Search:

Home > By Year > Year 10 > AmblesideOnline Year 10 Lite Booklist

AmblesideOnline Year 10 Lite Booklist

Based on AO's Year 10

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 10 Lite Curriculum

As a help for scheduling Year 10 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.

b10

Weekly Readings

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

AmblesideOnline has had updates in the subject areas of Spiritual Formation (Suggested Devotional Reading) and Citizenship as of March 2023, which means that this page is outdated. For the convenience of those who are in the middle of their school year, we will leave this page up through the 2023-2024 school year -- until June, 2024. You can access the old 36-week schedule, which has links to the outdated pdf/doc/odt weekly schedules, at this link.

Bible and Christian Theology

Old Testament: Isaiah, Amos, Micah, Hosea, Nahum, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk
New Testament: John, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians
Psalms 56-105
Proverbs 1-16

Bible Gateway has many versions of the Bible online. ^[4]

Suggested Devotional Reading

Note Upcoming Changes: The AO Advisory is currently working on updated revisions to our Devotional and Citizenship/Worldview subjects for this Year. As we adjust these subjects, our changes will be posted as an alternate option. You may wish to go ahead and use the selections currently listed, or wait to purchase books until the changes are posted. Either choice--the current book list or the updated one--will be a strong option.

The Attributes of God by A. W. Pink ($amzn) (K)
The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis β α ($amzn) (K) Ω

History: 1815 - 1901/02

Term 1: 1815-1860, Term 2: 1860-1865 America, Term 3: 1865-1902

Keep a century chart and Century Book of the period studied. ^[6]

The Great Democracies by Winston Churchill ($amzn) (K) (schedule here)
OR A History of the American People by Paul Johnson ($amzn) (K)
OR Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story by Wilfred M. McClay is an option for American history. ($amzn) (K) This is a lighter option. ^[7]

Arguing About Slavery by William Lee Miller ($amzn)

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Alexander Brown; optional ($amzn) (K)

Biography

The Story of Abraham Lincoln by Mary Hamilton α ($amzn) (K) Ω
OR The Boys' Life of Abraham Lincoln by Helen Nicolay β α Ω

Narrative on the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass β α Ω ∫ ^[9]
Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington β α ($amzn) Ω Λ ∫

History Supplements and Speeches

Term 1

* The Holy Alliance Treaty September 26, 1815 or here
* The Catholic Emancipation Act article and actual act ^[8]
* Giuseppe Garibaldi's speech to his soldiers (compare to Henry V's speech in Shakespeare, or Elizabeth's speech to her troops)
* Select from the list of Irish Views of the Potato Famine ^[10]
* Parliamentary testimony from Accounts of English Mill workers ^[12]

Term 2

** Missouri Compromise, 1820; scan of the actual document and a transcription.
** The 1850 compromise included the end of the slave trade in Washington, DC
** Dred Scott Decision, 1857
** Confederate Constitution
** Causes for Secession ^[14]
** Ordinances of secession
** Lincoln's goals for the war, as stated in a letter to Horace Greeley
** Emancipation Proclamation, 1863

Term 3

*** Gladstone's speech to his constituents on the accomplishments of the administration
*** Disraeli's speech on the Reform Bill
*** Andrew Johnson's Proclamation of Amnesty for South
*** Report of the Joint Committee on Reconstruction, 1866 ^[16]
*** The Berlin Conference of 1885 to divide Africa ^[18]
*** British Missionary Letters urging annexation of South Sea Islands ^[20]
*** Open letter to the Belgian King from an American ^[22]

Literature

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

Invitation to the Classics by Louise Cowan and Os Guinness ($amzn) ^[38]
Moby Dick by Herman Melville β α ($amzn) (K) Ω Λ ^[39]
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe β α ($amzn) Ω
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson β α ($amzn) Ω
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley β α ($amzn) Ω
Silas Marner, The Weaver of Raveloe by George Eliot β α ($amzn) (K) Ω

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, as free reading β α ($amzn) (K) Ω ^[40]

Short Stories

* My Kinsman, Major Molineux by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1832; also here)
* Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1835; also here) Ω
* The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe (1839) Ω
** The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol (1842) audio Ω Ω
** A Simple Heart by Gustave Flaubert (1877; also called A Simple Soul) Ω
** The Grand Inquisitor by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1880) Ω
*** The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant (1884) Ω
*** How Much Land Does a Man Need? by Leo Tolstoy (1886) Ω
*** The Open Boat by Stephen Crane (1897) Ω

Essays

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Art
Nature

Frederick Douglass
Reconstruction
An Appeal to Congress for Impartial Suffrage
My Escape From Slavery Ω

G. K. Chesterton
A Piece of Chalk
The Twelve Men
What is Right With the World

Poetry

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (23 poems here)
Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning (some poems here)
Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman

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

If you've read the selections from Years 7-9, use The Book on Writing: the Ultimate Guide to Writing Well by Paula LaRocque ($amzn) (K)

On the Art of Writing by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch; optional ($amzn)

Recitation

2 Corinthians 6; Ephesians 4; Proverbs 1-4; Hebrews 8; Amos 5:1-24; 1 Peter 2
Psalm 19; Psalm 111; Psalms 121; Psalm 122; Psalm 145; Psalm 118
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

Ten minutes of map drills each week ^[24]
Locate places from the day's reading on a map
Explore foreign places relevant in news and current events. ^[26]

Eothen by Alexander Kinglake β α ($amzn) (K) Ω

Citizenship

Note Upcoming Changes: The AO Advisory is currently working on updated revisions to our Devotional and Citizenship/Worldview subjects for this Year. As we adjust these subjects, our changes will be posted as an alternate option. You may wish to go ahead and use the selections currently listed, or wait to purchase books until the changes are posted. Either choice--the current book list or the updated one--will be a strong option.

Ourselves by Charlotte Mason (£) (£amzn) ^[32]
Character is Destiny by Russell Gough (£) (£amzn)
Sesame and Lilies by John Ruskin A modern English paraphrase is available: ($amzn) (K)
One Blood by Ken Ham (optional; there's also a study guide at AIG; video available; scroll down halfway to videos on racism. Revised edition ($amzn) (K) Old Edition ($amzn)

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

Government and Economics

The Law by Frederic Bastiat here or here ($amzn) (K) OR this 107-page pdf
The Vision of the Anointed: Self-congratulation as the Basis for Public Policy by Thomas Sowell ($amzn) (K) ∫
Graves of Academe by Richard Mitchell ($amzn)

A basic government book ^28]

Current Events

Students should have a plan for keeping up with current events. This is not optional. ^[36]

Worldview

The Deadliest Monster by Jeff Baldwin; requires that Jekyll and Hyde and Frankenstein be read first; ($amzn)

Science

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

Apologia science text ($earch) OR BJU Press Science

Six Easy Pieces by Richard P. Feynman ($amzn) (K)
Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif; chapters 3-8 this year α ($amzn) (K)

Great Astronomers by Robert S. Ball, optional β α (£) ^[44]

Nature Study

Walden by Henry David Thoreau, selections β α ($amzn K; free Kindle edition may be missing segments)

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 (Part 3) ($amzn) (K)

Art

The Story of Painting by H. W. Janson - The Age of Machines ($amzn) ^[46]

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 historically with Year 10:
When Johnny Comes Marching Home, 1863
Buffalo Gals, 1848
Simple Gifts, 1848
Dixie, 1859
John Brown's Body, 1860
Poverty Knock, origin uncertain (please preview and edit the verses as your family sees fit) term three
The Triumph of General Ludd, 1811
The Arms Of Abraham
Various Songs by Stephen Foster; CD: ($amzn)

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 10 in addition to the Year 10 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.
(Back)

4. AO's Bible plan goes through the Bible semi-chronologically over 6 years in Years 6-11. This year's Bible readings would be as follows:
* Isaiah 1-66; John 1-10; Psalms 56-74; Proverbs 1-6
** Amos, Micah, Hosea, Nahum, Zephaniah, Jeremiah 1-16; John 11-21; Psalms 75-88; Proverbs 7-11
*** Jeremiah 17-52, Habakkuk; 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians; Psalms 89-105; Proverbs 12-16 (Back)

6. 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)

7. Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story by Wilfred M. McClay. ($amzn) (K) Year 10 corresponds with ch 6-13. There's a schedule that fits it into Years 8-11. This is a lighter option than most of our other history spines. (Back)

8. The Catholic Emancipation Act: This link takes you to a single page article which is a helpful introduction to the topic. The author quotes from articles of the period and contemporary politicians pro and con. It's illustrated with images of political cartoons of the time. Read the article, and then click through to read the actual act (Back)

9. Frederick Douglass: The end of chapter 1 describes brutal abuse of a slave that may be upsetting for sensitive students.

10. Irish Views of the Famine: select some readings from this list of diaries and Irish newspaper accounts of the Irish Potato Famine. (Back)

12. Parliamentary testimony from Accounts of English Mill workers: It could be interesting to read this together- one person reading the questions, the other reading the answers, as much in character as possible. Elizabeth Gaskell's book North and South deals with conditions of mill workers. ($amzn) K The BBC also did an excellent job rendering the book into film. ($amzn) (Back)

14. Causes for Secession: We could only find official State documents stating reasons for secession for Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas. (Back)

16. Report of the Joint Committee on Reconstruction, 1866, clearly illustrates the bitterness and resentment toward the south. (Back)

18. The Berlin Conference of 1885: (15 November 1884 - 26 February 1885; begin at the heading 'Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 to Divide Africa' that starts with "In 1884 at the request of Portugal, German Chancellor Otto von Bismark called together the major western powers of the world to negotiate questions" and read only until you come to the start of Report of the British Consul, Roger Casement. (Back)

20. British Missionary Letters urging annexation of South Sea Islands: Quite a shock to modern sensibilities. (Back)

22. Open letter to the Belgian King Leopold II from an American visitor to the Congo, which seems to be pertinent (very interesting, too). (Back)

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

26. Maps: Many countries have a tourism department, and writing to their embassies for free brochures, maps, and other travel information might be an inexpensive way to supplement geography studies. Also, see our notes about The World and I under current events. This is a rich resource for this purpose also. (Back)

28. 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 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)

32. 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 1-67 of Book 2.
Also available in a modern English paraphrase that can be read online or purchased. (K) The paraphrase of Book 2, Self-Direction, the second half of Volume 4, can be purchased as a separate paperback book.
Term 1: Book 2 pg 1-21
Term 2: Book 2 pg 21-48
Term 3: Book 2 pg 49-67 (Back)

34. Plutarch: Charlotte Mason recommended Thomas North's "inimitable translation." If you need to cut back, do one or two Lives this year. (Back)

36. 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)

38. Invitation to the Classics: pages 203 to 306 this year, or about 25 chapters, beginning with Jane Austen, and ending just before James Joyce; the chapters are short.
Alternately, you could continue (or supplement with) History of English Literature for Boys and Girls, by H.E. Marshall β α ($amzn) (K) Chapters 74-85 (Wordsworth to Tennyson.) Table of Contents arranged by Year and Term for both books are available: History of English Literature; Invitation to the Classics. (Back)

39. Moby Dick: If you need to cut back further, Moby Dick could be done as a free read using an audio book. (Back)

40. Les Miserables cannot be missed. Wikipedia says this book "is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. . . Beginning in 1815 and culminating in the 1832 June Rebellion in Paris, the novel follows the lives and interactions of several characters, particularly the struggles of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his experience of redemption. Examining the nature of law and grace, the novel elaborates upon the history of France, the architecture and urban design of Paris, politics, moral philosophy, antimonarchism, justice, religion, and the types and nature of romantic and familial love." However, it is long. We suggest that your student enjoy the book as free reading, perhaps via an audiobook. A suggested pace is included in the 36-week schedule; if you follow the schedule, three of the five volumes will be completed over the school year, and the remaining two can be done over the summer between Year 10 and Year 11. A two-hour movie cannot begin to explore the depths of this epic story. (Back)

42. Shakespeare: Leithart's book Brightest Heaven of Invention ($amzn) (K) is a Christian study guide for 6 Shakespeare plays: Henry V, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, and Much Ado About Nothing. (If you need to cut back, do one or two plays this year.) (Back)

44. Great Astronomers: optional this year. Chapters are included in the weekly schedule as a help to scheduling them where they belong chronologically. 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. (Back)

46. 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)

Last update Mar. 16, 2021