Ambleside Online/House of Education Online Year 7

Please be advised that 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.

Exam Questions

History studied in Year 7: Middle Ages, 800- 1400 (Alfred, King Arthur, Joan of Arc) Term 1: 800-1066, Term 2:1066-1333, Term 3: 1327-1485

Note: One asterisk * means a book will be used in Term One. Two asterisks ** means Term Two, and three *** means Term Three. No asterisks mean the book will be used for all three terms.

(Read Wendi's informal chat about why these books were chosen and which ones are indispensable)

This is a collection of some of the best resources for this time period. Even Advisory members aren't able to cover all of these with their own students and have to be selective. Feel free to pick and choose from among these suggestions. (If this looks overwhelming for your student, you might consider plan B - a lightened load for year 7. See it here).

Formatted etexts for year 7 can be accessed by joining the etext email list.

BIBLE

The Bible - Use a plan of your own preference, or follow this suggestion for this year:
*John
**Luke
***Acts

Atlas of the Holy Land
Bible Maps | Bible timeline | Study questions with nice maps |

Charlotte Mason had her students reading a commentary. We suggest you use what fits best with your family's belief system, keeping in mind that this year should be a bit meatier than previous years.

Suggested Devotional Reading
Saints and Heroes, Vol 1 by George Hodges for church history if you didn't use Trial and Triumph in Years 1-6
* Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis OR More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell
** The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer - 1949, a call to devotion, also here
*** The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges - a no nonsense guide to godly living

HISTORY

The Birth of Britain by Winston Churchill, which is Volume 1 of his 4 volume set, A History of the English Speaking Peoples. The next three volumes will be used in the next three years of HEO. This has recently gone out of print, but is widely available through used book sites such as AddAll.com, and often available at auction on eBay. (Note: PLEASE contact Barnes & Noble Publishing and strongly suggest (beg, plead, cry) that they republish their lovely slipcased edition of this set!) Separate volumes may be available from Barnes and Noble (don't get the one edited by Henry Steele Commager, it's abridged)
* Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People - Selections. Download a 12-week text file that includes selections from this work and Asser's Life of Alfred selections
* William of Malmesbury's account of the Battle of Hastings
** The Magna Carta or here. Or, use this modern rendering.
** In Freedom's Cause by G.A. Henty (Athough this is a work of fiction, it is a more accurate account of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce in Scottish history than is available in many other similar books.)
*** History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea by William Tyre - A first-hand account of the Crusades
*** The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey (the well-known portrait this mystery revolves around is here.)

BIOGRAPHIES

* The Life of King Alfred by Asser, selected passages (Download a 12-week text file that includes selections from this work and Bede selections)
** *** Joan of Arc by Mark Twain

GEOGRAPHY

* ** The Brendan Voyage by Tim Severin
*** How the Heather Looks by Joan Bodger (You will love this book and may therefore look for more by the same author for your child to read. Please exercise caution in doing so.)

Map Drills
Ten minutes of map drills each week, locating places from the week's reading on a map.
Websites useful for mapwork activities (and a great big thanks to Wendy Fish for her gargantuan task of sifting through mapsites to find these!):
Mapwork for Roman Britain and Ireland. Northern Gaul outline maps also available.
For those who would like a way to find modern town names.
An overall quiz on Medieval locations.
Europe as it was in the timeframe covered in Year 7 studies.
The most straightforward outline maps of modern world.
Some easy-to-read maps of Europe in the Year 7 timeframe.
Blank outline map of Late Medieval Europe.
An extra note: Will and Ariel Durant's history series volume for this time period contains excellent maps inside the covers that portray the geographical locations pertaining to Year 7 studies.

GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS

* Whatever Happened to Penny Candy by Richard Maybury; purchase from Bluestocking Press. (There is a Canadian supplement to this book.)

CITIZENSHIP

Ourselves by Charlotte Mason, approximately 22 pages per term. This book will continue through all the remaining years of HEO curriculum. This is the 4th volume of Mason's 6 Volume Series, currently in print. This year: pages 1-65 of Book 1. If you don't own CM's Series but prefer a 'hard copy' to an online text, used copies of Volume 4 can be found online, or you can purchase Book I, Self-Knowledge, the first half of Volume 4, as a separate paperback book. Also available in a modern English paraphrase that can be read online or purchased.

Plutarch's Lives - follow the schedule posted at Ambleside Online.

CURRENT EVENTS

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." Parents: 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 here.

Web blogs are an important new media form. 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 is regularly. However, we recommend that parents first become familiar with blogs and visit the one(s) their children will frequent. We suggest several poliblogs here, but want parents should 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.

LITERATURE

Shakespeare - Continue with Ambleside Online Rotation.

The Once and Future King by T. H. White (hereafter referred to as TOAFK) Book One ("The Sword in the Stone") and Book Two ("The Queen of Air and Darkness") will be divided over three terms. NOTE: This is a read aloud and discuss book. ***Please preview.*** The themes in this book, although controversial, are too important to dismiss. For more information, read discussion about this book.
The History of English Literature for Girls and Boys. by H.E. Marshall ch 1-31 Purchase from Kelly Kenar, who typed this e-text for the use of HEO. Postage at lulu.com is automatically set to UPS ground which is expensive, but you can choose media mail which is substantially cheaper. (Note - if you purchase this book, we request that you purchase from the link provided, as other publishers' reprints of this book have used Kelly's hand-typed etext for their own profit. )
The Age of Chivalry by Thomas Bulfinch (versions seem to differ in Part III; some list 3 or 4 Heroes, some list 6 chapters of English Knights)
* Watership Down by Richard Adams.
* ** Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott (20 weeks)
** *** A Taste of Chaucer by Anne Malcolmson - Contains edited-for-students versions of the following tales: The Monk's Tale, The Nun's Priest's Tale, The Tale of the Clerk of Oxenford, The Manciple's Tale, The Franklin's Tale, Chaucer's Tale, The Tale of the Man of Law, The Canon's Yeoman's Tale, The Pardoner's Tale. Letting your student loose on an unedited version of Canturbury Tales is not recommended! This online version has a modern paraphrase alongside the original, but it isn't edited. Another here. The Baldwin Project has The Chaucer Story Book; it's a prose re-telling, but could be used as a last resort. Possible substitute (may be more suitable for students?) The Parliament of Fowles by Chaucer

POETRY

Check online sites such as Librivox for free audio readings of poems; this is a growing project and more poems are online every month.

* Follow this time-line of English Poetry and do an anthology of sorts this term. (Some firewalls may block access to this link - just a technical glitch. In that case, try this: shorten the URL to http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/display/index.cfm then click on "e-Resources" which will take you to a search field. Type in "Representative Poetry".From that page, choose "timeline" and you'll be in the right place.)
OR: The Oxford Book of English Verse, 1919, edited by Arthur Quiller-Couch, is a poetry anthology Charlotte Mason used; it's very good, and it's online in a searchable format. (Poems 1-24, 29, 31-33) The same text, but with a different title, is also at Project Gutenberg This site offers modern translations of some of these poems. Click the first line, then click the word "translation" at the top.
** Alfred, Lord Tennyson, especially Idylls of the King
*** John Keats, especially The Eve of St. Agnes

And beginning in Form IV, Mason had the students note the metre and other technical details of the poems. We'd like to be able to suggest a good reference book for the parent for this, or a website. If a book is online, that would be a great help.

GRAMMAR AND COMPOSITION

Our Mother Tongue: An Introductory Guide to English Grammar by Nancy Wilson This book has 49 chapters. One suggestion is to spread the book over two years, doing about 9 chapters per term.
OR, if you have Jensen's Grammar, work through that in Year 7 or 8.

The Grammar of Poetry by Matt Whitling, from the Imitation in Writing series (Logos School Materials). You may find it at Veritas Press or Canon Press Or, try here.

Begin written narrations, 2-3 per week, varying among subjects.
Include one written narration from a reading earlier in the week.
Purchase a good English handbook. An Advisory favorite is The Little, Brown, Handbook. Some may find Writer's Inc. more user friendly.

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

RECITATION

Scripture suggestions: * Psalm 45, ** Psalm 46, and *** Psalm 51

Shakespeare - selected passages, all terms. Bartlett's Familiar Quotations is a helpful tool for looking for quotable sections from various plays of Shakespeare, especially quotes from the various plays which appear in various other literature. Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th edition, is online (in html and text here.) Note: To get the list of plays from the Bartlett's Familiar Quotations page, try selecting 1) the Author index, then select 2) the Shakespeare entry, which should provide a list of quotations from the first play in the list; and then try selecting 3) Shakespeare's name above the quotations. This last step should bring you to an index of the plays, not just the list of quotations. Or, you may go directly to the play needed from the Shakespeare play index.

Poetry - a poem by that term's poet, all terms.
Term 1: Poem 8 Praise of Women and 32 The True Knight from The Oxford Book of English Verse

COPYWORK/TRANSCRIPTION

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

MATH

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

SCIENCE

The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock - Continue to use as in previous years with the Ambleside Online curriculum.

Apologia science materials by Dr. Jay Wile. Read the suggested course sequencing at http://www.highschoolscience.com to determine what will work best for the needs of your student, based on interest and math level. If a student missed out on the Ambleside science selections and nature study rotation, General Science should be considered as a starting point with Apologia materials; otherwise start with Physical Science. Read through Jay Wile's website, especially "course sequencing" to see what will work best for the needs of your student based on interest and math level. If financial resources are a concern, any of their science courses may easily be stretched to two years.
Another possible option: Rainbow Science, a two-year program, can be used in years 7 and 8. "The Rainbow," their junior high program, is appropriate for this age. (Read Susan Wise Bauer's review here.) The Advisory has not used this yet.

** *** The Life of the Spider by Henri Fabre

NATURE STUDY

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

* Lay of the Land by Dallas Lore Sharp (Note: Alternatively, you may choose the nature writings of Edwin Way Teale if you have them on your shelf. Unfortunately, these are not online, and go in and out of print. A particular favorite is The Circle of Seasons but other titles are also commendable.)

LOGIC

How To Read a Book by Mortimer Adler (may be saved for a later year) - Please be sure to get the revised edition, and read only Part 1 this year (this book continues into Year 10). This breaks down to five chapters for the year, seven weeks to get through each chapter. This is slow, but this material is weighty and should give much material for reflection and discussion. The revised version was written by both Mortimer J. Ader And Chares 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.

DRAWING AND ART

The Story of Painting by H. W. Janson - chapters 1-3 this year. (some nudity; parents should preview first.)

Continue the artist rotation posted at Ambleside Online.

Work on drawing skills. Illustrate a scene from reading of your choice once a week, more as desired.

MUSIC

Continue composer rotation posted at Ambleside Online.

Singing:
Foreign language - 3 songs each term (Charlotte Mason did 3 in French and 3 in German).

Three Folk Songs in English - you may choose to continue the Folk Song rotation at Ambleside Online; as well as the Ambleside 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 the Year 7 time frame include:
* The Bold Pedlar and Robin Hood; The Three Ravens; and The Outlandish Knight. Lyrics and the midi files
** When The King Enjoys His Own Again; Farewell to Lochaber; Battle of Otterburn, or any other tunes of your choice from this website. Again, work on each song about 4 weeks, reviewing as desired. The idea is to enjoy them, not turn them into drudgery.
*** Go No More a Rushing; Greensleeves; Scarbourough. You may also choose any other three folksongs you prefer. Find them here. Other folksongs are also online.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Begin Latin if you've not started already.
Continue with any previous foreign language studies. (Charlotte Mason's students were learning three languages at this level.) A good English/appropriate 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.

HEALTH

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Paul Brand; preview this first; some may wish to postpone this a year (see notes here)

P.E.:
Learn and play a game (kick ball, tennis, croquet, ping-pong, softball, etc.) or folk-dance, or pursue other physical activity of your choice.

LIFE AND WORK SKILLS

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

FREE READING

Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight (Burton Raffel's version is very accessible)
The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein (The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King)
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
When the Tripods Came; The White Mountains; City of Gold and Lead; and Pool of Fire by John Christopher
Legends of Charlemagne by Thomas Bulfinch (also here)
The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill
The Knight's Fee by Rosemary Sutcliff
The Gammage Cup by Carol Kendall
Rolf and The Viking Bow
The Lost Prince by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The White Company by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (its prequel is Sir Nigel)
Beowulf - the version by Burton Raffel is very accessible, or use this free-verse version.
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson
Hereward, the Last of the English by Charles Kingsley (or Hereward the Wake, originally published in Robin Hood and Other Outlaw Tales)

Other Possibilities: These are books that Miss Mason used, or that we think would be good- but we've not read them, so can't recommend them. We list them here so that those who are interested might preview them if desired and pass on a review for the rest of us:
The Story of the Volsungs (Volsunga Saga), With Excerpts from the Poetic Edda, translated by William Morris or Eirikr Magnusson.
The Talisman by Sir Walter Scott or other of the Waverly novels appropriate for this year's study. (All the novels written by Sir Walter Scott are commonly referred to en masse as The Waverley Novels. While not a series, these books all share the common distinction of superbly written historical fiction -- in fact, it is said that Scott created this literary genre with these novels. Charlotte Mason read from the Bible and the Waverley novels daily through much of her lifetime; whenever she finished reading through all 27 volumes, she simply started over. We assume any of them would be good for free reading anytime, but have not yet read them all ourselves. You can read more here and here. Further links or information always welcome.)
Penrod and Sam by Booth Tarkington
Alhambra by Washington Irving
Feats on the Fiord by Harriet Martineau
The Life and Death of Cormac the Skald anonymous Icelandic epic, also online here.

Useful for future reference: A Guide to the Best Historical Novels and Tales by Jonathan Nield

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 amazon.com link to the 1999 edition of his book.

Last update Oct 15, 2006