Curriculum
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Ambleside Online/House of Education Online Year 11Please 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. 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. 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 11. See it here). History studied in Year 11: The 20th century High school is hard work. Students should be encouraged to approach it as though it's their first full-time job, and parents must remain involved--even as the child is maturing toward independence and becoming capable of taking over some of the decision making and record keeping. Some students already have specific career goals in mind that can be integrated into their school work, while college-bound students will need to tailor their studies to meet university admissions requirements. (Read about high school credits here.) There is no way we can create a high school year that will be precisely tailored to every child's needs. Now for a word about books, and the design of Year 11 . . . Selecting the best books is a challenge that increases with each successive school year, and, in particular, when studying the 20th century. High school students are journeying across the bridge into adulthood, and the books they should read at this level reflect the adult world. Yet the last hundred years have seen a decline in the field of literature like no other century before. We had great difficulty finding well written material that didn't shock us or bathe us in vile and vulgar crudity. In the interest of giving students a firsthand knowledge of the writing that prompted 20th century movements and struggles - including the very negative and seriously damaging ones - we have included some works with which we wholeheartedly disagree. AO students will have already read most of the best 20th century books (C. S. Lewis, Tolkien, Chesterton, etc) by Year 11. Also, very few of the books were written after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and that alters the terrain of the historical coverage in books of our era. As an example, imagine sitting down in 1950 to read a book published in 1936 which was written about the years 1900 to 1935. An author would naturally understand the events from those years with far greater insight after WWII than prior to it. Similarly, books written prior to 9/11 do not include historical events that are now known to have been significant. While previewing the content of mountains of books for the HEO high school years, we've been constantly aware that we cannot predict how far across that bridge other people's children may be. Families vary greatly in their views on sheltering, protecting and preparing for adulthood, so it would be futile for us to attempt to be the censor or guardian (the bridge troll?) for all House of Education Online scholars. We set a very high standard for HEO materials, and we've gone the extra mile and beyond to create and provide a Year 11 prototype that reflects excellence. However by no means do we claim to have done all the work for you! It remains the homeschool parent's job, most particularly on the high school level, to assume full responsibility for matching your child's sensitivities and sensibilities, and your family's standards, with the books you select for study. In the booklist below, we've offered a few notes on potential concerns in certain books, but it goes without saying that we have not noted every potential concern in every book. Please understand that the absence of a comment does not mean the absence of anything your particular family might find offensive or inappropriate. For these and other reasons, the HEO high school Years are designed not as a single curriculum list (like the preceding Years), but rather as what we fondly call the HEO "Salad Bar" approach. In many subject areas, we offer a variety of options for you to choose among (or you may substitute your own). The final product will be your design. Those who still prefer the comfort of a single booklist may simply select "Option One" where options are presented. We feel that this Year 11 book list is in keeping with Charlotte Mason's principles, but it isn't the only possible way to "do" CM in high school. You are free to use it en toto, piecemeal, or simply as an example to consider. To arrive at the best high school plan for your child, expect to burn some midnight oil, dig a little more than you did to prepare for the younger grades, and make more personal choices. You should budget time over a few weeks to focus on previewing and selecting books. Look on the bright side: you'll emerge from this process more conversant and familiar with the era and books your student is about to cover--and discussion is so vital for students in the upper grades. You'll also be more sympathetic to your hardworking young scholar! As you devise your own Year 11 curriculum, whether using our book suggestions or your own substitute titles, it's useful to keep a page count in mind. Charlotte Mason's students covered approximately 1600-2000 pages in a term by Year 11, using about 40 different books. This loose guideline will help you gauge whether your own academic load is in keeping with Miss Mason's. Before beginning Year 11, please do yourself one very smart favor: zealously pursue some teacher preparation time for yourself. It's a little investment that will pay you back double every single school day. We suggest you read (or reread) volume 6 of Charlotte Mason's six volume set. We suggest rereading it every single year of high school. Volume 5 may also be helpful to you. Both are available online, as free e-texts. You'll also find it useful to scan the sample Programmes from Miss Mason's own PNEU school, which are linked from the AmblesideOnline homepage. Forms V and VI are the ones relevant to Year 10. You'll find a wealth of helpful articles at Ambleside Online, so plan to spend a few evenings exploring the site. It's also helpful to have on hand a good current book on homeschooling through high school. And you'll find terrific support on the HEO email list - please subscribe and participate! Blessings to you, and happy high schooling! The Advisory YEAR 11 BOOKLIST AND SALAD BAR History studied in Year 11 is the 20th century.. Note: One asterisk * means a book will be used in Term One. Two asterisks ** means Term Two, and three *** means Term Three. Books with no asterisks may either be used all three terms, or scheduled at your discretion.. Formatted etexts for Year 10 can be accessed by joining the etext email list. BIBLE The Bible - Read and narrate from the Bible, using a plan of your own preference, or follow this suggestion for this year: If you are just starting with us, consider beginning Bible with these books: Atlas of the Holy Land 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 The time period for Year 11 is the 20th century. Primary text is A History of the Twentieth Century: The Concise Edition of the Acclaimed World History by Martin Gilbert. HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR PARENT-TEACHERS: Many AO/HEO parents find Truthquest History guides to be a tremendous help for enriching discussion of the big picture of history, and for establishing a Biblical worldview. Truthquest guides are somewhat reminiscent of the kinds of lesson preparation materials Charlotte Mason provided her PNEU teachers. The appropriate Truthquest guide for Year 11 is Age of Revolution 3 (1865-2000) in the Truthquest editions published after 2003 (these have full-color covers). For those using the original Age of Revolution editions with the old pink covers, Age of Revolution 4 (which covers 1865-2000) would be the appropriate edition. (The contents of the newer editions is virtually identical to the old pink editions.) For more information visit Truthquest's website.. In previous centuries, information on breaking events was transmitted after the fact, orally or through newspapers, pamphlets, and books, and thus citizens sometimes learned of the significant events of their time long after they occurred. In the 20th century the transmission of news events reached the speed of sound. Early in the century news came via radio or movie trailers. Later, with the development of television and photographs in the media (and in our day, the internet), information reached us via live pictures for the first time in history. Images are now part of our collective history and memory. When many of us think Kennedy Assassination, landing on the moon, Kent State, the Berlin Wall, etc., we have a specific image in mind that is that event for us, and it's generally the same image. It's important for AO students to hear Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech --because the timbre in his voice is part of the collective knowledge of a country. However, earlier speeches like the Gettysburg Address were read by the country and only heard by a handful). It's important for our students to read about the events of the 20th century, and then to see the images that the country knows and associates with those events. Certain images are the defining picture of significant events, such as the exploded Challenger, the little girl running in Vietnam after the napalm bombing, John Kennedy junior saluting at his father's casket, even the POW families running to be reunited on the airport tarmac during the Viet Nam era. Discernment will be necessary on the part of the parent and student because images can be deceiving. For example, one book we previewed had multiple pictures of President Bill Clinton smiling and shaking hands and looking wonderful, and only one of President Reagan, a photo of him immediately after having been shot. The coverage of the two men arguably should have been equivalent, as both were two-term presidents. Editorial choices such as this reveal a definite viewpoint.. Another example would be the famous photograph of the little girl in Viet Nam running from her village--this should be accompanied with the explanation that no Americans were involved in that attack, it was strictly a North and South Viet Namese engagement. We want our children to be able to 'see' the images and understand their significance, their emotional impact, and the events they represent. Two titles that meet this need to see the century as it was seen by the world are The 20th Century Day by Day, published by Dorling Kindersley--this is a great resource for getting an overall view and feel for the century. It is an enormous book and should be read slowly, a page or two at a time. The 20th Century Year by Year, also a Dorling Kindersley book, appears to be out of print, but we mention it because some HEO households may already own it. This title has been published in two different editions--one is simply an exact copy of the other, only printed in much smaller font. Most of us old enough to have a child in Year 11 will need a magnifying glass or bifocals to read the smaller version, but our students can probably manage without assistance. You can see a picture of the book at amazon.com. And lastly, resources for general reference: PBS Timeline of the 20th Century The 20th century was a very public one in which events were first heard rather than read by much of the world. The events of the 20th century were immediately brought into our lives and living rooms via the medium of pictures and sound. One of the clearest ways to gain an understanding of the shared language of the 20th century is through hearing or viewing the speeches of the era (or reading them if a recording cannot be located), From President Roosevelt's "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" to Martin Luther King's "I've been to the mountaintop," to Neil Armstrong's "One small step for man" to President Reagan's "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall," these famous and world-changing words were heard, rather than read, and the timbre in the voices of those who spoke them is a part of the history of this century. The phrases became part of the vocabulary of the people who first heard them. We have provided a list of those speeches in the appropriate terms, often with links where our students can go download a recording and actually listen to it over the internet. Parents should select perhaps one a week for their students to read, hear, or view. We suggest students give their narrations of those speeches orally, both because oral narration continues all the way through high school, and also to experience narrating a speech 'in kind.' Make a century chart of the period studied. See reprint from PR July 1910. Continue to add entries to your Book of the Centuries. Instructions for making your own are at Ambleside Online. Students at this level in the PNEU schools made summaries of dates and events, referred to maps as they read their history, and made century charts. See these helpful Parents Review articles: HISTORY OPTIONS: We do not wish to appear to imply that a full and complete study of American History is mandatory for non-Americans. Because of the influence the US has had on world events, we do believe that some understanding of the histories of England and the US is necessary for everybody; however, the depth of that coverage is an individual choice. Students from other countries should have a more thorough exposure to their own national history than our suggested options offer, and we encourage all HEO users to seek excellent books on their own history and heritage. However, as we lack the resources and time to choose histories for other countries, we leave this responsibility to our foreign users. Unfortunately, the list traffic on our HEO email list is as large as we can manage, so we must request that discussion of alternative history books not take place there. Still, we do encourage you to be bold in making the curriculum fit your own needs. Canadians can find more Canada specific information here as well as an email list for Canadians using AO/HEO OPTION ONE/Primary Text: OPTION TWO: OPTION THREE: OPTION FOUR: OPTION FIVE: HISTORY ASSIGNMENTS BY TERM: TERM ONE: 1900-1940 Supplemental Historical Reading: Theodore Roosevelt's Letters to His Children, Roosevelt, ed. by Joseph Bucklin Bishop. (Project Gutenberg etext here.) Delightful to read, chock full of nature study, geography, literary comparisons, composition study specifically for writing really nice letters, and some incidents of what goes on in government as seen from the White House leader of that time period. Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain (preferred) This book is a vivid report of the anguish experienced by those English young people who lost their youth and lives to the "War to end all wars." Because it is an honest and accurate portrayal, there are candid references to sex and war violence, but these are few and not graphic. The experiences of the author led her to atheism, feminism, and socialism, and these topics are discussed with great sympathy. There are important themes here for young people today, as their generation may also face the horrors of a prolonged war. This is a book that should be read and discussed with a parent. Only Yesterday by Frederick Allen (still under review) Some of Us Survived - a book about the Armenian genocide in WWI; intense but important. Parents should preview. Ethiopia Through Russian Eyes - eye-witness account of the end of an era, 1896-98, consisting of two books by Alexander Bulatovich: From Entotto to the River Baro (1897), and With the Armies of Menelik II (1900) Additional suggestion: The Napoleon of Notting Hill by G.K. Chesteron goes well with the first chapters of Gilbert's book because it talks about the conflict between nationalism and imperialism. Speeches and Source Documents: Select from New York Times Current History: The European War from the Beginning to March 1915, Vol 1, No. 2 Who Began the War, and Why? Jam-packed with speeches, papers, and other documents, from many sides and viewpoints. We particularly recommend these speeches, though you may choose others from the rich resource listed above. TERM TWO: 1949-1960 Supplemental Historical Reading: Any collection of Ernie Pyle's war dispatches. Some resources would include the books Here Is Your War: Story of G.I. Joe; Brave Men; or Ernie's War: The Best of Ernie Pyle's World War II Dispatches by David Nichols. There is also a website about his journalism with samples of his columns for those of us one a budget. Pyle's reports are classic recording. The soldiers loved him, and back home everybody read his articles, eagerly looking forward to the next report. Ernie Pyle won the Pulitzer Prize for his war reporting. The Men Behind Hitler A German warning to the world by Bernhard Schreiber - An important book, very chilling, connects Planned Parenthood to the eugenics movement today. Mein Kampf (My Struggle) by Adolf Hitler - Like Charlotte Mason's suggestion to expose students to the Communist Manifesto to help students hone their reasoning/debate skills, the purpose of this suggestion is so that students will be informed and knowledgeable--and properly horrified at the very words of a monster. The Nuremberg trials - very important. These websites provide insight into and source documents from Nuremberg, one of the most significant events in regard to law and jurisprudence of the 20th century: Optional resource: The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw Speeches and Source Documents: The man who led the raid on Pearl Harbor--Mitsuo Fuchida--came to know Christ as Saviour after the war after reading a pamphlet written by Jacob DeShazer, an American airman with Doolittle's Raiders--who had been captured and spent 40 months as a POW, including 34 in solitary--and who had accepted Christ in prison, when he was eventually allowed to have a Bible, which he had repeatedly asked for. The two men later met, and even traveled together, sharing the love of Christ. Their story is here--a wonderful website. Another blurb on them is here telling how the two men became friends through correspondence, and actually met in person twice. This site tells more of DeShazer's story. And if you want to read something yourself to really lift your heart as a praying mother, read the story of Jacob DeShazer's mother--it's powerful. Franklin Roosevelt's Pearl Harbor address December 8, 1941 "a day that will live in infamy" #4 TERM THREE: 1960-present Supplemental Historical Reading: Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Martin Luther King, ed. by Kris Shepard and Clayborne Carson; scroll down on page. Audio is available on the page. The Hungarian Revolt by Richard Lettis and William Morris Victim: Imprisonment Because of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 by Arpad Szilagyi (some rough language) Speeches and Source Documents: A World Split Apart by Aleksandr Isaevich Solzhenitsyn - Harvard speech Biographies of the following people are particularly relevant for Year 11 students. Please choose at least one per term. Where a title is included, it's because an Advisory member has read it and found it worth reading, but there may be and probably are others equally worthy at your library. Pick one book per term, or possibly more IF and ONLY IF the books chosen are short and light. * The Americanization of Edward Bok: The Autobiography of a Dutch Boy Fifty Years After - an inspiring autobiography of the first male editor of Ladies Home Journal magazine. Students interested in reading more about the movers and shakers of the 20th Century might consider looking for biographies on these people. Jean Henri Fabre 1823-1915 Fabre, Poet of Science by Dr. Georges Victor Legros The list of Geography book selections below will carry through all four HEO high school years. Please plan accordingly. Miss Mason's students at this level were expected to "know from Atlas something about foreign regions coming most into note in the newspaper, and in connection with history etc. studied. Summarize readings by memory maps on blackboard." BOOKS The first and last titles have been especially recommended by at least one Advisory member, but since this is a salad bar, you might prefer to choose one of the other geography options, all of which were published in the 20th century. The World: Travels 1950-2000 by Jan Morris, formerly James - well written, but there's a brief non-graphic mention of the author's gender-change operation in chapter 18, titled "Casablanca." The chapter is very short and can be skipped or removed. This book should be spread over all three terms. (This book is divided over the year in AO's posted 36-week schedule as the only geography selection) * Endurance - The Endurance set out on the very eve of WWI--in fact, war was declared but the Prime Minister wanted the expedition to continue. Very exciting tale of survival and exploration, scientific expeditions, polar exploration, human ingenuity ** Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes - great geography book, but the movie of the same name isn't recommended Alternative suggestions are listed on page of geography options. Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt pdf file here Autobiography of a Slander by Edna Lyall, good short story on the dangers of slander. Very sad, tragic ending. Includes information on the political climate in Russia during the early 1900's. If you have these, you might use them instead: 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 68-136 of Book 2. 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 2, Self-Direction, the second 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. 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 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. * Seven Men Who Rule the World from the Grave by David Breese If you prefer more options, we have a whole list to select from here. Shakespeare - Continue with Ambleside Online Rotation. Leithart's book Brightest Heaven of Invention--a Christian study guide for 6 Shakespeare plays: Henry V, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, and Much Ado About Nothing. Miss Mason directed students at this level to keep a Common-place Book for passages that strike them particularly; to learn a hundred lines of poetry; and to be able to give some account of what they have read in each book, with sketches of the chief characters. * The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Supplementary Reading for Intrepid and Bold Souls Who Are Not Faint of Heart An additional Russian literature title,such as Anna Karenina, Brothers Karamazov, or Crime and Punishment. SHORT STORIES Year 11 and 12 students should gain familiarity with some of the best literary short stories and to learn something about their structure. Stories are one of the oldest literary forms (although not as old as poetry), but the modern short story didn't come into its own until the 19th century when it was adopted by writers such as Hawthorne, Chekhov, Gogol and Poe. Although Year 11 focuses on the 20th century, a study of short stories should also include early examples. Stories from the 20th and 21st centuries will pose the same problems with content. Parents are advised to preview those selections. Since anthologies go in and out of print, it is difficult to recommend one single volume. However, any good anthology should include some of the following authors. Where the Advisory feels one story is particularly important, we have indicated that. You will probably want to choose between eight to twelve stories to read. Nathaniel Hawthorne (Young Goodman Brown; My Kinsman, Major Molineux) As an alternative to purchasing an anthology, the following websites offer a number of American and international short stories, including many of those listed above, that can be printed out:
Classic Short Stories 160 short story classics from A to Z ESSAYS Essays may be used for dictation work. After studying essays, students should be prepared to tackle writing essays on subjects they choose. One possible usage is to have students read an essay on Monday, outline it on Tuesday, rewrite it from their outline on Wednesday, and polish up that rough draft on Thursday. Note: In PNEU's Form III, a paragraph was dictated; in Form IV, selections were occasionally written from memory. You might occasionally assign the student's mastered work for the dictation lesson. Forms V and VI also wrote: "A good precis. Letter to The Times on topics of the day. Essays on subjects taken from the term's work in History and Literature and Economics; or, write on a picture studied, or on some aspect of nature." Students should read an essay every other week. Choose 18 essays for the year from the following suggestions or supplement with your own choices. Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation by Ronald Reagan This article 'in defense of the essay,' is useful, as is this essay entry at Wikipedia. Here is a link to Gutenberg's collection of essays. We hope to add more options. A good 20th Century anthology, such as Norton's Anthology of Modern Poetry or The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry, Third Edition, Volume 2: Contemporary Poetry Lynn Bruce also compiled a nice collection of poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay suitable for terms 1 or 2. This is also a nice resource: Most students in Year 11 will have the SAT barrelling down on them, and will need to focus on preparing for the essay portion of that test. As for assigning research papers, we leave this to parental discretion. A student should learn to cite sources properly; however, it takes very little time to learn how to do this. Students should already have become proficient at writing from previous schoolwork such as narration. If the student has not already done so, he should be writing some longer papers--around 5-7 typed pages. This does not necessarily mean research papers, rather writing at length in a focused way--perhaps comparing two books, perhaps writing an analysis of the significance of a historical event, perhaps...the possibilities are endless. A student at this level should be able to write longer papers like this. On Writing Well The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser--This is a classic, respected book familiar to all writers, and commonly used as a text in writing courses. Very readable and instructive, and currently in print. Written for adults; you may wish to preview. Less Than Words Can Say by Richard Mitchell If your student hasn't yet had any formal grammar lessons, use Our Mother Tongue: An Introductory Guide to English Grammar by Nancy Wilson, scheduling approximately 16 chapters per term. Assign 3 to 5 written narrations each week, varying the assignments among subjects, and assigning some narrations to be written from readings done earlier in the week. [Example: On Tuesdays, the student would read the scheduled Literature, news of the week, historical or allegorical subjects, etc. Then on Thursdays, the student would write a narration of one of those readings.] Narration can be done in many ways: poetic, in answer to an essay-style question, straight narration, narration in letter-writing form, and many other creative ways. Write verses (perhaps using metre of poems set for this term) on current events and characters in the term's reading, upon heroic deeds, or on seasonal scenes. Write Narrative poems on striking events. AO's Language Arts Scope and Sequence for this level is here. Memorize each term: Scripture suggestions: 2 Psalms (whole chapters) per term. You may choose your own, or assign these: 2 Hymns per term; choose from our hymn selections. 2 Poems (or 50 lines) from the term's poets (We will offer some suggested poems later) 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 10th edition is online here or here or here. COPYWORK Include selections from Shakespeare, the Bible, poetry and other sources. These selections may be the same ones used for recitation. This is a good year to begin a personal quote book. DICTATION The student studies two or three pages of dictation material per week, from which the teacher dictates several paragraphs or sections. Students should have the opportunity to study the passage carefully for spelling, punctuation and form before they are required to write it from dictation. At this level, you may wish for your student to alternate between taking dictation in the traditional way by hand, and with a word processor (an added benefit here is the spellchecker function, which can be a useful teaching tool and actually functions in a manner complementary to CM's spelling methods.) Dictation selections may be drawn from sources such as the term's prose, poetry and Bible readings. You may also occasionally choose to assign selections from well-written journalism sources to exemplify a more technical and factual style of writing. However, choose carefully as newspapers and magazines are often poorly written. Examples of worthy sources might include World Magazine, and columnists such as Peggy Noonan, William F. Buckley, William Raspberry, Charles Krauthammer, Cal Thomas, George Will, and Thomas Sowell, most of whom are accessible from www.drudgereport.com (site will need screening by parent; daily entries are increasingly and disturbingly non-family-friendly). Another good resource for exemplary journalism is http://www.opinionjournal.com from the Wall Street Journal. Writers from these sources are prolific and skilled at the craft of writing. The New Yorker magazine is known for being expertly written and edited, but may require parental previewing. You may also select among these essays for dictation work. These provide a good starting point for the essay form of writing. After two or three terms of studying Lamb's essays, students should be prepared to tackle writing essays on subjects they choose. One possible usage is to have students read an essay on Monday, outline it on Tuesday, rewrite it from their outline on Wednesday, and polish up that rough draft on Thursday. Note: In PNEU's Form III, a paragraph was dictated; in Form IV, selections were occasionally written from memory. You might occasionally assign the student's mastered recitation work for the dictation lesson. Continue your math program; for some options, see this page. Apologia science materials by Dr. Jay Wile. (read Susan Wise Bauer's review of Apologia here.) 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. Microbe Hunters by Paul deKruf (chapters 9-12 this year) Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher by Richard P. Feynman. These chapters, one per term: The Book Nobody Read--Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus by astronomer Owen Gingerich--though none of the Advisory has read this, it was highly recommended by an AO mom. Good for those wanting to explore intelligent design: Keep flower and bird lists of species seen, select a special study for outdoor work, and continue to maintain nature notebooks. The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock - Continue to use as in previous years with the Ambleside Online curriculum. Select books by these authors: Other possibilities: Henri Fabre's works on insect observations (online at Gutenburg or Online Books; Fabre texts with photos) The 36-week schedule uses these Nature texts One possibility: The Thinking Toolbox: Thirty-Five Lessons That Will Build Your Reasoning Skills by Nathaniel and Hans Bluedorn Choose one of these three options (Parents may wish to screen all options for nudity.) The Story of Painting by H. W. Janson - The Chapter titled The Age of Machines. (note: this book is best suited for the earlier years of Ambleside's House of Education) 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. Continue composer rotation posted at Ambleside Online. Music lessons on instrument of choice. Singing: Hymns: Three Folk Songs in English - In addition to continuing the Folk Song rotation at Ambleside Online, your student will enjoy learning these songs that fit well with this year's history: Term 1 World War I: 1. Over There Term 2 World War II 1. (There'll be bluebirds over the) White Cliffs of Dover Term 3 Vietnam War/Civil Rights 1. Where Have All the Flowers Gone - a protest song written by Pete Seeger From Wikipedia: The terminal state of the loss of folk music can be seen in the United States and a few similar societies, where except in isolated areas and among hobbyists, traditional folk music no longer survives. In the absence of folk music, many individuals do not sing. It is possible that non-singers feel intimidated by widespread exposure in recordings and broadcasting to the singing of skilled experts. Another possibility is that they simply cannot sing, because they did not sing when they were small children, when learning of skills takes place most naturally. Certainly it is very common for contemporary Americans to claim that they cannot sing. There is anecdotal evidence that the loss of singing ability is continuing rapidly at the present time. As recently as the 1960s, audiences at American sporting events collectively sang the American national anthem before a game; the anthem is now generally assigned to a recording or to a soloist. Inability to sing is apparently unusual in a traditional society, where the habit of singing folk song since early childhood gives everyone the practice needed to able to sing at least reasonably well. Begin or continue Latin. Schedule regular exercise of some sort. (One Advisory suggestion: For routine fitness, Living Arts' Pilates videos/DVD's offer a challenging but enjoyable 30 minute mat workout that will benefit the entire family. Instructor Ana Caban gives clear and concise verbal cues that even young children can follow with a little guidance (even a 3 yob! ;-) and the background music is neither loud nor distracting. Start with the Beginning Mat Workout video/DVD, which explains the basics, before advancing to the Intermediate Mat Workout. Available at most major bookstores and fitness stores.) Study nutrition. You may wish to consider books by Shonda Parker, a Christian homeschooling mother and certified herbalist. Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Paul Brand; preview this first. (see notes here) If you use the book this Year, you might look at how the book was divided over the year by looking at Year 8's 36-week schedule. P.E. Charlotte Mason had students do house or garden work, make Christmas presents, pursue useful crafts, sew, cook, and learn first aid. She also suggested that the student help darn and mend garments from the wash each week and sew for charity (serving at a soup kitchen would also work). Parents should encourage students at this age to find something they like to do, and use it both as a ministry to serve others (preparing a meal to a shut-in; helping a widow with car repair; that type of thing - or using their skill/talent/interest within their church), and/or as a springboard to earning some extra money (by organizing a child's birthday party, selling books, working on people's computers, starting a lawn service). Some students might use the opportunity to start a small business. Perhaps these titles might spark more interest: Learn to cook using a basic cookery book such as Joy of Cooking, one of Sue Gregg's cookbooks, or whatever you have on hand. Miss Mason frequently recommended Scouting tests (Parents' Review, May 1920) and said that all girls should take the First Aid and Housecraft Tests. We suggest that all students learn CPR and First Aid. Scouting or 4-H are other options to consider. DOMESTIC SCIENCE OPTIONS: MONEY MANAGEMENT (Still in progress; we plan to whittle this list down and divide it somehow to make it more manageable) 1) 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff 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  |
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