection of Opera favorites that contains most of these, such as Best Opera Album In The World . . . Ever! ($amzn) and filling in any missing pieces with whatever else is on the CD. Puccini's "O mio babbino caro" from Gianni Schicchi, Bizet's "Au fond du temple saint" from The Pearl Fishers, Verdi's "Celeste Aida" from Aida would be worthy substitutes.
One possibility: 25 Opera Favorites CD ($amzn)
1 - track 7. Giuseppi Verdi: "Triumphal March" from Aida; track 17. Gypsies' Chorus from Il Trovatore
2 - track 3. Giuseppi Verdi: "Libiamo Ne'lieti Calici" (Brindisi) from La Traviata; track 9. "La Donne Il Mobile," from Rigoletto
3 - track 21. Giacomo Puccini: "Che Gelida Manina" from La Boheme; track 23. "Quando M'en Vo" from La Boheme; track 18. "Vissi d'Arte" from Tosca
4 - track 6. Giacamo Puccini: "Un Bel Di" from Madama Butterfly, track 5. "Nessun Dorma" from Turandot
5 - track 4. Georges Bizet: "Au Fond du Temple Saint" from the Pearl Fishers; track 2. Gioacchino Rossini: "Largo al factotum" from The Barber of Seville
6 - track 1. Gioacchino Rossini: William Tell overture
     Free Ebook for younger students Verdi: The Little Boy who Loved the Hand Organ by Thomas Tapper
     Classics for Kids Past Shows: Verdi; Puccini; Bizet; Rossini

AO's full Composer rotation

Hymns for the 2023-2024 School Year:

August: The Rock That Is Higher Than I * ∘
September: For All the Saints who from their Labours Rest * ∘
October: For the Beauty of the Earth * * * ∘
November: Anywhere with Jesus * * ∘
December: Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow * * ∘
January: My Song is Love Unknown * * ∘
February: This is My Father's World * * ∘
March: Ah, Holy Jesus * * ∘
April: Count Your Blessings * * ∘
May: All Creatures of Our God and King * * *
June: Lo! He Comes With Clouds Descending *
July: Holy, Holy, Holy * * *

AO's full Hymn rotation

Folksongs for the 2023-2024 School Year:

AO's Intro to 2023-2024's Folksongs
August (Bonus): God Bless America ∘
September: Aiken Drum * * ∘   Scottish version: * *
October: The Ash Grove * * * * ∘
November: The Lion Sleeps Tonight * * ∘
Over Christmas break, try learning a less familiar carol: Sleep, Sleep, Sleep My Little Child ∘ and/or O Little Town Of Bethlehem
January: The Water is Wide (Oh Waly, Waly) * * * * ∘
February: Now is the Hour * * * ∘
March: Log Driver's Waltz * * * ∘
April: A Man's A Man for A'That ("Should'a been Scotland's national anthem...") * * * ∘
May: Simple Gifts * * *
June: Click Go the Shears * *

AO's full Folksong rotation

Sing 3 songs per term in your foreign language ^[56]
Learn 3 folk songs per term in English ^[58]

Health and Physical Education

Physical Education: Learn and play a game (kick ball, tennis, croquet, ping-pong, softball, etc.) or folk-dance, or pursue other physical activity of your choice. One option is Swedish Drill Revisited by Dawn Duran purchase

Life and Work Skills

Charlotte Mason had students do house or garden work, make Christmas presents, other crafts, sew, cook, learn first aid . . .

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Free Reading

The Lost Prince by Frances Hodgson Burnett β α Ω
The White Company by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle β ($amzn) (K) Ω (its prequel is Sir Nigel Ω)
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens β α ($amzn) (K) Ω Λ
Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens β α (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K) Ω
The Black Arrow β by Robert Louis Stevenson α ($amzn) (K) Audiobook: CD (ChrBk) MP3 (ChrBk) Ω
The Innocence of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton β α (ChrBk) ($amzn) Ω
Emma by Jane Austen β α ($amzn) (K) Ω
Freckles by Gene Stratton Porter β α (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K) Ω
The Wonderful O ($amzn) and/or The Thurber Carnival by James Thurber ($amzn)
Unknown to History: Captivity of Mary of Scotland by Charlotte Yonge β α (£) (£amzn) Ω K
Jean Henri Fabre: Choose any of his books on insect life
Kenilworth by Sir Walter Scott β α ($amzn) Ω (or other Scott novel)

Queen Elizabeth by Jacob Abbott α
OR In the Days of Queen Elizabeth by Eva March Tappan α (K)

The Book Nobody Read: Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus by astronomer Owen Gingerich ($amzn)

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien: (ChrBk) (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K)
The Hobbit
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
The Return of the King

The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander ($amzn) (K)
The Book of Three (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K)
The Black Cauldron ($amzn) (K)
The Castle of Llyr ($amzn) (K)
Taran Wanderer ($amzn) (K)
The High King ($amzn) (K)
Read a fan's (archived) blog post about these books

Many thanks to David Hicks, author of Norms and Nobility, for his kind permission to draw from his work and ideas. For more information please see the 1999 edition of his book. ($amzn)

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. AO for Groups offers a weekly plan to take students in both Forms III and IV through the entire Bible in six years using a loosely chronological schedule.
Resources: Study questions with maps; Bible Maps; Bible timeline. Encyclopedia of Bible Truths, 4 Volumes by Ruth C. Haycock (purchase from CBD)
Charlotte Mason had her students reading a commentary. We suggest you use what fits best with your group's belief system, keeping in mind that this year should be a bit meatier than previous years. (Back)

6. Timeline: At this age, students should be keeping a Century Chart and Book of Centuries. 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)

8. The Birth of Britain is Volume 1 of Winston Churchill's 4 volume set, "A History of the English Speaking Peoples." The next three volumes will be used in Forms III and IV. Don't get the one edited by Henry Steele Commager, as it's abridged. For planning purposes, there is a table of contents with dates for all 4 volumes of A History of the English Speaking Peoples, and a schedule to break down the week's chapter into 4 short daily readings.
(Maps of medieval England)
Term 1: Chapter 21-27
Term 2: Chapter 28-30
Term 3: The New World (next Churchill book)
An alternate option is A History of England by Arnold-Forster, also online at archive.org, Google Books ($amzn; Lulu.com; Options); schedule. There's a list that correlates chapters of Churchill's Birth of Britain, The New World, Arnold-Forster's History of England, and Marshall's An Island Story. (Back)

10. The New World is Volume 2 of Winston Churchill's 4 volume set, "A History of the English Speaking Peoples." The next two volumes will be used in Forms III and IV. Don't get the one edited by Henry Steele Commager, as it's abridged. For planning purposes, there is a table of contents with dates for all 4 volumes of A History of the English Speaking Peoples, and a schedule to break down the week's chapter into 4 short daily readings.
Term 2: Ch 1-4
Term 3: Ch 5-10 (Back)

12. A History of England by Arnold-Forster, online at archive.org, Google Books; schedule
Term 1 ch 25 (Edward II) to ch 31 (York and Lancaster)
Term 2 ch 32 (Edward IV) to ch 37 (Great Cardinal and King's Divorce)
Term 3 ch 38 (Protestant Reformation) to ch 49 (Tudor Period)
(Back)

14. Saints and Heroes is church history.
Term 1: Volume 1 ch 18 (Wycliffe) to ch 19 (Hus)
Term 2: Volume 1 ch 20 (Savonarola) to Volume 2 ch 1 (Luther)
Term 3: Volume 2 ch 2 (Thomas More) to ch 8 (William the Silent) (Back)

16. Joan of Arc: Another (much shorter) option: Andrew Lang's The Story of Joan of Arc is available at Heritage History α Ω But keep in mind that swapping out hard books for easier ones is giving soft food to children who haven't learned to really chew solids yet: sometimes it's necessary. But don't give up too early on helping them (and you!) "chew" through the challenging material. (Back)

18. A Man for All Seasons is a play about Thomas More. A group of students could read this together, taking different parts. Alternately, a single student could watch the movie ($amzn), or as a second option, read William Roper's biography of Thomas More. (Roper was Thomas More's son-in-law.) (Back)

20. The Daughter of Time has some adult themes, especially in the earlier chapters; prereading recommended. (The King Richard picture the Tey book is based on from the National Portrait Gallery in London). (Back)

22. The Life of Christopher Columbus: The Advisory hasn't reviewed the Kindle copy of this yet. (Back)

24. Whatever Happened to Penny Candy: There is a Canadian supplement to this book. (Back)

Plutarch: Charlotte Mason recommended Thomas North's "inimitable translation." (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. Ourselves: approximately 22 pages per term. This book will continue through all the remaining years of AO curriculum. This is the 4th volume of Mason's 6 Volume Series. This year: pages 1-65 of Book 1.
Also available in a modern English paraphrase that can be read online or purchased. (K) The paraphrase of Book I, Self-Knowledge, the first half of Volume 4, can be purchased from lulu.com as a separate paperback book. Use paraphrases cautiously. If a child is truly lost and discouraged, a paraphrase can provide understanding and get him over the hump. But the goal is to build up his reading skills so that he doesn't need a paraphrase, and that won't happen by constantly relying on a paraphrase. Relying on paraphrases will prevent your child from developing the mental muscles needed to comprehend older books. But sometimes a paraphrase is needed. If a child is completely lost, then nothing in their brain is firing up, so there are times (and specific children) where it can make the difference between giving up on a book, or using a paraphrase so the ideas at least get through. Read more about this in Wendi Capehart's blog post Imagination and the Mind's Eye.
Term 1: Book 1 pg 66-86
Term 2: Book 1 pg 87-107
Term 3: Book 1 pg 108-130 (Back)

30. Charlotte Mason had students at this level read the daily news and keep a calendar of events. We suggest students choose the most important 2 or 3 stories of the week and re-write them in their own words as a chronicle of the year, making the heading of each page something like "This Week in History, September 1st, 2003." Teachers: pre-read and filter current events materials (on the web, or in print) as necessary, due to the potential for coverage and topics of an explicit nature, even from conservative sources. We've listed some possible options.
Blogs as a media form have rapidly overtaken hard-copy publications. News is being reported there, in some cases, faster and more accurately than other, older media forms. Students should learn about them, find one they trust, and check it regularly. However, we recommend that teachers first become familiar with blogs and visit the one(s) their students will frequent. We suggest several poliblogs, but know that not every message on these blogs will be 'child-friendly' and often have ads that include scantily clad women. Also, most blogs link to a multitude of other blogs and sites that may not be child-friendly.
Comments posted on blogs can be considered a new media equivalent of a letter to the editor, and students should learn how to communicate well on blogs. (Back)

31. Watership Down: An allegorical story that includes "community, connection, relationships, government systems and consequences, what makes a civilization, what makes it humane or inhumane, quests, and more." Read what Advisory member Wendi Capehart said about why this book is scheduled. (Back)

32. The History of English Literature for Girls and Boys:
Term 1: ch 21 How the Bible to ch 29 The Death of the Poet King
Term 2: ch 30 Dunbar to ch 37 The Land of Nowhere
Term 3: ch 38 The Death of Sir Thomas More to ch 41 Spenser
AO schedules this book in conjunction with Invitation to the Classics; more material is covered in Marshall's History of English Literature through the Victorian era, and more is covered in Invitation to the Classics in the more modern era. If you prefer to use only Invitation to the Classics by Louise Cowan and Os Guinness ($amzn), Students would read pg 107-138 Geoffrey Chaucer to John Calvin. A table of contents to help with planning. (Back)

34. Everyman Morality Play: There's a slightly less archaic version, or click on Everyman in the contents of this Google Book) A very abridged version (perhaps useful for the teacher to look at before starting this with the student?) Check YouTube for live performances of this play. (Back)

36. Fierce Wars and Faithful Loves is Book I of Spenser's Fairie Queene, updated and annotated. We don't recommend the Kindle version because of formatting issues. For those who need a children's version, there's a 'modern' (1916) retelling by Mary MacLeod available. It's online at Sacred Texts and archive.org. Book I is "The Red Cross Knight." Ω However, using easier versions of hard books won't help your student build the skills and confidence to tackle challenging content in the future. The best way to learn to read hard books is to read hard books. Go slow, unravel sentence by sentence if you have to, refer to a summary to check yourself (or to get over an especially difficult hump). Sometimes an easier version is necessary, but keep in mind the long range goal: to be able to handle the original with confidence. (Back)

38. Easy Grammar Plus: It is not necessary to memorize the prepositions at the start, just write a list of them and explain an easy way to remember most of them, such as "any way a worm can go in relations to two apples," or "any way a swallow can go in relation to two mountains." A parent using this with one child could get by with only the Teacher's Edition (ChrBk) since the student workbook is included in it, but multiple students would need their own workbooks (ChrBk). There are about 330 student worksheets in this thick book; expect to do one sheet every day to get through the book in two years. You can also purchase from their website. Easy Grammar Grade 8 Student 180 Daily Teaching Lessons by Wanda Phillips is just as good; it also has the student workbook included in the teacher's edition. Work through Easy Grammar Plus over two years. Students who are moving up to Form 4 and only have a single year in Form will need to work through it quicker.
If you prefer, you can use Jensen's Grammar. It goes slowly and step-by-step using a thorough answer key, but is not quite as simple as Easy Grammar Plus. There are 75 lessons, so plan to take two years, doing one lesson per week. Students who need to get through the material in a single year should do two lessons per week. Expect to pay about $30 for the Jensen's text and answer key. The DVD's are not necessary. You will probably find it cheaper at New Leaf Publishing, or other homeschool sellers such as Lamppost Homeschool.
Those who are more familiar with grammar may prefer Our Mother Tongue. It's more interesting as it uses classic literature for exercises and includes snippets of history about language, but it assumes the teacher has grammar experience (the answer key doesn't always help). The Answer Key ($amzn) is sold separately. (Back)

40. Science: If your student wants to pursue a scientific major and needs to prepare for special exams, you may want to contact your college of choice to find out what the requirements are. We have not undertaken to prepare our students for specialty exams, but to give them a foundation of knowledge about science which will make it a matter of interest to them for life. (Back)

42. Wonder Book of Chemistry: Many of the experiments are not safe; in some cases, the explanations of what happens are sufficient to benefit from this book. (Back)

43. Great Astronomers: For students struggling with Great Astronomers, the individual chapters have been paraphrased here. However, be mindful that students will only grow into challenging books by reading challenging books. Use paraphrases sparingly if at all. Relying on paraphrases will prevent your child from developing the mental muscles needed to comprehend older books. But sometimes a paraphrase is needed. If a child is completely lost, then nothing in their brain is firing up, so there are times (and specific children) where it can make the difference between giving up on a book, or using a paraphrase so the ideas at least get through. Read more about this in Wendi Capehart's blog post Imagination and the Mind's Eye. There are also briefer biographies online at MacTutor History of mathematics archives at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. They can be searched alphabetically. (Back)

44. First Studies of Plant Life: this book will be continued next year. Planting, growing and observing germinating seeds and plants is necessary to benefit from this book. Also online at Google Books.
If you prefer, you may substitute Exploring Creation with Botany by Jeanne Fulbright ($amzn) over Form 3, with selected activities from the book. (Back)

46. A Briefer History of Time: A shorter version of A Brief History of Time containing less technical concepts. We encourage you not to skip this book; Hawking is one of the most respected scientists of our time and it is important for our students to be literate in this subject and know what other people believe. Hawking acknowledged the role of God in creation, and this book is respectful to the beliefs of others. (Back)

48. Adventures with a Microscope: Choose 12 adventures if you are able to procure/borrow a microscope. Jeanne Webb wrote a study guide (Back)

49. Signs and Seasons - ch 2 and 3 this year. Field work is an integral part of this book.
If you prefer, A Walk through the Heavens: A Guide to Stars and Constellations by Milton Heifetz may be used. ($amzn) (K) (Back)

50. The Lay of the Land: These are stand-alone essays. AO scheduled one or two chapters per term to match up with US seasonal months. Feel free to rearrange them to fit the seasons where you live.
ch 1 The Muskrats are Building (autumn)
ch 2 Christmas in the Woods (winter)
ch 3 A Cure for Winter (midwinter)
ch 4 The Nature-Student (any season)
ch 5 Chickadee (winter)
ch 6. The Missing Tooth (winter)
ch 7 The Sign of the Shad-bush (spring)
ch 8 The Nature Movement (spring/summer)
ch 9 June (early summer)
ch 10 Broken Feather (spring)
ch 11 High Noon (summer)
ch 12 The Palace in the Pig-pen (spring)
ch 13 An Account with Nature (late summer)
ch 14 The Buzzard of the Bear Swamp (late summer)
ch 15. The Lay of the Land (summer) (Back)

51. Fallacy Detective: There are 36 "lessons" in the book (newer editions have 38). Ideally, take two years to go through the book, covering a lesson every other week. Students who are moving into Form 4 and only have a single year can do a lesson per week. (Back)

52. How to Read a Book: Be sure to get the revised edition. written by both Mortimer J. Adler And Charles Van Doren. If Van Doren is not a co-writer, it's the older book. It was revised in 1972, but later books may not be called "revised." The version to use has five chapters in part 1; 7 chapters in part 2; 7 chapters in part 3; and two chapters in part 4. The unrevised edition may have fewer parts.
The book is read slowly, but this material is weighty and should give much material for reflection and discussion. Ideally, students should take two years to cover Parts 1 and 2. However, students who are moving into Form 4 and only have a single year should do both Parts in one year, as Parts 3 and 4 will be read in Form 4. There is a two year schedule and a one-year schedule. These can be printed and used as a bookmark. (Back)

54. Janson's Story of Painting: chapters 3-5 this year: The Middle Ages (second half), Explorers and Discovers, The Age of Genius. (Some nudity; preview first.) If you already have Janson's Picture History of Painting, Janson's History of Art for Young People or Janson's History of Art, those books are broken down into their appropriate terms for AO4G. Note that Janson's History of Art and History of Art for Young People are huge books with much more text than the Painting books, and may be too much for most students on top of their other reading. (Back)

56. Foreign Folk Songs: Charlotte Mason did 3 in French and 3 in German. (Back)

58. English Folk Songs: you may choose to continue the Folk Song rotation at AmblesideOnline; as well as the AmblesideOnline rotation for Hymns each term. Carols would do for the Winter term. Work on each song about 4 weeks. Folksongs which are particularly appropriate selections for this year's time frame include:
Go No More a Rushing; Greensleeves; Scarborough. Barbara Allen, Star of the County Down, Andrew Barton
[tune], English folksongs and other folksongs. (Back)

60. Charlotte Mason's students were learning three languages at this level. A good English/foreign language dictionary is also recommended.
You might find that your foreign language studies cover enough grammar to be counted as English Grammar as well. (Back)

Last updated March 31, 2023 (to update Bible)