Ambleside Online - Year 6 Booklist

Exam Questions

Year 6 reflects a transition year between the education of childhood and the challenging education of the upper years. As such, more mature subject matter is included in some areas. We have endeavored to make note of this where applicable, but we encourage parents to pre-screen such material to determine its appropriateness for their child and family.

Asterisks refer to which term the book is used.
* the book is used in term 1
** the book is used in term 2
*** the book is used in term 3

Formatted etexts for year 6 can be accessed by joining the etext email list

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

Daily Lessons:

Penmanship or Copywork
Math
Foreign language
Latin
Musical Instrument Practice

Weekly Lessons:

Art Appreciation
Art
Grammar (AO's Language Arts Scope and Sequence for this level is here.)
Correspond history readings with a timeline or century book and map
Handicrafts
Music Appreciation, including folksongs and hymns
Nature Study
One Life from Plutarch
A Shakespeare play

Bible

This site has many versions; it is preferable for a child to become accustomed to the language and flow of the KJV, as a familiarity with King James English will make other literature more accessible. Please read Lynn Bruce's article on the King James Version. Penny Gardner has a list of Old and New Testament stories to read straight from the Bible that may be useful for Bible time. | Bible timeline | Study questions with nice maps |

Year 6 History

Year 6 reflects a transition year between the education of childhood and the challenging education of the upper years. As such, more mature subject matter is included in some areas. We have endeavored to make note of this where applicable, but we encourage parents to pre-screen such material to determine its appropriateness for their child and family.

TERM 1: 20th Century text from end of WWI through present
Story of Mankind ch 66-71 1920- (these chapters are in later copyrighted editions and not online) OR Child's History of the World ch 85-91
The Story of the World Volume 4 The Modern Age by Susan Wise Bauer pgs 244-474 - The historical books that were recommend for Years 1-6 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.
OR What Everyone Should Know About the 20th Century: 200 Events That Shaped the World by Alan Axelrod, Charles Phillips (see note here)

TERM 2
Augustus Caesar's World by Genevieve Foster (first half), 162 pages This book contains sections on the birth of world religions presented from a secular humanist point of view. Parents may wish to cover these sections closely with their children.
** Story of the Greeks by H. A. Guerber 282 pages, Online, or purchase from Nothing New Press, Lifetime Books or Tree of Life (listed under history books)

TERM 3
Augustus Caesar's World (second half), 162 pages "Parents -- Please preview"
*** Story of the Romans by H. A. Guerber 278 pages, Online, or purchase from Nothing New Press, Lifetime Books, or Tree of Life (listed under history books)

History Tales and/or Biography

Trial and Triumph (Church history from a definite Protestant perspective) by Richard Hannula (selected chapters) Read a sample excerpt or purchase the book. 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 cover church history in Years 7-9 with a different book, Saints and Heroes.
* Advisory is still considering a book for term 1; we suggest choosing a book from Free Reading set in the modern era (those are marked with a single astersisk)
** Genesis, Finding Our Roots by Ruth Beechick
*** Never Give In (Winston Churchill) by Stephen Mansfield

Geography

The Story of David Livingstone by Vautier Golding. This book could be covered in one term, leaving time to use another resource (perhaps one of the options from Year 5). Or, you may prefer to use Missionary Travels by David Livingstone, although some students have found it very dry. Livingstone's journeys were selected for their geography of Africa, so map work is vital. A map created by Livingstone is available here.

Natural History

Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock (a 1911 version is online in various formats here)
* ** School of the Woods by William J. Long
** *** The Sea Around Us by Rachael Carson

Science

Secrets of the Universe: Discovering the Universal Laws of Science by Paul Fleisher; originally published in 1987 by Atheneum, ISBN number 0689312660. In 2002 Fleisher published five new books called the Secrets of the Universe series; each has a different title and is a separate chapter from the original book. The original book has gone out of print and seems to be difficult to find, although it does pop up; public libraries would be the obvious first place to look since the book isn't really that old. Please don't feel that the Advisory is asking anyone to go on a major quest for the only excellent book out there. That's not what was intended by leaving the book on the list, only that if you CAN get a copy, it's still our first choice for Year Six. If you are unable to access it, another option might be The Boy Scientist by John Bryan Lewellen, out of print, but more readily available at used book sources than Secrets of the Universe. Another option is The Sciences by Edward Holden, out of print, but online here for free. Charlotte Mason herself recommended Holden's book, so even simply taking a look at it will give an idea of the kind of science text she would have used. (We don't usually recommend out of print books, or very expensive books. All of these books are good, and if you can obtain them, we suggest you use them. However, we are still seeking an alternative that fits our guidelines of excellence, availability, and affordability.)
OR, if you prefer, you can use any of the Exploring Creation With . . . series by Jeannie Fulbright for science in Years 3-6, available here. A support group is available.

Science Biography

* Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity by Robert Cwiklik OR Ordinary Genius by Stephanie McPherson
** Archimedes and the Door of Science by Jeanne Bendick
*** Galileo and the Magic Numbers by Sidney Rosen (available as a reasonably priced eBook, but there are copyright rules about using it; it must be read off your computer.)

Mathematics

Choose one; these are just a few suggestions; more help here.

Developmental Mathematics
Making Math Meaningful
Math U See
Ray's Arithmetic
Singapore Math
Right Start Mathematics

Foreign Language

Latin

Poetry

* Robert Frost
** Carl Sandburg
*** Alfred Noyes a few poems online
Term 3's poems aren't selected yet; until then, you might enjoy these 59 poems

Literature

Age of Fable by Thomas Bulfinch ch 29 (Ulysses) - end (Druids)
* ** The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (16 weeks)
** Animal Farm by George Orwell (8 weeks)
*** The Iliad - perhaps Black Ships before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff, or Tales of Troy by Andrew Lang (A Homer website)

Additional Books for Free Reading - these 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. Parents should 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)
* Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls 20th century
* The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia by Esther Hautzig (recommended by AO users!)
* Winged Watchman by Hilda Van Stockum
* Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor deals with racism in the 1930's
* Blue Willow by Doris Gates, dust bowl story - there is another book by this name
* MIracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen; depression era fiction- sweet, upbeat, nature appreciation
* Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse - very literary story of a Jewish Immigrant to post WWII America
* Jungle Pilot: The Life and Witness of Nate Saint, Martyred Missionary to Ecuador by Russel T. Hitt
* The Von Trapp Family Singers by Maria Von Trapp
* Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan (true story of Norwegian children who spirited away gold for the resistance right under the Nazi's eyes)
* Number the Stars by Lois Lowry WWII based on a true story of the Danish efforts to save the Jews
* The Ark by Margot Benary-Isbert refugee family attempts survival in post WWII Germany [OOP]
Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Little Men by Louisa May Alcott
Jack and Jill by Louisa May Alcott (every homeschool family should read this)
The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss
Call of the Wild by Jack London
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Penrod by Booth Tarkington
A Little Brother to the Bear by William J. Long
***The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth Speare
God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew

Charlotte Mason created a "List of Attainments;" what a child should be able to do by age 6, and by age 12. It might be helpful to take a look at this list since many Year 6 students are around age 12.

For those on a strict budget, recommended purchases are:

Year 6
The Story of the World Volume 4 The Modern Age by Susan Wise Bauer (used in year 5 and 6)
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock (to be used for all 6 years)
Trial and Triumph (Church History) by Richard Hannula (avail at http://www.canonpress.org/pages/church.asp)
a math program
Augustus Caesar's World by Genevieve Foster
Story of the Greeks by H. A. Guerber
Story of the Romans by H. A. Guerber
Secrets of the Universe by Paul Fleisher (out of print, but worth making the effort to locate) OR The Boy Scientist by John Llewellyn
Genesis, Finding Our Roots, by Ruth Beechick
Never Give In (Winston Churchill) by Stephen Mansfield
The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson if your library doesn't have it
Archimedes and the Door of Science by Jeanne Bendick if your library doesn't have it
Galileo and the Magic Numbers by Sidney Rosen if your library doesn't have it
biography-type books about Michael Faraday, Albert Einstein, etc
a Latin/foreign language program
Animal Farm by George Orwell (check libray)
The Hobbit by Tolkein if your library doesn't have it

Last update Mar. 16, 2007