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AmblesideOnline Year 9 Lite Booklist

Based on AO's Year 9

As students mature, their reading material will present more challenging content, and may include strong language and more mature themes. We have placed footnotes linked in red beside those books that most parents will consider an issue. However, we cannot anticipate which content might be an issue for every family. We encourage parents to pre-screen material to determine its appropriateness for their child and family.

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 Year 9 Lite Curriculum

As a help for scheduling Year 9 Lite of AmblesideOnline's curriculum, we are pleased to offer printable charts, the weekly assignments in list form below, or families may choose to use a modification of either for their own personal use. However, please see Our Fair Use Policy before sharing any part of the curriculum.

Choose a format:     PDF     DOC     ODT

Printable schedules include details for all three terms.

b9

Weekly Readings

The following weekly readings should be broken up into daily readings in whatever way works best for your family.

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

Bible

Judges 1-21, Ruth, 1 Samuel 1-28, 2 Samuel 1-24, 1 Kings 1-22, Ecclesiastes 1-12
Mark 1-16, Acts 1-28, James 1-5, Galatians 1-6
Psalms 106-150, Proverbs 1-16

Bible Gateway has many versions of the Bible online. ^[04]

Spiritual Formation

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis α α α (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K)
Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot α (ChrBk) ($amzn) optional follow-up: End of the Spear by Steve Saint α α ($amzn) (K)
or The Legacy of William Carey: a Model for the Transformation of a Culture by Vishal and Ruth Mangalwadi α ($amzn) ^[5]

Saints and Heroes, Vol 2 by George Hodges α ($amzn) (K) ^[6]

History: 1688-1815 including French and American revolutions

Term 1: 1688-1730, Term 2: 1730-1786, Term 3: 1786-1815

Keep a century chart and Century Book of the period studied. ^[8]

The Age of Revolution by Winston Churchill ($amzn) (K)
OR A History of the American People by Paul Johnson (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K) ^[10]
OR Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story by Wilfred M. McClay is an option for American history. ($amzn) (K) The paperback version may not be sturdy -- we saw one that had pages falling out after a few days. This is a lighter option. ^[10]

* Salem witch trial transcript; also here; name search here. ^[10a]
* Letters to His Son by Lord Chesterfield, selections β α ($elections) Ω ∫ ^[11]
* ** Miracle at Philadelphia by Catherine Drinker Bowen ($amzn)
* ** Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin β α (ChrBk) ($amzn) Ω ∫

** Free Grace: John Wesley Denounces the Doctrine of Predestination
** Jonathan Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" (ChrBk) Sermon Ω Ω YouTube
** Edmund Burke's Plea for Conciliation with the American Colonies, March 22,1775 Ω
** The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence (1775) ∫
** The Declaration of Independence (ChrBk) Ω
** Patrick Henry's famous 'Give me liberty or give me death' speech Ω
** Articles of Confederation (1777) ∫
** Articles of Capitulation, Yorktown
** Treaty with Great Britain (1783) ∫
** The Federalist Papers: α Ω
No. 10 - Divisive Party Factions
No. 39 - Republican Principles
No. 51 - Proper Checks and Balances
No. 68 - Electing the President; The Electoral College ^[44]

*** Washington's First Inaugural Address (1789) ∫
*** Constitution of the United States (current copy here) (ChrBk) ^[45]
*** Treaty with the Six Nations (1794) Ω ∫
*** Speeches by William Wilberforce and William Pitt concerning the slave trade. Word/.odt document ^[46] ∫
*** Washington's Farewell Address Ω ^[47]
*** Treaty with France (Louisiana Purchase) (1803) ∫
*** Treaty with Great Britain (End of War of 1812) (1814) ∫

*** Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis ($amzn) (K) ∫ ^[48]

Biography

Founding Father -- Rediscovering George Washington by Richard Brookhiser (ChrBk) ($amzn) ^[11a]
The Story of Napoleon by H.E. Marshall ($amzn) (K) Ω
OR The Boy Life of Napoleon by Eugenie Foa

Literature

The History of English Literature for Girls and Boys by H.E. Marshall ch 60-73 β α ($amzn) (K) ^[22]
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (or here) β α Unabridged translation by R. Buss: ($amzn) (K) (ChrBk) Ω ^[24]
* Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. β α (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K) Ω Λ ∫ ^[23]
* Battle of the Books by Jonathan Swift ($amzn) A paraphrase is available here.
** Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia by Samuel Johnson β α ($amzn) (K) Ω ∫
** She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith β α ($amzn) Ω * *
*** Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen β α (ChrBk) ($amzn) ($amzn) (K) DVD: ($amzn) Ω

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

Poetry

Alexander Pope
William Cowper and Phillis Wheatley (ChrBk)
George Gordon, Lord Byron (23 poems here)

The Roar on the Other Side: A Guide for Student Poets by Suzanne Clark (optional)

Copywork

Include selections from Shakespeare, the Bible, poetry and other sources. These selections may be the same ones used for recitation. Consider beginning a personal quote book.

Dictation

Do dictation regularly.

Grammar and Composition

Writers Inc by Patrick Sebranek, Verne Meyer, Dave Kemper ($amzn)
(OR Our Mother Tongue: An Introductory Guide to English Grammar by Nancy Wilson ($amzn) Answer Key: ($amzn) if you haven't done it yet) ^[25]

Recitation

Psalm 23; Isaiah 40; Romans 8; Matthew 5; James 1; 1 John 1
Shakespeare passages
a poem per term from the term's poetry selections

Foreign Language

Begin Latin if you've not started already, or continue with any previous foreign language studies

Geography

Longitude by Dava Sobel ($amzn) (K) ^[11b]

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) ^[16]

The Universe Next Door by James Sire α α α (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K)
Yuval Levin interview on The Great Debate: Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, and the Birth of the Left and Right YouTube, 1 hour

Government and Economics

Common Sense by Thomas Paine β α (ChrBk) Ω
Essays (from John Hopkins's Notions on Political Economy) by Jane Haldimand Marcet α
A basic government book ^[12]

Current Events

Students should have a plan for keeping up with current events. ^[20]

Science

The Handbook of Nature Study α by Anna Botsford Comstock (as a reference) (ChrBk) ($amzn)

Apologia science text ($earch)
OR BJU Press Science

Signs and Seasons: Understanding the Elements of Classical Astronomy by Jay Ryan (ChrBk) ($amzn) ^[25s]

Nature Study

Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif α ($amzn) (K) ^[26]
The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson, first half ($amzn) (K) α ^[26s]
Great Astronomers by R.S. Ball β α (£) ^[27]
The Land of Little Rain by Mary Austin β α ($amzn) Ω

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

How To Read a Book revised edition by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren (spread over 3 years) (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K)
Love is a Fallacy by Max Schulman ^[28]

Art

The Story of Painting by H. W. Janson - Towards Revolution and part of The Age of Machines ($amzn) ^[30]

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

These Folk Songs fit the history of Year 9:
The Skye Boat Song
The World Turned Upside Down
Yankee Doodle
The Water is Wide
Johnny Has Gone For a Soldier

Robert Burns' poetry and music fit this era. One example: A Man's a Man For a' That

Health and Physical Education

Study nutrition
Keep fit: 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

Work on useful skills such as budgeting, gardening, cooking, car maintenance, carpentry, etc.

Free Reading

Try to use books that were not included from Year 9, or the Year 9 Free reading List

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.

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. Heidi 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.

Cindy Rollins did a Circe Mason Jar podcast that included the role of audiobooks with difficult books. There's an archived copy here.
(Back)

4. AO's Bible plan goes through the Bible semi-chronologically over 6 years in Years 7-12. This year's Bible readings would be as follows:
Judges 1-21, Ruth, 1 Samuel 1-28, 2 Samuel 1-24, 1 Kings 1-22, Ecclesiastes 1-12
Mark 1-16, Acts 1-28, James 1-5, Galatians 1-6
Psalms 106-150, Proverbs 1-16 (Back)

5. The Legacy of William Carey: Note This book describes some of the wretchedness Carey encountered in India in the 1800's (widow-burning, infanticide, child brides), especially in chapter 2.
The book was previously published twice before with different titles, but all three are the same book:
     William Carey and the Regeneration of India by Vishal and Ruth Mangalwadi, 1977 α
     The Legacy of William Carey: a Model for the Transformation of a Culture by Vishal and Ruth Mangalwadi, 1993, 1999 α ($amzn)
     Carey, Christ, and Cultural Transformation: the Life and Influence of William Carey by Vishal and Ruth Mangalwadi, 1997 α ($amzn) (Back)

6. Saints and Heroes: for church history, if you didn't use Trial and Triumph in Years 1-6 (Back)

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

10. History Options:
The Age of Revolution is Volume 3 of Winston Churchill's 4 volume set, "A History of the English Speaking Peoples." These volumes are used across Years 7-10. Americans and those who desire a more accurate picture of the American Revolution (which is covered in Term 2) may prefer another option, or at least an additional option. One option would be to use the Churchill book alone for terms 1 and 3, and substitute an American history book to be used alone for term 2.
Term 1: ch 1 William of Orange - ch 6 Treaty of Utrechte
Term 2: ch 7 The House of Hanover - ch 15 The Indian Empire
Term 3: ch 16 The Younger Pitt - ch 25 Elba and Waterloo
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.
Or, use A History of the American People, by Paul Johnson: An easier read than Morison (more engaging), perhaps more editorial in places. Juicier than either Churchill or Morison. Very enthusiastically pro-American. Year 9 students would read approximately pages 79-269/279.
Term 1: pg 79-117
Term 2: pg 121-184
Term 3: 184-279
A weekly schedule for Paul Johnson's History of the American People.
Another option is Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story by Wilfred M. McClay.($amzn) (K) Year 9 corresponds with ch 3-6 (pg 106). There's a schedule that fits it into Years 8-11. This is a lighter option than most of our other history spines. here. (Back)

10a. Salem witch trial transcript: These links are suggested; feel free to choose more (or to choose differently):
Letter From Rev. John Higginson to His Son Nathaniel Higginson
Letter of Deodat Lawson
Court testimony of Sarah Bibber
Court testimony of Mary Osgood
Letter To John Foster
Notable people: Tituba, Increase Mather, Cotton Mather

Optional: these links from the same website might be added:
Trial transcripts: John Alden
Susannah Martin
Letters of Governor William Phips
Petitions from Relatives of Prisoners
Laws Passed
Reversal of Attainder and Rest
There's a brief article with linked names here.
The Salem Witch Trials were a blight on our history, but the fact remains that they stand out because of the rarity of witchcraft executions in the Colonies, and their comparatively late date (although Switzerland executed a witch in 1892). In the Colonies, 40 people were executed for witchcraft, half of them in the Salem Trials, and one of the key judges later repented and expressed his deep sorrow for his role in the executions. In England, there were nearly a thousand witchcraft trials from 1552 to 1722, and roughly a quarter of those ended in executions. Scotland tried nearly 2,000 in the same period, and even Switzerland had nearly 400 witchcraft trials in this period with nearly a quarter of the accused executed. Southwestern Germany executed some 3,000 during the same time period. (Back)

11. Chesterfield: Full book is 488 pages; you can use AO's selections (about 88 pgs) or choose your own selections. There's a nice collection selected by Edward Gilpin Johnson in 1893 The Best Letters of Lord Chesterton α ($elections) (Back)

11a George Washington: If you need an online option: The Life of George Washington by David Ramsay ($amzn) The Student's Life of Washington by Washington Irving β α
There's a briefer but good section in James Baldwin's Four Great Americans.) (Back)

11b. Longitude: This is a new addition and matches the Year 9 time period. If you prefer to use the previously scheduled Royal Road to Romance by Richard Halliburton ($amzn) (K), and Walking the Bible by Bruce Feiler ($amzn) (K) Schedule (Back)

12. A basic government book: High School students will need to earn credit for basic government. This material can be done in Year 9, 10, 11 or 12. Some options:

Foundation for Freedom: A Study of the United States Constitution Workbook by Lars Johnson - This "workbook" is the text with review exercises after each chapter, which can be skipped. ($amzn) Foundation for Freedom is an updated, full-color version of The Story of the Constitution, Second Edition by Sol Bloom and Lars Johnson ($amzn). Both appear to be the same book/workbook, but the newer one is in color. (Sol Bloom's original 1937 Story of the Constitution, which Lars Johnson used as a foundation for his own book, is online at Hathi Trust.) Because it was written in 1937, it stops at the 21st Amendment. Lars Johnson did an excellent job expanding and updating the Bloom book by adding concerns that weren't on the radar in 1937. He also wrote a chapter on limited government, checks and balances, and Biblical morality as well as a full-page explanation of each Amendment; Sol Bloom's book just explains each Amendment with a sentence or two. If you are in a situation where you need an online resource, the Sol Bloom text could work, but you should also seek out a source that explains why each Amendment was added and what it does.

Constitution 101: The Meaning and History of the Constitution is a twelve-week online course offered by Hillsdale College with 40-minute streaming video lectures (or you can download the audios). You have to register with a login and password, but the course is free. After you register, "you can find out how to get a copy of Hillsdale's U.S. Constitution Reader, the essential companion to the course, which contains over a hundred primary source documents edited by Hillsdale's Politics faculty." The website says the course begins on Feb 24, but their FAQ says their courses are archived so you can start them at any time, and you can go at your pace.

Exploring Government Curriculum Package by Ray Notgrass (purchase from CBD)

The Everything American Government Book by Nick Ragone is an easy to read explanation of political terms (such as caucus, filibuster, bureaucracy, regulatory commission, judicial review, pork barrel spending, gerrymandering) with a minimum of bias. The author glosses over the Constitution, giving his interpretation of the key points, so this is not a substitute for learning what's in the U.S. Constitution. If you decide to use this book, a schedule that divides it over either 36 weeks or 18 weeks is here. ($amzn) (K).

This 10-minute YouTube video presents a clear explanation of the difference between a republic based on law, and a democracy based on majority rule. (Back)

16. Ourselves, the 4th volume of Mason's 6 Volume Series: approximately 22 pages per term. This book will continue through all the remaining years of AO's high school curriculum. If your student is graduating before Year 12, you may wish to speed up in order to complete the book before graduation. This year: pages 131-210 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 as a separate paperback book.
Term 1: Book 1 pg 131-155
Term 2: Book 1 pg 156-178
Term 3: Book 1 pg 179-210 (Back)

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

20. 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.
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 parents first become familiar with blogs and visit the one(s) their children will frequent. We suggest several poliblogs, 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. (Back)

22. The History of English Literature for Girls and Boys: This year: Chapters 60-73, on Dryden, Defoe, Swift, Addison, Steele, Pope, Johnson, Goldsmith, Burns, and Cowper.
Term 1: ch 60 (Dryden) - ch 66 (Dick Steele)
Term 2: ch 67 (Pope) - ch 72 (Burns)
Term 3: ch 73 (Cowper)
AO schedules this book in conjunction with Invitation to the Classics; more material is covered in Marshall's History of English Literature from Year 7 to the middle of Year 10, and more is covered in Invitation to the Classics from the middle of Year 10, and through Year 11. If you prefer to use only Invitation to the Classics, by Louise Cowan and Os Guinness ($amzn), Year 9 students would read pg 177-202 Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels to Hamilton, Madison, and Jay - The Federalist. A table of contents to help with planning.. (Back)

23. Gulliver's Travels: Skip chapter 5 in Part II, on Gulliver's visit to Brobdinnag as it has some inappropriate or unpleasant incidents with the Giants in two different places as well as a gruesome execution. Also be aware that towards the end of the first chapter, the minuscule Gulliver is repulsed by the sight of a giantess nursing her child. (Back)

24. The Count of Monte Cristo: the last third of the book can be finished over the summer. This book really, really needs to be finished to see its message of repentance, regret, sorrow, forgiveness, redemption. Two schedules are available: one that schedules two-thirds of the book over 36 weeks and leaves the last third for summer reading, [and one that schedules the entire book over the 36 week period, which completes the book during the school year, but makes for some heavy reading during the year.] There are schedules listed that can be used as bookmarks for both the abridged 2/3 schedule [and the full schedule]. (Back)

25. Grammar: In terms of difficulty (easiest to most challenging), Easy Grammar Plus is probably the easiest, followed by Jensen's, and then Our Mother Tongue.
Jensen's Grammar goes slowly and step-by-step; their answer key is thorough (Our Mother Tongue doesn't always have answers). There are 75 lessons, so plan to take two years, or else 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.
If you are not confident about teaching grammar, you might prefer Easy Grammar Plus by Wanda Phillips. It's less intense than Jensen's, but still doesn't assume a lot of previous knowledge from the teacher. It's easier than Jensen with just a couple suggested alterations (for example, don't insist on memorizing the prepositions at the start, just write a list of them and explain an easy way to remember most of them: any way a worm can go in relation to two apples, or ways a bird can fly 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). 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.

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. The Answer Key ($amzn) is sold separately. Our Mother Tongue has 49 chapters. One suggestion is to spread the book over two years, doing about 9 chapters per term. (Back)

25s. Signs and Seasons - continues this year. Field work is an integral part of this book. Field activities are included in the back of the book, so the field guide is not necessary. Ch 6, 7, and the Epilogue are scheduled in Year 9.
If you prefer, A Walk through the Heavens: A Guide to Stars and Constellations by Milton Heifetz may be used. ($amzn) (K) (Back)

26. Microbe Hunters is a collection of science biographies. Chapters 1 and 2 (Leeuwenhook, Spallanzani) are scheduled in Year 9. The remaining chapters will be scheduled Years 10 and 11. (Back)

26s. The Sea Around Us - chapters 1-8 are scheduled in Year 9; chapters 9-14 in Year 10. The Young Readers Edition adapted by Anne Terry White may be helpful if you can find it (it's out of print). ($earch) It's about a third shorter and has illustrations. It can follow the same schedule, but two of the chapters have different titles: ch 2, The Pattern of the Surface, is called The Surface of the Sea; ch 10, Wind, Sun, and the Spinning of the Earth, is called Rivers in the Sea. AO links to a special edition that's in print, but it's not the Young Readers edition and it has no illustrations. If you're curious why The Sea Around Us is scheduled, The Guardian has an article that describes The Sea Around Us as "the first, and still perhaps the best science bestseller. . . The reader is immersed in a new and wonderful world, one where everything really is connected to everything else. This sense of the sea and all its constituents as part of an interrelated system infuses the entire book." The special edition we've linked "features a new chapter written by Jeffrey Levinton, a leading expert in marine ecology, that brings the scientific side of The Sea Around Us completely up to date. Levinton incorporates the most recent thinking on continental drift, coral reefs, the spread of the ocean floor, the deterioration of the oceans, mass extinction of sea life, and many other topics." ($amzn) There is some evolutionary content in the book, especially the first chapter. If your student already read The Sea Around Us in Year 6, a good alternate (but not replacement) is Carson's Under the Sea Wind, which follows the lives of fish, birds, and animals that live in or near the sea. α ($amzn) (K) (Back)

27. Great Astronomers is spread across Years 7-10. This year: Term 1: Halley and Bradley. Term 2: William Herschel. Term 3: Laplace and Brinkley. If your student is struggling with Great Astronomers, the individual chapters have been paraphrased here. However, be mindful that your student 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. (Back)

28. Love is a Fallacy - An amusing short story which manages to entertain while instructing in some of the basic rhetorical fallacies. There's an alternate link here, and a pdf file here. We continue to update links, but this one has been a moving target. The story begins, "Cool was I and logical. Keen, calculating, perspicacious, acute and astute." If our link doesn't work, you might try googling with those exact words and the author's name (Shulman) to find it elsewhere on the internet. (Back)

30. 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 Years 7-11. Note that Janson's History of Art is a huge book, and may be too much for most students on top of their other reading. (Back)

44. The Federalist Papers: These are a series of articles written over a nine-month period explaining what the authors of the U.S. Constitution intended in an attempt to win over Americans so they'd pressure their state representatives to ratify the U.S. Constitution. These four are scheduled:
No. 10 - Divisive Party Factions
No. 39 - Republican Principles
No. 51 - Proper Checks and Balances
No. 68 - Electing the President; The Electoral College
Mary E Webster has very lightly paraphrased all of the Federalist Papers. ($amzn) (K) Joshua Charles paraphrased most of them into very readable modern English and published them with Glenn Beck as The Original Argument. ($amzn) (K) There is also a paraphrase of selected papers online (Back)

45. US Constitution: If your student needs help, you might look at something to read alongside the Constitution. One suggestion: this paraphrase printed as a side by side parallel - The Constitution Made Easy by Michael Holler ($amzn) ($amzn) (K) (Back)

46. Wilberforce's 1786 speech, and Pitt's 1792 speech: This is scheduled over two weeks. You can either do Wilberforce's shorter speech one week and Pitt's longer speech the following week, or divide the entire thing in half. If you have Houston Peterson's Treasury Of The World's Great Speeches (1954), Section Seven, beginning on page 212, has both speeches (Pitt's is abridged) with a bit of introductory material. There are multiple copies online at archive.org. ($amzn) We suggest that a book of famous speeches such as the above treasury ought to be in every homeschool library. Or, you can download a Word/.odt document of the speeches. Ω (Back)

47. George Washington's Farewell Address was a final opportunity to express some guiding principles for the young nation, to promote union and warn against party factions, and encourage neutrality with other nations. The U.S. Senate still has a tradition of reading this every year on Washington's birthday; if you'd like to listen along as you read, look on YouTube for videos of Senators reading this. The speech is about 40 minutes long. (Back)

48. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation is a small paperback (248 pages) that won the Pulitzer in 2002, and thus should be in every public library. From the back of the book: "Through an analysis of six fascinating episodes -- Hamilton and Burr's deadly duel, Washington's precedent-setting Farewell Address [does not contain the text of it, but rather puts it in context], Adams' administration and political partnership with his wife, the debate about where to place the capitol, Franklin's attempt to force Congress to confront the issue of slavery, and Madison's attempts to block him, and Jefferson and Adams famous correspondence -- Founding Brothers brings to life the vital issues and personalities from the most important decade in our nation's history."(Back)

Last updated March 31, 2023 (to update Bible)