History Rotation 1

Creation to Christ

World History

A Child's History of the World (ch 1-41) - Hillyer Read 1 chapter a week, with a few weeks having an extra chapter.

OR

On the Shores of the Great Sea (54 chapters) - Synge Read 1 or 2 chapters a week (avg 1.5)

Canadian History

no Canadian History - do Canadian Geography using Black Line Maps. [more information to come]


Here is a list of what we are doing this year.  I plan to add in other options and other years....

Years 1-3   

Boy of the Pyramid
Pyramid by David Macaulay
The Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War
Our Little Spartan Cousin of Long Ago
Our Little Roman Cousin of Long Ago
Pompeii... Buried Alive!

History Rotation 2

~500 - 1453

World History

A Child's History of the World (ch 42-60) - Hillyer Read 1 chapter a week (leaves extra weeks free)

OR

On the Shores of the Great Sea (? chapters) - Synge Read 1 or 2 chapters a week (avg ?)

Canadian History

The Story of Canada (ch 1-2)

OR

My First History of Canada (ch 1-2)

Biographies and Fictional History (WORLD)

Do not feel that you need to do ALL of these. You may also pick books from the younger years.

(This list will likely be added to)

This list is compiled from various sources, which I will be using to decide which books my children will read based on interest, abilities, availability, etc. The year placements are approximate.

Years 1-3

Lief the Lucky

Viking Adventure

Stories of the Vikings - Mary MacGregor

Our Little Saxon Cousin of Long Ago - Julia Cowles

Our Little Norman Cousin of Long Ago - Evaleen Stein

Our Little Viking Cousin of Long Ago - Charles Johnson

Our Little Crusader Cousin of Long Ago - Evaleen Stein

Famous Men of the Middle Ages - Haaren

The Door in the Wall

The Minstrel in the Tower

The Whipping Boy

St. George and the Dragon

Sword in the Tree

Brother Francis and the Friendly Beasts

The Apple and the Arrow

Medieval Feast

Castle Diary

Pippo the Fool

William Tell by Margaret Early

Joan of Arc - Stanley

Marguerite makes a Book

Years 4-6

The Vikings

Beorn the Proud

Galen and the Gateway to Medicine

The Shining Company

Adam of the Road

Castle

Cathedral

Robin Hood - Pyle

The Red Keep

Joan of Arc (Landmark)

The King's Shadow

King Arthur and His Knights

The Pied Piper of Hamelin

Adam of the Road

Otto of the Silver Hand - Pyle

Years 7-9

Beric the Briton

Rolf and the Viking Bow

For the Temple

The Bronze Bow

The Dragon and the Raven

In Freedom's Cause (Wallace and Bruce)

Scottish Chiefs (Wallace and Bruce)

The Once and Future King

Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

The Pushcart War - Jean Merrill

The Knight's Fee - Rosemary Sutcliff

The Gambage Cup - Carol Kendall

Sir Nigel and the White Company - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Beowulf - Burton Raffel

The Black Arrow - Robert Louis Stevenson

Hereward, the Last of the English - Charles Kingsley

The White Stage

Story of King Arthur and His Knights

The Book of Arthur

The Shining Company

The Magna Charta

In Freedom's Cause: A Story of Wallace and Bruce

The Prince and the Pauper

Years 10-12

Men of Iron

Voices of the Renaissance and Reformation

The Second Mrs. Giaconda

The King's Fifth

Haven't Decided on Year Level Yet

How We Learned the Earth is Round by Patricial Lauber

Biographies and Fictional History (CANADIAN)

Do not feel that you need to do ALL of these. You may also pick books from the younger years.

(This list will likely be added to)

This list is compiled from various sources, which I will be using to decide which books my children will read based on interest, abilities, availability, etc. The year placements are approximate.

Years 1-3

Very Last First Time - Andrews

Dragonfly Kites - Highway

Years 4-6

The Dream Carvers - Clark (Viking boy captured by natives)

Lost in the Barrens - Mowatt

Years 7-9

Years 10-12

Haven't Decided on Year Level Yet

History - Family Rotation

We will now be doing history in a 5 year, Family rotation. I think that this will allow some flexibility, while still allowing a fair time for each time period. This means each student will go through the rotation twice, with 2 other years left.

These 2 years can be used in a flexible way...

a) Spend the first couple of years doing light history (ie, 50 famous stories, A Pioneer Story, story picture books) - a good option for the oldest child

b) Do whatever period of the rotation an extra time. - a good option for middle children

c) spend the last couple of years focusing on a period of history the child wants - a good option for youngest child.

d) graduate a couple of years early (if ready on other subjects)

e) Spend the last couple of years focusing on a period of history required in High School by the government

f) don't do history for a couple of years (grades 1 or 2, or grades 11 and 12) to allow time for other subjects/interests

g) combine the above options (ie, 1 year at one end... 1 year at the other...)

This post just has an overview. There will be more detailed posts later.

Pre-rotation (optional)

50 Famous Stories

A Pioneer Story - Greenwood

other favorites

Note - similar time frames from the Synge history books are an option if you don't own A Child's History of the World.

Rotation 1

Ancients

A Child's History of the World (ch 1-41) - Hillyer OR 

no Canadian History... instead do Canadian Geography (spine not chosen)

Rotation 2

Middle Ages

(~500 to ~1453)

A Child's History of the World (ch 42-60) 

The Story of Canada (ch 1-2) - Lunn & Moore OR My First History of Canada (ch 1-2) - Dickie

Rotation 3

(1453 to ~1800)

A Child's History of the World (ch 61-77) 

The Story of Canada (ch 3-part of 4) OR My First History of Canada (ch 2-13)

Rotation 4

(1800-1919)

A Child's History of the World (ch 78-84) 

The Story of Canada (rest of ch 4 to part of ch 9) OR My First History of Canada (14-19)

Rotation 5

(1920 to present)

A Child's History of the World (ch 85-91)

The Story of Canada (rest of book) OR My First History of Canada (20-21)

Older Students, (generally through their 2nd time through the rotation) might also use "The Beacon Lights of History" by John Lord like a spine. As I don't have any students at this stage yet, I'm not working out the readings... but I am noting it here so I don't forget it!

This Country of Ours

Today, the Ambleside Online Advisory updated their website to defend the use of This Country of Ours in the curriculum, despite controversy about its use.

Here is what they have said

TCOO's treatment of the history of the Mormon church seems to come up among our members with predictable regularity both on and off list. The Advisory has received more private emails (both collectively and individually) than we care to count, has repeatedly been forced to counter misinformation on several lists, and received at least one petition. All this time and effort is directed toward convincing us to dump 'This Country of Ours' because of one chapter. The book is a singular target, accused of inaccuracies both specified and non-specified, in complaints around the blogosphere and negative reviews anywhere readers can post reviews--all in an attempt to prevent others from reading the book. The Advisory has tried to be tactful and gracious about this, but we cannot continue to devote our time to this topic. Therefore, the AO Advisory has sent the following letter regarding the book.

They went on to defend their position (see their page here) basically saying that the Latter Day Saints are over-reacting to the chapter about the Mormons, and that they do not feel it is substantially inaccurate, was common beliefs about the Mormons at the time it was written, and is still believed by many today... then included several links to Anti-Mormon websites. [they have now removed those links]

I know that this is a Canadian Charlotte Mason homeschool, and as such we don't study American History. However, I also know many Americans do read this blog. Please choose an alternative to This Country of Ours, or at least skip the hateful chapter about Mormons.

I have humbly asked the AO Advisory to have an alternative to TCOO in their schedule, although I have little hope that they will do so, as they have repeatedly defended their choice of TCOO even though they have, in their own words had "this particular book [...] come under fire more than any other book we've used in the curriculum".

Here is a suggested alternative, which would work up to the year it was published, about 1900. http://www.archive.org/details/childshistoryofu00morr

or alternatively, your could buy the "Stories of America" from Simply Charlotte Mason.

Suggestions from another mom: "The Story of the Thirteen Colonies" and "The Story of the Great Republic" by H. A. Guerber

2009/10 Family Rotation Schedule

Get Rotation Schedules

Picture Study

Term 1

• Robert Bateman (pick your favourite 6, or do the extra during a break)

1. Giant Panda
2. The Return - Bald Eagle
3. Power Play - Rhinoceros
4. Watching Siberian Tiger
5. Wolf Pair in Winter
6. The Challenge - Bull Moose
7. Ice Berg and Hump Back Whale (the style on this is a bit different)
8. Polar Bear Profile.

• Raphael Sanzio (pick your favourite 6, or do the extra during a break)

1. The Knight's Dream
2. St. George and the Dragon
3. Galatea
4. Young Woman with a unicorn
5. Sistine Madonna
6. The Miraculous Draft of Fishes
7. Ezekiel's Vision

Term 2

• John Singer Sargent

1. Oyster Gatherers of Cancale
2. The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit
3. The Breakfast Table
4. Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose
5. An Artist in his Studio
6. Lady Agnew of Lochnaw

• Norman Rockwell (pictures TBD)

Term 3

• Claude Monet

1. Terrace at St. Adresse
2. Women in the Garden
3. Jean Monet on His Hobby Horse
4. Woman with a Parasol: Madame Monet and Her Son
5. Tulip Fields in Holland
6. The Waterlily Pond

• (TBD) - I intend this to be a religious artist.

UPDATED: 3 Nov 09

World History Rotation

This post is out of date - see the updated one.