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AmblesideOnline Year 8 Lite Booklist

Based on AO's Year 8

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 8 Lite Curriculum

As a help for scheduling Year 8 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.

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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 36-week schedule, which has links to the outdated pdf/doc/odt weekly schedules, at this link.

Bible and Christian Theology

Old Testament: Judges, Ruth, I/2 Samuel, 1 Kings, Ecclesiastes
New Testament: Matthew
Psalms 106-150
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 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.

More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell ($amzn) (K)
OR The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel ($amzn) (K)

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis ($amzn) (K)
Saints and Heroes, Vol 2 by George Hodges α α ($amzn) (K) ^[6]

History: 1400's-1688 (Renaissance and Reformation)

Term 1: 1400-1605; Term 2: 1605-1649; Term 3: 1649-1688

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

The New World by Winston Churchill α ($amzn) (K)
OR A History of England by Arnold-Forster α ($amzn; Lulu.com) ^[10]

A slightly abridged version of Martin Luther's defense before the Diet of Worms
Queen Elizabeth's speech to the Spanish Armada, July 29, 1588 (included in Churchill's book)
** Journal of...the English Plantation settled at Plymouth ^[12]

Biography

A Man For All Seasons, a play by Robert Bolt ($amzn (K) Movie: ($amzn)

A Coffin for King Charles by C. V. Wedgwood ($amzn)
OR Queen Elizabeth by Jacob Abbott α
or In the Days of Queen Elizabeth by Eva March Tappan α (K)

Johannes Kepler chapter from Great Astronomers by R.S. Ball β α (£) There's a paraphrase here
OR Johannes Kepler: Giant of Faith and Science by John Hudson Tiner ($amzn)

Literature

The History of English Literature for Girls and Boys by H.E. Marshall ch 32-59 β α ($amzn) (K) ^[26]
Everyman, a Morality Play α ($amzn) (K) Ω Check YouTube for live performances. (A very abridged version.)

Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley β α (K) Study guide)
I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed) by Alessandro Manzoni β α ($amzn) (K) ^[28]

*** The Holy War by John Bunyan β α Divided and slightly annotated here. ($amzn) ($amzn) Ω ^[30]

*** The Diary of Samuel Pepys, excerpts ^[31]

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

Poetry ^[25]

Fierce Wars and Faithful Loves by Roy Maynard ($amzn) OR The Faerie Queene, Bk I, ed. by Carol Kaske ($amzn) (K) ^[32]
Shakespeare's Sonnets, selections (download 12 sonnets) Modern translations of the sonnets from NoFear Shakespeare
John Milton: L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, Lycidas, On His Blindness
Or, poems by John Donne (notes) and George Herbert. (K)
The Roar on the Other Side: A Guide for Student Poets by Suzanne Clark; optional ($amzn)

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.
Also, do dictation regularly.

Grammar and Composition

Our Mother Tongue: An Introductory Guide to English Grammar by Nancy Wilson ($amzn) Answer Key: ($amzn); continue from last year; do Lessons 10-49) ^[33]

Recitation

Romans 6; 1 Cor. 13; Psalms 139
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

Kon Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl ($amzn) (K)
OR 1493 for Young People: From Columbus's Voyage to Globalization by Charles C. Mann ($amzn) (K)
OR Christopher Columbus, Mariner by Samuel Eliot Morison ($amzn) ^[14]
OR The Life of Christopher Columbus by Edward Everett Hale β α ($amzn) (K)

Citizenship

Note Upcoming Changes: The AO Advisory is currently working on updated revisions to our Devotional and CitizenshipWorldview 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.

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) ^[18] (starts week 23)
Utopia by Sir Thomas More (or here) β α trans. by Paul Turner ($amzn) Ω
Francis Bacon essays, selections ^[22]

Government and Economics

Whatever Happened to Justice by Richard Maybury ($amzn)

Current Events

Students should have a plan for keeping up with current events. ^[24]

Science

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

Rural Hours by Susan Fenimore Cooper α ($amzn)
The Lay of the Land by Dallas Lore Sharp α (£) (£amzn) (K) ^[34]

First Studies of Plant Life by George Francis Atkinson, Parts 2, 3 α [Google Books] ($amzn)
Signs and Seasons: Understanding the Elements of Classical Astronomy by Jay Ryan ($amzn) (CBD) ^[35]

Napoleon's Buttons: 17 Molecules That Changed History by Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson ($amzn) (K) ^[36]
OR Marvels of the Molecule by Lionel Salem ($amzn)

Adventures with a Microscope by Richard Headstrom (K)

* The Chemical History of a Candle by Michael Faraday β α ($amzn) (K) ^[36a]
with pdf Study Guide by Kathy Wickward and Khan Academy
or Crash Course Chemistry (YouTube readings/commentary: *)

* Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science by John Fleischman ($amzn) (K)
*** A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking ($amzn) (K) ^[37]
William Harvey and the Discovery of the Circulation of the Blood by Thomas Henry Huxley. Images for text

Nature Study

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; used for 3 years ($amzn) (K)

Art

The Story of Painting by H. W. Janson ($amzn) chapters 4, 5 ^[38]

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.

Hans Holbein the Younger would work great for Picture Study in Term 1 this Year, using the following portraits:
Self Portrait, 1542
1. Erasmus of Rotterdam, 1523
2. Sir Thomas More, 1527
3. Henry VIII, King of England, 1535
4. Jane Seymour, 1536
5. Anne of Cleves, 1539
6. Edward, Prince of Wales, 1543

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 8:
Term 1: Barbara Allen, Star of the County Down, Andrew Barton
Term 2: The Death of Queen Jane, The Miller of Dee, Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes
Term 3: Three Mariners, The Oak and the Ash, My Lodging is on the Cold Ground

Health and Physical Education

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Paul Brand if you didn't do it last year ($amzn) (see notes)

Physical Education: 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 8 in addition to the Year 8 Free reading List
One fun suggestion:
* Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes - Find an edited version! The PNEU recommended an edition called The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha by John Ormsby. α There's also a fun retelling for youths by James Baldwin ($amzn) (K)

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:
* Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel 1-14; Matthew 1-11; Psalms 106-118; Proverbs 1-6
** 1 Samuel 15-31, 2 Samuel 1-24; Matthew 12-21; Psalms 119-124; Proverbs 7-11
*** 1 Kings, Ecclesiastes; Matthew 22-28; Psalms 125-150; Proverbs 12-16 (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. 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. The New World is Volume 2 of Winston Churchill's 4 volume set, "A History of the English Speaking Peoples." The next two volumes will be used in Years 9 and 10. 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.
Term 1: Ch 1-10
Term 2: Ch 11-18
Term 3: Ch 19-26
Or, use A History of England by Arnold-Forster, online at archive.org, Google Books Purchase Whole Book: ($amzn; Lulu.com; Options) Just Yr 8: ($amzn; Lulu.com); a schedule is here. There's also a schedule that breaks these down into two or three daily readings per week here.
Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story by Wilfred M. McClay is an option for American hstory. ($amzn) (K) Year 8 corresponds with Introduction-ch 2. There's a schedule that fits it into Years 8-11. (Back)

12. A Relation or Journal of the beginning and proceedings of the English Plantation settled at Plymouth in New England, by certain English Adventurers both Merchants and others is a pdf of journal entries of the original settlers.
Alternately, you may use A History of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford β α Ω Caleb Johnson had posted Ch 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 36 with modern spelling on his webpage, but it's gone (try here); these have been re-posted at a Plymouth site: 1, 2, 4, 9. Suggested schedule (and these are linked to Project Gutenberg's full text; you may want to use Caleb Johnson's when possible) - Wk 18: ch. 1-2; Wk 19: ch 3-4; Wk 20: ch 7-8; Wk 21: ch 9 and 36. There is a modern language version available ($amzn) Weeks 18-21. Another option: The Landing of the Pilgrims is a Landmark book by James Daugherty drawn from the Pilgrims' own journals, including Bradford's journal. ($amzn) (K) (Back)

14. Christopher Columbus, Mariner presents a fairly balanced account of Columbus. This book, especially ch 11, will require parental screening. If you use the Hale book, it should be scheduled at a chapter per week, except for ch 2 and 3, which can be doubled up in week 2. (Back)

18. 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.
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. (Back)

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

22. Francis Bacon essays: Here are some suggested essays to choose from, but feel free to do any (or all!) of them. The 36-week schedule uses the italicized ones. Of Truth, Of Revenge, Of Adversity, Of Innovations, Of Friendship, Of Regiment of Health, Of Suspicion, Of Discourse, Of Riches, Of Nature in Men, Of Youth and Age, Of Building (first half), Of Studies, Of Praise, Of Honor and Reputation, Of Anger. These selections have been collected and divided into manageable paragraphs.
Yes, the language is a stretch. But don't give up - there's lots of great material here for discussion, and they get easier. Read Jeanne Webb's experience with these essays on her blog. One useful suggestion: have your student write their own paraphrase. (Back)

24. 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)

25. 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)

26. The History of English Literature for Girls and Boys:
Term 1: ch 1 (The Listening Time) - ch 12 (Father of English Song)
Term 2: ch 13 (How Caedmon Sang) - ch 24 (Chaucer)
Term 3: ch 25 (First English Guide-book) - ch 31 (Sign of the Red Pale)
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 8 students would read pg 113-176 The Second Shepherds' Play and Everyman to John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress. A table of contents to help with planning. (Back)

28. Both Westward Ho and I Promessi Sposi are scheduled. If this proves too much for your student, you may opt to choose one of the two. A 36-week schedule to take a slow pace is available for each book. Westward Ho! is a swash-buckling classic about two brothers around the era of the Spanish Armada. I Promessi Sposi is Italy's quintessential classic novel in the same way Les Miserables is to France.
I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed): There's a Penguin Classics version translated by Bruce Penman and called The Betrothed ($amzn) (K). Ω (Back)

30. The Holy War by John Bunyan: Charlotte Mason's Kingdom of Mansoul in Ourselves (volume 4 of her series) is based on this book. Mount Calvary Baptist has a helpful study guide, links to study notes, audio files and links to online texts.
The Librivox version is read beautifully by Joy Chan. To divide it into 24 readings over a 12-week term, you might listen to one of the 20 audio files twice a week, except for chapters 1, 3 and 4, and 5 which can be divided in half. A text with divisions based on this recording so your student can follow along.
We don't recommend paraphrases, but if your student truly needs help, a modern English version is available here ($amzn). (Back)

31. Diary of Samuel Pepys: List member Sarah Bruce has kindly compiled an excerpted copy with his account of the Great Fire. Charlotte Mason used parts of this book. Pepys gives a great first-hand account of the Great Fire. However, this needs editing both for length but also because Pepys was wretchedly honest about his sordid behavior, details of which really aren't appropriate for young people to read. His entries for April 22 and 23 have to do with the coronation of Charles II and may be useful. If you wish to read the entire diary, it is available online: The Diary of Samuel Pepys β ($amzn) excerpted copy of (the part detailing The Plague and The Great Fire) and excerpts from his entries on the plague. (Back)

32. Fierce Wars and Faithful Loves: The Kindle version is badly formatted and not recommended. For those who need a children's version, there's a 'modern' (1916) retelling of The Faerie Queene by Mary MacLeod available. It's online at Sacred Texts and archive.org. Book I is "The Red Cross Knight." Ω (Back)

33. 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 $30 for the Jensen's text and answer key. The DVD's are not necessary. You will probably find it cheaper at New Leaf Publishing, or other homeschool sellers such as Lamppost Homeschool.
If you are not confident about teaching grammar, you might prefer Easy Grammar Plus by Wanda Phillips. It's less intense than Jensen's, but still doesn't assume a lot of previous knowledge from the teacher. It's easier than Jensen with just a couple suggested alterations (for example, don't insist on memorizing the prepositions at the start, just write a list of them and explain an easy way to remember most of them: any way a worm can go in relations to two apples, or a swallow in relation to two mountains). A parent using this with one child could get by with only the Teacher's Edition since the student workbook is included in it, but multiple students would need their own workbooks. ($ from their website or CBD) 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)

34. Rural Hours is a journal of one woman's nature observations. The 36 week schedule lists entries to loosely correlate with US seasons; feel free to rearrange to match your own seasons.
Term 1: September (from the middle of the book)
Term 2: Jan-Feb (from the back of the book) and March (from the beginning of the book)
Term 3: April-May (near the beginning, just after March). The entire book is not scheduled.
Lay of the Land - chapters are scheduled to loosely correlate with US seasons.
Term 1: ch 13, and ch 1
Term 2: ch 2-6
Term 3: ch 7-15 (except for ch 13, which is scheduled in Term 1)
(Back)

35. Signs and Seasons - ch 3-5 this year. The book is cheaper from CBD. 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.
If you prefer, A Walk through the Heavens: A Guide to Stars and Constellations by Milton Heifetz may be used. ($amzn) (K) (Back)

36. Napoleon's Buttons: Chapters 11 (The Pill) and 12 (Molecules of Witchcraft, because of the first paragraph on page p. 235) are not scheduled and can be skipped. Additionally, these brief comments should also be noted by parents:
ch 5 (Nitro Compounds) pg 89 refers to the waste products of wine drinkers and "clergyman, or better yet a bishop" to make gunpowder.
ch 7 (Phenol) pg 131 suggests gossypol as a potential male chemical birth control method.
ch 10 (Wonder Drugs) pg 187 refers to "venereally spread" syphilis.
ch 16 (Chlorocarbon Compounds) pg 327 "In the Book of Genesis women, as Eve's descendants, are condemned to suffer during childbirth as punishment for her sin..." and goes on to mention why. (Back)

36a. Chemical History of a Candle resources: We highly recommend going through this book with Bill Hammack, "The Engineer Guy." His YouTube readings with guided commentary are invaluable helps, and we have posted the amazon link ($amzn) (K) above to his updated revision of the book. There is also a Pdf Study Guide by AO mom Kathy Wickward, and there are video helps from Khan Academy or Crash Course Chemistry. (Back)

37. A Briefer History of Time: A shorter version of A Brief History of Time containing less technical concepts. We encourage you not to skip this book; Hawking is one of the most respected scientists of our time and it is important for our students to be literate in this subject and know what other people believe. Hawking acknowledged the role of God in creation, and this book is respectful to the beliefs of others. (Back)

38. 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 and History of Art for Young People are a huge books with much more text than the Painting books, and may be too much for most students on top of their other reading. (Back)

Last update Mar. 16, 2021