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AmblesideOnline Year 6 Booklist

"The question is not,--how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education--but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has before him."
Charlotte Mason, Volume 3, p. 170-171

A Basic Overview of Year 6

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 6 Curriculum

Students continue studying Plutarch's Lives as well as a Shakespeare play each term. They will continue with daily copywork, as well as studied dictation and grammar study. Every scheduled reading will still be narrated, either orally or in writing. Written narration should increase to more often than once a week, serving as further preparation for composition. Foreign language study continues as begun in previous years, alongside the study of Latin.

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

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Bible ^[6]

Old Testament - Prophets and Exile
New Testament - Christ's Later Ministry, Death and Resurrection taken from all four gospels
or the old plan - OT: Genesis, Job, Exodus, Leviticus; NT: Life of Christ; Foundation of the Church

History: end of WWI to present day, and 2 terms in ancient history

Keep a simple timeline. ^[4]

* The Story of Mankind by Hendrick Van Loon ($amzn) ^[8]
* The Story of the World, Vol 4: The Modern Age by Susan Wise Bauer (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K) ^[12]
Answering the Cry for Freedom by Gretchen Woelfle ($amzn) (K) ^[9]
** *** Augustus Caesar's World by Genevieve Foster (ChrBk) ($amzn) ^[16]
** The Story of the Greeks by H. A. Guerber β α Ω ($amzn) K
*** The Story of the Romans by H. A. Guerber α ($amzn) (K)

Biography

Trial and Triumph by Richard Hannula (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K) ^[18]
* ** Never Give In (about Winston Churchill), by Stephen Mansfield (ChrBk) ($amzn)
** *** Genesis, Finding Our Roots by Ruth Beechick (ChrBk) ($amzn) ^[20]

Literature

The Age of Fable by Thomas Bulfinch β α ($amzn) (K) (ChrBk) Ω K ^[34]
* ** The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (16 weeks) (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K)
** Animal Farm by George Orwell (8 weeks) (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K)

** The Iliad by Homer
We suggest a good retelling, such as The Iliad for Boys and Girls by Alfred Church α (£) (£amzn) (£amzn) ($amzn) (K) Ω or Black Ships before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff (ChrBk) ($amzn) ^[36]

*** The Odyssey by Homer
We suggest a good retelling, such as The Odyssey for Boys and Girls by Alfred Church α Ω ($amzn) (K) or The Wanderings of Odysseus by Rosemary Sutcliff (ChrBk) ($amzn)

Poetry ^[27]

* Robert Frost
** Carl Sandburg
*** Dreamkeeper by Langston Hughes ($amzn) (K), or Langston's poems online.
Purchase AO's Volume 6 poetry collection which includes Frost, Sandburg, and our Year 6 anthology of favorites in paperback or Kindle ($amzn) (K)

Copywork

A curriculum or program for handwriting is not necessary, but if you want to use one, these are some we've used and can suggest:
A Reason for Writing Level A: ($amzn) Level B: ($amzn)
Getty Dubay Italic Handwriting Series ($earch)

AO's Language Arts Scope and Sequence for this level
Year 6 exam questions will focus on adjectives, adverbs, prepositions and prepositional phrases.

Recitation ^[recit]

Term 1
Genesis 12:1-3; Psalm 4:3-5; Psalm 5:11-12; Psalm 9:7-10; Psalm 19:7-10
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
Fire and Ice by Robert Frost
A passage from the term's Shakespeare play
Term 2
Acts 2:38; Psa 23:1-6 (Lord's Prayer); Psa 25:8-10; Psa 33:12-19; Psa 36:5-9
Fog by Carl Sandburg
Lost by Carl Sandburg
A passage from the term's Shakespeare play
Term 3
Psalm 46:7-11; Psalm 55:22; Acts 10:34-40; Proverbs 14:34
Dreams by Langston Hughes
I, Too, Sing America by Langston Hughes
A passage from the term's Shakespeare play

Foreign Language

Latin

Geography

* ** The Complete Book of Marvels by Richard Halliburton (£); consists of Book 1, The Occident (£) (£amzn) (£amzn), and Book 2, The Orient (£) (£amzn) (£amzn) ^[22]
OR A Child's Geography of the World by Virgil Hillyer ($amzn) ^[23]

*** The Story of David Livingstone by Vautier Golding ($amzn) (K) ^[24]

Material World: A Global Family Portrait by Peter Menzel ($amzn) ^[26]
What the World Eats by Faith D'Aluisio and Peter Menzel ($amzn) ^[26]

Ten minutes of map drills each week ^[28]
Locate places from the day's reading on a map

In addition, these geography concepts should be explained and taught this year: ^[30]

Term 1:
Animal features (feet, teeth, covering) and their purposes
How we use animals:
meat, milk, fur, silk, horns, hooves, labor, pets

Term 2:
Things mined from the earth:
Minerals and metals such as coal, iron, gold, silver, lead, tin, copper, mercury, salt.
Quarried stones: granite, sandstone; limestone (chalk), marble, slate and their uses.
Where brick and glass come from
Mortar.

Term 3:
People around the world live in different dwellings, eat, work, learn and play.
Terms: agriculture (farming), stock-raising,
mining, lumbering, fishing.
Town people:
manufacturing, trade/commerce, transportation and other occupations.

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

Nature Study and Science

The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock α (ChrBk) ($amzn), as scheduled for Nature Study.

Supplies for Nature Study:
Nature notebook and pencils or paint for each student
Begin to build a library of regional field guides
Plenty of time to allow Nature Study to be a fun learning experience for both parent and child

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

The Mystery of the Periodic Table by Benjamin Wiker and Jeanne Bendick (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K)
Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology by Jeannie Fulbright and Brooke Ryan, M.D., Lessons 7-14 (ChrBk) ($amzn) ^[32]
It Couldn't Just Happen by Lawrence Richards (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K) ^[33]
The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe by Theodore Gray - selected elements ($amzn)
Or, purchase The Elements app by Theodore Gray for $9.99 for iDevices.

Science Biography:

* Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity by Robert Cwiklik ($amzn)
OR Ordinary Genius by Stephanie McPherson ($amzn)
** Archimedes and the Door of Science by Jeanne Bendick (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K)
*** Galileo and the Magic Numbers by Sidney Rosen ($amzn) (K)

Mathematics

Select a program that meets your family's needs from our page of Math Options.

Art

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

Physical Education

One option is Swedish Drill Revisited by Dawn Duran purchase

Additional Books for Free Reading ^[38]

Books with asterisks coordinate with that term's historical studies.

* Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls; 20th century (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K)
* The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia by Esther Hautzig ($amzn) (recommended by AO users!)
* The Winged Watchman by Hilda Van Stockum (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K)
* Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K); deals with racism in the 1930's
* Blue Willow by Doris Gates (ChrBk) ($amzn); dust bowl story - there is another book by this name
* Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K); depression era fiction- sweet, upbeat, nature appreciation
* Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse ($amzn) (K); very literary story of a Jewish Immigrant to post WWI America
* The Von Trapp Family Singers by Maria Von Trapp (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K)
* Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K); WWII based on a true story of the Danish efforts to save the Jews
* The Ark by Margot Benary-Isbert; refugee family attempts survival in post WWII Germany ($amzn) Can also be purchased directly from the publisher.
* The Chestry Oak by Kate Seredy ($amzn); The effects of WWII on a young Hungarian prince
* The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K); a girl finds herself transported back in time and experiences the Holocaust first-hand.
School of the Woods α, by William J. Long ($amzn) (K)
Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott β α (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K) Ω Vol 1 K Vol 2 K
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain β α (ChrBk) ($amzn) Ω Λ
Little Men by Louisa May Alcott β α (ChrBk) ($amzn) Ω
Jack and Jill by Louisa May Alcott β α (ChrBk) ($earch) Ω K (every homeschool family should read this)
The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens β α ($amzn) Ω K
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss β α (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K) Ω
The Call of the Wild by Jack London β α (ChrBk) ($amzn) Ω Ω K Λ
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne β α (ChrBk) ($amzn) Ω K Λ
Penrod by Booth Tarkington β α (£) ($amzn) Ω K
A Little Brother to the Bear by William J. Long α ($amzn) (K) K
*** The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth Speare (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K)
** *** Ben Hur by Lew Wallace β α ($amzn) K Ω
* The Search for Planet X by Tony Simon [out of print; this book has a PNEU connection.]

* Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan (ChrBk) ($amzn)
True story of Norwegian children who spirited away gold for the resistance right under the Nazi's eyes

If your students in years 4-6 could benefit from some easier, but still excellent living books for free reading, consider choosing four or five books from this list:

Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien ($amzn)
The Rescuers by Margery Sharp ($amzn) (K) (and others in the series)
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden ($amzn) (K)
Homer Price by Robert McCloskey ($amzn) (K)
Centerburg Tales by Robert McCloskey ($amzn) (K)
The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald (particularly interesting to boys; skip (or preview) the last chapter, ch 8, "The Great Brain's Reformation," as it's a light-hearted tale told in a frivolous manner about a boy's attempts to do himself in after his father disparages his disability. ($amzn) (K)

Noel Streatfeild books (appealing to girls in particular)
Ballet Shoes ($amzn) (K)
Skating Shoes ($amzn) (K)
Dancing Shoes ($amzn) (K)
Theater Shoes ($amzn) (K)

Kate Seredy books, including:
The Good Master ($amzn)
The White Stag ($amzn)
The Singing Tree ($amzn)
The Chestry Oak ($amzn)

(Purchase a Kindle)

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.
(Back)

4. Timeline: At this age, students should be keeping a simple, single-page timeline of major events and a Book of Centuries. Read an Advisory member's blog post about early timelines at Wendi Wanders. 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)

6. Bible: Bible Gateway has many versions of the Bible online. It is preferable for a child to become accustomed to the language and flow of the King James Version of the Bible, as a familiarity with King James English will make other literature more accessible. Please read Lynn Bruce's article on the King James Version.
Year 6 students read stories from the prophets and Israel's exile, and Christ's Later Ministry, Death and Resurrection taken from all four gospels. See AO's Bible plan. Charlotte Mason taught with commentaries, reading the Bible passage first, then narration, then reading the commentary, but Smyth's and Stock's commentaries may reflect the doctrine of their era and denomination; they are not necessary to follow the Bible schedule. You can follow this schedule without commentary, or choose your own.
Optional Bible Resources: Timeline; Study questions with maps. (Back)

8. The chapters used this year in Story of Mankind include added chapters that are only in later revised editions and are still under copyright, so they are not in the online texts. They are in the 1984 version updated by John Merriman and published by Liveright, and the 2013 edition revised by Robert Sullivan. Only get a Kindle version if it says it's the version "updated, by John Merriman." Online public domain texts and audio of this book are likely to be missing those later chapters.
Term 1: ch 66-71 1920
For planning purposes, there is a table of contents with dates for The Story of Mankind.

For those who wish to supplement, or to combine students in the same year, corresponding chapters of A Child's History of the World by Virgil Hillyer for younger children are as follows:
Term 1: ch 85-91 (Back)

9. Answering the Cry for Freedom: This book is scheduled over three years. Parents, please note that chapter 9, about Sally Hemings, tells about the physical relationship between Thomas Jefferson and his slave, Sally Hemings, that resulted in six children being born. Please pre-read this chapter, depending on the age and maturity of your student. (Back)

12. Story of the World: The historical books that were recommend for Years 1-6 such as An Island Story, A Child's History of the World, Abraham Lincoln's World, The Story of Mankind were carefully selected based on literary quality and availability for those historical periods and we believe that Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the World Volume 4 is the best book for the twentieth century that meets that same criteria. Pgs 244-474 are used this year. To help with your planning, table of contents for this book, with loose dates.

Full title is What Everyone Should Know About the 20th Century: 200 Events That Shaped the World, by Alan Axelrod and Charles Phillips. This book went out of print and has been replaced in our schedule with The Story of the World Volume 4: The Modern Age, by Susan Wise Bauer. However, if you have What Everyone Should Know About the 20th Century, you can still use it.
In the first years of AO, the Advisory did not feel that there was an adequate children's level book available on the 20th century. "What Everyone Should Know About the 20th Century" is written for adults. We scheduled a number of the short chapters for year 6. Chapters not selected may have material deemed inappropriate for students, and parents should keep that in mind when giving the book to their children.
Parents may wish to read surrounding chapters to the chapters assigned. For instance, the chapter about the Moon Walk concludes on the page that a chapter on Woodstock begins. The Advisory did try to note any questionable wording in the chapters recommended. Parents should preview chapters where possible, as the author occasionally displays a bias that would not be acceptable to all families. This book has no photos - Parents are encouraged to select appropriate [non-graphic] photos of the century to show to their children, after they have read about the events ahead of time, in their context. This book was originally used in year 5 and 6.
Before "What Everyone Should Know About the 20th Century" went out of print, AO support group members worked on a compendium that may be used along with the book. (Back)

16. Augustus Caesar's World: This book contains sections on the birth of world religions presented from a secular humanist point of view. Parents may wish to cover these sections closely with their children.
Term 2: first half of book - 162 pgs
Term 3: second half of book - 162 pgs (Back)

18. Trial and Triumph: Descriptions of some trials of the Christians may be intense; parents should preview chapters to determine suitability based on their children's sensitivities. If you prefer, you can skip this book and cover church history in Years 7-9 with a different book, Saints and Heroes, by George Hodges.
This book tells church history from a definite Protestant perspective; some families may wish to skip this book or find an alternative.
Trial and Triumph used to be online, but now only a sample of the book is available online. This is what we used to post about the online posting: Google Books does have permission from Canon Press to have Trial and Triumph in full online. Here is a statement from Canon Press: "I believe we have extended permission to them to display that title. Obviously we would love for folks to purchase hard copies but we understand the limitations of many folks. If they do benefit from the online version though, we would be grateful for some sort of review whether it be on a blog, on Amazon, or on our own website. Thanks for contacting us to check. We really appreciate it." - David Hoos, Canon Press - Customer Service www.canonpress.com (Back)

20. Genesis, Finding Our Roots: One AO Advisory member says, "this book shows one of many ways of looking at Genesis and thinking about how to interpret it: If the flood happened, what are some of the problems and issues that might have followed? How would people respond to such a cataclysmic event? How would I? What are some of the ways it could change my world and what I know? This has application outside of the Genesis flood no matter what you think of that event's historicity. This book fleshes out and makes the early characters of the Bible feel like real people and, one hopes, helps readers build the skill of thinking beyond what is written about an event into placing oneself in it and speculating and imagining how and what might result, one chain after another."
Some families have used Ben Hur by Lew Wallace instead β α ($amzn) K Ω, scheduling Books 1-4 in Term 2 and Books 5-8 in Term 3. Suggested schedule of readings. (Back)

Recitation: Charlotte Mason's PNEU schools expected children to be able to recite two Bible verses and a poem for their term exams. We have listed suggestions, but students should be allowed to have some input into what is memorized for recitation. Some students will gravitate towards a specific poem, or want to memorize all of a Psalm, and that should be encouraged. There are some possible suggestions for Shakespeare passages on our Shakespeare recitations page. (Back)

22. The Complete Book of Marvels is a combination of two books: The Occident, and The Orient (see contents). Both have been reprinted by Living Books Press. There's a list of suggested supplemental videos for volume 1 at Wonder and Wildness blog.
Note that in The Orient, ch 8 - The Slave City, Halliburton talks in a humorous vein about the purchase of two children from a slave market. The apparent callousness is shocking and difficult to read. Halliburton's travelling companion at the time says this never happened, and his own travel notes indicate that it did not happen. Instead this was a quick story he told off the cuff to a group of reporters. It's not clear who added it to the book, as his father helped with quite a bit of the editing. It is clear it didn't trouble his editors, publshers, or reviewers at the time. Orient was published in 1938 and by March of 1939 Halliburton was missing, presumed dead. We do not have any way of knowing if his views and attitudes, and those of his editors, would have changed over time in step with the rest of the west.
Chip Deffaa, who retraced Halliburton's adventures in 1973, wrote, "To my surprise and amazement, I discovered his letters had been highly edited (doctored would be a better word) by his father before publication. Lines were changed, deleted, added. Not all of Halliburton's adventures took place as he described them. For example, he wrote that he had bought and sold slaves in Timbuktu, when in reality he had left the city in a rush to escape the flies. The slaves were an afterthought, a story he tried out on reporters at his hotel suite in Paris. They loved it." Read the article here. (Back)

23. Hillyer's Child's Geography of the World (out of print) is engagingly-written, but it was written in 1929 and many descriptions of people and places are outdated, not to mention the stereotypes that were commonly in use then but would be considered unacceptable by today's standards. If you have a copy and wish to use it, there's a table of contents here) to help you schedule it over the year. (Back)

24. David Livingstone: If you were unable to obtain a copy of Halliburton's Book of Marvels or Hillyer's Child's Geography of the World, you may use Missionary Travels β α K for all terms of Year 6; alternate schedule. Livingstone's journeys were selected for their geography of Africa, so map work is vital. The map link goes to a Map created by Livingstone himself. (Back)

26. Material World/What the World Eats - How to use these books:
Leave them out, preferably near a globe or world map, and browse through them together from time to time.
Leave them out, browse through them and maybe once a month pick a country that especially interests your child. Look it up (briefly) on Wikipedia or in a good atlas. Read a little bit more about it. Find it on a map or globe.
If your child is interested, he can pursue additional research in his free time and learn more about countries that particularly interest him, but this should be his own delight directed study or hobby.
How not to use these books: as the basis of a unit study or a burdensome checklist of additional tasks to fulfill.
Note: Material World: pg 16 and pg 70 have some National Geographic types of photos that parents may want to screen.
Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio looks similar to What the World Eats; we think it could be used interchangeably. ($amzn) (Back)

27. Poetry: How do you "do" poetry? Simply read it and enjoy it, re-read it, read it again and listen to the sound of the phrases, let them paint a word picture in your mind. Do you feel like you need more direction? How to Read a Poem: Based on the Billy Collins Poem "Introduction to Poetry" by Tania Runyan is "less as an instructional book and more of an invitation." This is a suggested optional parent resource that encourages you read poetry for enjoyment. (Back)

28. Geography: SeterraOnline offers Free Map Quiz Games. If you have an iPad or iPhone, TapQuiz is a free map quiz app. (Back)

30. The following geography concepts should be explained and taught this year; a book is not necessary as these can be explained informally during walks and outings.
AO's complete list of geography topics

Term 1: Animal features (feet, teeth, covering) and their purposes; how we use animals (meat, milk, fur, silk, horns, hooves, labor, pets)
These topics are covered in these chapters:
Long's Home Geography α (£) (£amzn) 37. The Parts of Animals
Long's Home Geography α 38. The Covering of Animals
Long's Home Geography α 39. Uses of Animals

Term 2: Things mined from the earth: minerals and metals such as coal, iron, gold, silver, lead, tin, copper, mercury, salt. Quarried stones: granite, sandstone; limestone (chalk), marble, slate and their uses. Where brick and glass come from; mortar.
These topics are covered in these chapters:
Long's Home Geography α 41. Things Found in the Earth
Long's Home Geography α 42. More About Things Found in the Earth

Term 3: People around the world live in different dwellings, eat, work, learn and play. Terms: agriculture (farming), stock-raising, mining, lumbering, fishing. Town people: manufacturing, trade/commerce, transportation and other occupations.
These topics are covered in these chapters:
Long's Home Geography α 43. How People Live, and What They Are Doing
Long's Home Geography α 44. More About What People Are Doing
Long's Home Geography α 45. A Review Lesson (Back)

32. Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy is used over two years -- the first six lessons are scheduled in Year 5, and the eight remaining lessons are scheduled in Year 6. We suggest your student read and narrate rather than do the discussion questions at the end of the chapters, and be selective about Projects and "Try This!" activities, choosing only those that illustrate the concept being learned. We hope to compile a list of which projects and activities we think should be done. The Notebooking Journal that goes with this book is not necessary, although projects and activities done from the textbook would be appropriate for your student's regular Nature Journal. (Back)

The Sea Around Us, which was previously used in Year 6, was moved to Year 9. If you are unable or don't wish to use Fulbright's Anatomy, we have two options you might consider:

1. If you prefer to use The Sea Around Us in Year 6, here is how it was scheduled:

Term 1
Wk 1 Sea Pt I ch 1 Gray Beginnings, first half
Wk 2 Sea Pt I ch 1 Gray Beginnings, second half
Wk 3 Sea Pt I ch 2 The Pattern of the Surface, first half
Wk 4 Sea Pt I ch 2 The Pattern of the Surface, second half
Wk 5 Sea Pt I ch 3 The Changing Year, first half
Wk 6 Sea Pt I ch 3 The Changing Year, second half
Wk 7 Sea Pt I ch 4 The Sunless Sea, first third
Wk 8 Sea Pt I ch 4 The Sunless Sea, second third
Wk 9 Sea Pt I ch 4 The Sunless Sea, last third
Wk 10 Sea Pt I ch 5 Hidden Lands, first third
Wk 11 Sea Pt I ch 5 Hidden Lands, second third
Wk 12 Sea Pt I ch 5 Hidden Lands, last third
Term 2
Wk 13 Sea Pt I ch 6 The Long Snowfall, all
Wk 14 Sea Pt I ch 7 The Birth of an Island, first third
Wk 15 Sea Pt I ch 7 The Birth of an Island, second third
Wk 16 Sea Pt I ch 7 The Birth of an Island, last third
Wk 17 Sea Pt I ch 8 The Shape of Ancient Seas, first half
Wk 18 Sea Pt I ch 8 The Shape of Ancient Seas, second half
Wk 19 Sea Pt II ch 9 Wind and Water, first third
Wk 20 Sea Pt II ch 9 Wind and Water, second third
Wk 21 Sea Pt II ch 9 Wind and Water, last third
Wk 22 Sea Pt II ch 10 Wind, Sun, and the Spinning of, first quarter
Wk 23 Sea Pt II ch 10 Wind, Sun, and the Spinning of, second quarter
Wk 24 Sea Pt II ch 10 Wind, Sun, and the Spinning of, third quarter
Term 3
Wk 25 Sea Pt II ch 10 Wind, Sun, and the Spinning of, last quarter
Wk 26 Sea Pt II ch 11 The Moving Tides, first third
Wk 27 Sea Pt II ch 11 The Moving Tides, second third
Wk 28 Sea Pt II ch 11 The Moving Tides, last third
Wk 29 Sea Pt III ch 12 The Global Thermostat, first third
Wk 30 Sea Pt III ch 12 The Global Thermostat, second third
Wk 31 Sea Pt III ch 12 The Global Thermostat, last third
Wk 32 Sea Pt III ch 13 Wealth from the Salt Seas, first half
Wk 33 Sea Pt III ch 13 Wealth from the Salt Seas, last half
Wk 34 Sea Pt III ch 14 The Encircling Sea, first third
Wk 35 Sea Pt III ch 14 The Encircling Sea, second third
Wk 36 Sea Pt III ch 14 The Encircling Sea, last third

2. If you plan to use AO's reading of The Sea Around Us in Year 9, but you need an online or more affordable option to Fulbright's Anatomy book, we suggest using Under the Sea Wind by Rachel Carson, which follows the lives of fish, birds, and animals that live in or near the sea. α ($amzn) (K) Here is a schedule to read it over Year 6:

Term 1
wk 1 Under the Sea Wind ch 1 Flood Tide, first third
wk 2 Under the Sea Wind ch 1 Flood Tide, middle third
wk 3 Under the Sea Wind ch 1 Flood Tide, last third
wk 4 Under the Sea Wind ch 2 Spring Flight, first half
wk 5 Under the Sea Wind ch 2 Spring Flight, second half
wk 6 Under the Sea Wind ch 3 Arctic Rendezvous, first quarter
wk 7 Under the Sea Wind ch 3 Arctic Rendezvous, second quarter
wk 8 Under the Sea Wind ch 3 Arctic Rendezvous, third quarter
wk 9 Under the Sea Wind ch 3 Arctic Rendezvous, last quarter
wk 10 Under the Sea Wind ch 4 Summer's End, first half
wk 11 Under the Sea Wind ch 4 Summer's End, second half
Term 2
wk 13 Under the Sea Wind ch 5 Winds Blowing Seaward, first half
wk 14 Under the Sea Wind ch 5 Winds Blowing Seaward, second half
wk 15 Under the Sea Wind ch 6 Migrants of the Spring Sea
wk 16 Under the Sea Wind ch 7 Birth of a Mackerel
wk 17 Under the Sea Wind ch 8 Hunters of the Plankton
wk 18 Under the Sea Wind ch 9 The Harbor, first half
wk 19 Under the Sea Wind ch 9 The Harbor, second half
wk 20 Under the Sea Wind ch 10 Seaways, first half
wk 21 Under the Sea Wind ch 10 Seaways, second half
wk 22 Under the Sea Wind ch 11 Indian Summer of the Sea, first half
wk 23 Under the Sea Wind ch 11 Indian Summer of the Sea, second half
Term 3
wk 25 Under the Sea Wind ch 12 Seine Haul
wk 26 Under the Sea Wind ch 13 Jorney to the Sea, first half
wk 27 Under the Sea Wind ch 13 Jorney to the Sea, second half
wk 28 Under the Sea Wind ch 14 Winter Haven, first half
wk 29 Under the Sea Wind ch 14 Winter Haven, second half
wk 30 Under the Sea Wind ch 15 Return, first half
wk 31 Under the Sea Wind ch 15 Return, second half

33. It Couldn't Just Happen: Newer editions have slightly different page numbers but the chapters are the same. If you're following AO's weekly schedules, your page numbers may not match up with the schedule, but chapter titles should. (Back)

34. Age of Fable, used over three years, is a book about Greek mythology, and some editions use illustrations of nudes, which some families might find objectionable. This year: ch 29 (Ulysses) - end (Druids)
Term 1: ch 29 (Return of Ulysses) to ch 33 (Camilla, Opening the Gates, Camilla)
Term 2: ch 33 (Evander, Infant Rome) to ch 36 (The Unicorn, the Salamander)
Term 3: ch 37 (Zoroaster, Hindu Mythology) to ch 41 (Iona) (Back)

36. The Iliad and Odyssey: two other options are Tales of Troy by Andrew Lang β α ($amzn) K (the sections titled Ulysses the Sacker of Cities and The Wanderings of Ulysses are retelling The Iliad and The Odyssey) or The Iliad of Homer, by Barbara Leonie Picard ($amzn)
We have scheduled some worthy retellings of The Iliad, but if you prefer the original, we suggest the translation by Robert Fagles ($amzn) (K) The Iliad is 24 "books"; to use this in Term 3, you will need to schedule two "books" per week, which will add substantially to the term's reading load. Adding the original version of The Odyssey will add more on top of that. (Back)

38. Free Reading books are books that no child should miss, but rather than overloading school time, these can be read during free time. No narrations need be required from these books. Advisory member Wendi C. suggests, "How you handle these is up to you..." (more) Parents should also explain to students that historical fiction, while often well-researched, is still fiction, and contains the author's ideas of how things might have happened. Books with asterisks pertain to that term's historical studies. (Back)

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For those on a strict budget, recommended purchases are:

The Story of the World, Volume 4: The Modern Age, by Susan Wise Bauer (used in year 5 and 6) ($amzn) (K)
Handbook of Nature Study, by Anna Botsford Comstock is used for Years 1-6; ($amzn) (Also online, but would be cumbersome to utilize that way.)
a math program
Augustus Caesar's World, by Genevieve Foster ($amzn)
The Mystery of the Periodic Table, by Benjamin Wiker ($amzn) (K)
The Elements, by Theodore Gray ($amzn)
Material World: A Global Family Portrait by Peter Menzel and What the World Eats by Faith D'Aluisio and Peter Menzel -- these are not required, but they're are nice to look through; we suggest seeing if your library has them.
Genesis, Finding Our Roots, by Ruth Beechick ($amzn) -- unless you plan to read Ben-Hur instead. (Ben-Hur is online.)
Never Give In (Winston Churchill), by Stephen Mansfield ($amzn) (If your library has a child-appropriate biography of Churchill, you could use that.)
It Couldn't Just Happen, by Lawrence Richards ($amzn) (K)
Archimedes and the Door of Science, by Jeanne Bendick if your library doesn't have it ($amzn) (K)
Galileo and the Magic Numbers, by Sidney Rosen (K)
Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity by Robert Cwiklik ($amzn)
OR Ordinary Genius by Stephanie McPherson ($amzn) or other age-appropriate biography of Albert Einstein.
a Latin/foreign language program
Animal Farm, by George Orwell (check libray) (ChrBk) ($amzn) (K)
The Hobbit, by Tolkien (check library) ($amzn) (K)

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

Last updated March 31, 2023 (to update Bible)