| LEVEL
2
Advanced Elementary / Primary (approx. ages 9 to 11) |
| General
Instructions
* Key curriculum – those books
considered to be key parts of the curriculum are shown in bold type and
marked
Highly Recommended books
are shown in bold. These should be included if possible, but are not
essential.
Optional extras –
optional books and suggestions are shown in italics
+ Indicates subjects we consider to be essential at this level.
Other subjects
should be included if at all possible to give a broad Charlotte Mason
style education.
The curriculum is
designed to fit into thirty-six weeks, with many subjects broken down
into three blocks of twelve weeks (terms). The approximate number of
lessons required each week for each subject is shown in italics. Often
the lessons can be covered in ten or eleven weeks, allowing a little
leeway in the schedule. At this level most lessons should last around
20 to 30 minutes. Each term one classic children’s book, one additional
history book, one saint’s biography and a geography book should be read
outside formal lesson time.
The
programme is designed to work with the liturgical year. Each year you
will need to allow three weeks for Advent, six weeks for Lent and six
weeks for Easter. During these seasons there will be some changes in
the programme. The remaining 21 weeks of the year are Ordinary Time.
You will need to fit Ordinary Time around the liturgical seasons
according to when you start and finish your academic year. For example,
you may find you have nine weeks of Ordinary Time before Advent, six
weeks between Christmas and Lent and six after Easter. This is the
schedule we have used, as it fits with the school year in both the UK
and some parts of the US. If you start and finish your school year
earlier, simply use the Ordinary Time assignments in order, taking a
break as necessary.
Normally
this course will be taken over two school years:
Grades 4 and 5 in the US and Years 5 and 6 in the UK.
Links in
blue are availability of books and resources (book links are
U.S.).
All
referral monies we receive (via Amazon and Ignatius Press) help to pay
for the Mater Amabilis website and books we review
for the curriculum.
Books listed in red are
alternatives for home educators in the U.K.
History Cycle for Australian
students [provided by Ruth Marshall]
(N)
Denotes books
intended for narration
|
| +Religious
Education |
|
(1) New Testament
1st Year (Weekly)
(N)
* The
First Christians by Marigold Hunt. Read and narrate one
section each lesson.
Term
1: Introduction; Ch.1 to 4
Term
2: Ch.5 to 8
Term
3: Ch.9 to 12
2nd
Year (Weekly, Ordinary Time only)
USA: (N)
* National
Catholic Register Guide to the Rosary
UK: * An Illustrated Rosary
(published by Family
Publications)
Note:
Both of these booklets include the luminous mysteries and are
illustrated with sacred artwork.
Read
and narrate the Bible passage for each mystery of the Rosary. Written
narrations can be used to make the student’s own Rosary book. One
mystery to be studied each week. Older students can also use the
meditations (UK students can also look up the additional Bible and
Catechism references in the Family Publications booklet).
(2)
Saints (1st Year: Twice
weekly, Ordinary Time only; 2nd Year: Twice weekly in Ordinary Time,
Weekly for the rest of the year)
(N) * 57
Stories of Saints by Anne Heffernan
1st Year
Term 1: pp.7-99, Archangels to
St.Helen (18 lessons)
Term 2: pp.100-162, St.Martin of
Tours to St.Margaret of Scotland (12 lessons)
Term 3: pp.163-220, St.Francis of Assisi to St.Catherine of Siena (12
lessons)
2nd Year
Term 1: pp.221-340, St.Bernardine
of Siena to St.Germaine (21 lessons)
Term 2: pp.341-448, St.Martin de Porres to St.Bartholomea (18 lessons)
Term 3: pp.449-554, St.John Bosco to Bl.James Alberione (18 lessons)
Note: Please preview the contents of
the chapters on St. Dymphna (1st Year) and St. Maria Goretti (2nd
Year). If you feel that the nature of the stories and the way in which
they are told are inappropriate for your child, they can be omitted.
Recommended Reading
One saint’s biography to be assigned as independent
reading each term.
(3) Catechism (Weekly)
(N) * Faith
and Life Series (pub. Ignatius Press). Read, narrate and discuss one lesson each week.
1st Year: * Faith
and Life 4
2nd Year: * Faith
and Life 5
Optional
Extras
Faith and Life Activity Books 4
and 5.
(4) Advent (Twice weekly)
Stories of the Child Jesus from Many Lands by A.Fowler Lutz. Read one story for each lesson.
(Use over both years)
(5) Lent (Twice
weekly)
1st Year: My
Path to Heaven by Geoffrey Bliss (one section each
lesson)
2nd Year: ALTERNATIVE TBA
Alternative: The
Way of the Cross by Inos Biffi if you
have access to a copy (this book is out of print and hard to find)
(6) Easter (Twice weekly)
1st Year: Saint
Jude by Michael Aquilina
2nd Year: Our
Lady’s
Book
by
Lauren
Ford
|
+ Mathematics
(Daily)
|
|
(1) Work through any
math(s) scheme of your choice at a pace appropriate for your child.
Short daily lessons lasting 20 minutes should be enough.
(2) Five minutes of daily drill in math(s) facts, particularly
multiplication tables.
Recommended Extra
(3)
Mathematical reading and activities from How
Math Works by Carol Vorderman
|
| +
English |
|
(1) Reading
The books set for Level 2 for history, religion,
geography, literature and science should normally be read by the child,
either aloud to you or independently.
(2) Writing and Composition
(a) Copywork (10
minutes daily)
Copy two lines daily from favourite poems, prayers, Bible
passages or the Shakespeare play being studied.
Recommended Resources
The Harp and Laurel Wreath by Laura Berquist
Shakespeare quotations
suitable
for copywork.
Suggested Activity
When the whole item has been copied illustrate it,
decorate it, cover it with contact paper and use it as a placemat.
(b)
Composition (Daily)
Regular
written narrations from books set for history, religion, geography,
literature and science.
(3)
Grammar / English Language (three times weekly)
*
Intermediate
Language Lessons by Emma Serl
1st
Year
Term
1: Lessons 1-50, pp.1-51
Term
2: Lessons 51-100, pp.52-106
Term
3: Lessons 101-150, pp. 107-159
2nd
Year
Term
1: Lessons 151-200, pp. 160-209
Term
2: Lessons 201-250, pp. 209-260
Term
3: Lessons 251-301, pp. 261-316
UK Alternative
1st Year: Grammar Skills 3
or 4 (Learners Publishing, Singapore)
2nd Year: Grammar Skills 4
or 5 (Learners Publishing, Singapore)
Note: These books use British
English and spellings. Available from Halfmoon Books. In Singapore
schools children this age would be using books 4 and 5. As the series
provides considerably more grammar coverage than would be usual in
British schools, you may prefer to use a lower level. You can see
samples here
to decide which book would be the best fit for your child.
(4) Studied Dictation (Twice weekly)
Short
paragraphs or passages to be dictated from a section (two or three
paragraphs) of a history, literature, geography or religion book that
has been studied in advance.
|
| + Literature |
|
(1)
Mythology
(Weekly)
(N) * The
Children’s Homer by
Padraic Colum
(N) * The
Aeneid for Boys and Girls by
Alfred J.Church (out of print, but available online.)
1st Year
Term 1: Children’s
Homer - Troy: Chapters 1 to 10
Term 2: Children’s Homer – Troy: Chapters 11 to 20
Term 3: Children’s Homer – Troy: Chapters 21 to 23; Odyssey:
Chapters 1 to 7
2nd Year
Term 1: Children’s Homer – Odyssey: Chapters 8 to 17
Term 2: Aeneid – The Horse of Wood to The Plots of Juno
Term 3: Aeneid – The Gathering of the Chiefs to
Afterwards
Optional Further Reading
D’Aulaire’s Greek Myths by Edgar and Ingri D’Aulaire
(2) Classic
Children’s Literature (Ad.Lib.)
Choose at least one book each term from the selection for
independent reading. Not for narration, just read and enjoy!
The
Wind in the Willows by Kenneth
Grahame
Pollyanna
by Eleanor Porter
Alice in Wonderland by
Lewis Carroll
Where
the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Swallows and Amazons
and other books by Arthur Ransome
The Midnight Folk by
John Masefield
The Hobbit by J.R.R.Tolkien
Black
Beauty by Anna Sewell
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
The Little White Horse
by Elizabeth Goudge
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Anne of Green Gables by L.L.Montgomery
Treasure
Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
(3) Shakespeare (Weekly)
Suggested plays (others of your choice can be
substituted):
1st Year: The Tempest;
Macbeth; As You Like It
2nd Year: Henry V;
Julius Caesar; Twelfth Night
See
notes on How to
Study Shakespeare
Recommended Resources
Re-tellings
of Shakespeare plays. Choose from:
Tales
From Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb
Beautiful
Stories from Shakespeare by E.Nesbit (available online at the Baldwin Project )
The
Random House Book of Shakespeare Stories by Andrew Matthews
[UK Title: The Orchard Book of Shakespeare Stories]
Books
about Shakespeare. Choose from:
William
Shakespeare: His Work and His World by Michael Rosen
Bard
of Avon: the Story of William Shakespeare by Diane
Stanley
Books
about plays and teaching notes:
Shakespeare
and MacBeth: the Story Behind the Play by Stewart Ross
Shakespeare Made
Easy:
The
Tempest; Macbeth
Henry
V; Julius
Caesar; Twelfth
Night
(4) Poetry
The
Harp and Laurel Wreath by Laura Berquist: Grammatical Stage
At this level The Harp and the Laurel Wreath has a lot of poems related
to American history. To give a wider selection of British poetry add The
Oxford Treasury of Classic Poems.
|
|
+ National
History (twice weekly; additional book ad.lib.)
|
|
Option1 –
Introduction to British History
(Recommended
option at this level for American users)
(N)
* Our Island Story by
H.E.Marshall
(N)
* Our Lady's Dowry -
Catholic history book by Kathryn Faulkner (In preparation.
Chapters will be made available to Mater Amabilis users as they are
written - please request details through the Teacher Training Forum)
Recommended additional book each term,
to be read either aloud or independently outside lesson time.
See additional schedule and suggestions for further reading
or Finish three year course in American
history. If your child has not done Level 1 you may prefer
to use Option 2
Option 2 – Introduction to American History
(N) * From Sea to Shining Sea (Catholic
Textbook Project)
Recommended additional book each term, to be read either aloud or
independently outside lesson time.
or Finish three year course in British history. If
your child has not done Level 1 you may prefer to start with Year 1 of
the British history course
Option 3: History Cycle for Australian
Students
See Australian history
outline.
Year 1: American History
(N) * From Sea to Shining Sea (Catholic Textbook Project)
Year 2: Australian History
Arthur Baillie, Our Sunburnt Country: An
Illustrated History of Australia [Out of print - available
second-hand]
OR H.E. Marshall, Our Empire Story
[available online]
|
|
+ Ancient History
(twice weekly)
|
|
1st Year: Ancient Greece
(N)
* Famous
Men of Greece (Greenleaf
Press)
Term 1: The Gods of Greece to Lycurgus
Term 2: Draco and Solon to Socrates
Term 3: Xenophon to the Fall of Greece
Each chapter can be spread over two lessons, or can be
read and narrated in a single lesson leaving the other free for further
reading or working on a book of centuries.
Alternative Option
Children and families who want to study Greek history in
greater detail may prefer to use
(N) The Story of the Greeks by Helene Guerber.
This would require three lessons each week, with one chapter read and
narrated per lesson.
Recommended Reference Materials
Ancient
Greece Timeline (Our Father's House)
Usborne
Encyclopedia of the Ancient World
Further reading according to interest – see Ancient History Booklist.
2nd Year:
Ancient Rome
(N)
* Famous
Men of Rome (Greenleaf
Press)
Term 1: Romulus to Cincinnatus
Term 2: Camillus to Pompey the Great
Term 3: Julius Caesar to End of the Western Empire
Each chapter can be spread over two lessons, or can be
read and narrated in a single lesson leaving the other free for further
reading or working on a book of centuries.
Alternative
Option
Children and families who want to study Roman
history in greater detail may prefer to use
(N) The Story of the Romans by Helene Guerber.
This would require three lessons each week, with one chapter read and
narrated per lesson.
Recommended Reference
Materials
Ancient Rome Timeline (Our Father’s House)
Usborne
Encyclopedia of the Ancient World
Optional Extra
Usborne
Time Traveller: Rome and Romans
Further reading according to
interest – see
Ancient History Booklist.
|
|
+ Geography and Earth
Studies
|
|
Note:
Please read our introduction to geography study and the
Charlotte Mason
method.
(1) American Geography (Twice weekly)
(N)
1st Year - * Paddle
to the Sea and * Seabird
by Holling C.Holling
(N)
2nd Year - * Tree
in the Trail and * Minn
of the Mississippi by Holling C.Holling
Recommended Extra
Holling
C.Holling Geography Map Set of 4
British
Alternative
(Twice weekly)
1st Year: British
Geography
Children of Britain
Just Like Me
Note: For
each copy sold a donation was made to UNICEF, an organisation which the
Catholic Church no longer supports due to its population policies. We
recommend that you either buy a used copy or borrow this book from the
library. (At the time of writing it appears to be out of print, so this
should not be a problem.)
Children's Atlas of the
British Isles by Clare Oliver and Theodore Rowland-Entwhistle
Usborne Internet-Linked
Book of London
2nd Year: American
Geography
Paddle to the Sea
and Minn of the Mississippi by Holling C.Holling
Recommended
Reference Book
The Oxford Junior Atlas (pub.OUP)
Optional Extra
Reading
Maps:
Getting from Here to There by Harvey Weiss
Adventures
in Geography by Gertrude Allen Kay – an 11 year old boy and his
uncle sail around the world
[UK] Seabird by Holling C.Holling
(2)
Peoples and Places (Ad.Lib.)
Choose one book each term from the
selection for independent reading.
1st Year: The Americas
Where
the Flame Trees Bloom by Alma Flor Ada (Cuba)
Maya
Quest: Interactive Expedition by Dan Buettner – bicycle trek
through Central America
The
Cay by Theodore
Taylor (Caribbean) - fiction
Secret
of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark (Peru) – fiction
Chucaro:
Wild Pony of the Pampa by
Francis Kalnay (Argentina) - fiction
2nd Year: Africa
Hippos
in the Night: Autobiographical Adventures in Africa by
Christina Allen
Africatrek:
A Journey by Bicycle by Dan Buettner
Journey
to Jo’burg by Beverley Naidoo (South Africa) - fiction
Jock
of the Bushveldt (South Africa) by Sir J.Percy Fitzpatrick -
classic fiction about a dog
(3) Map Work
(Weekly)
Focus
particularly on the map of the Americas in the 1st Year and the map of
Africa in the 2nd Year.
Aim to be able to quickly name and locate countries, capital and other
major cities, important rivers and mountain ranges.
Spend a short time each week locating places mentioned in reading for
other subjects.
|
| * Nature Study (Weekly) |
|
(1)
Take at least one nature walk each week.
(2)
Keep a nature
notebook
Recommended Resources
Keeping
a Nature Journal by Claire Walker Leslie and
Charles E.Roth
Wild
Days: Creating Discovery Journals, by Karen Rackliffe
Introduction
to Nature Study and Backyard
Nature by MacBeth Derham (websites)
Wild Monthly
online nature study newsletter, also by MacBeth Derham
Other Resources
Discovering Nature Indoors: A Nature and
Science Guide to Investigations with Small Animals, ed. Laurence
Pringle
|
|
+ Science (twice
weekly)
|
|
1st Year: Science
in
Ancient
Greece
(N)
Science
in Ancient Greece (Kathlyn Gay)
(N) * Archimedes
and the Door of Science by Jeanne Bendick
The
Librarian Who Measured the Earth (Kathryn Lasky)
Home Science Adventures: Light
Home Science Adventures: Magnetism
Available
from Emmanuel Books (US)
and Ichthus Resources
(UK). Kits include all equipment needed for experiments.
Simple
Machines: Starting With Science (Adrienne Mason and Deborah
Hodge)
TBA - book on the Solar System
See
schedule
of lessons and activities
2nd Year: Science in Ancient Rome and the Human
Body
(N)
* Science
of Ancient Rome by Jacqueline Harris
(N)
* Galen
and the Gateway to Medicine by Jeanne Bendick
(N)
* Blood
and Guts by Linda Allison
* The
Body Book (Easy to Make Hands-On Models That Teach) by Donald
M. Silver and Patricia J. Wynne
See schedule of
lessons and activities
|
| Foreign Language (Optional) |
|
Option
1 – Spanish
*
Learn
Spanish With Grace by Miriam Alvarez Gallaher
Option
2 – French
* Skoldo
French Book 2
1st Year – Term 1: pp.1-8; Term 2: pp.9-16; Term 3:
pp.17-25
2nd Year – Term 1: pp.26-33; Term 2: pp.34-42; Term 3:
pp.43-50
If your child has not yet started French
you will need to begin with Skoldo
Book 1. Aim to complete this book in four terms and you will
catch up by the end of Level 3.
Optional
Extra Resources
Watch
a favourite DVD in French. Many DVDs have French as one of the language
options.
|
|
Latin
(Year 2 only) (twice weekly)
|
Option
1: Intensive Approach
Note:
This is equivalent to the schedule used by the Parents' Union Schools
in the 1960s. This option is recommended for academically oriented
children requiring a challenge and will enable children to read Latin
texts in the original during high school. It requires a teacher
familiar with Latin, or who is prepared to commit time and effort to
master the material alongside the child.
* Henle
Latin I – Units 1 and 2
Option 2: Gentler Approach
Latina
Christiana, Vol.1
British
Alternative
Option
1: Intensive Approach
Note:
This is the schedule used by the Parents' Union Schools in the 1960s. O
Level Latin was taken at the end of Approach to Latin Part 2. The
standard achieved was roughly equivalent to the current A level
standard. This option is recommended for academically oriented children
requiring a challenge and will enable children to read Latin texts in
the original. It requires a teacher familiar with Latin, or who is
prepared to commit time and effort to master the material alongside the
child.* The
Approach to Latin, First Part by J.Paterson and
E.Macnaughton: pp.4-57 (cover about 18 pages each term)
Option
2: Gentler Approach
Latina
Christiana, vol.1
|
|
Picture
Study
|
|
1st
Year: Gothic and Renaissance Art
Term
1: Giotto and Saint Fra
Angelico
Term
2: Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro
Botticelli
Term
3: Michelangelo Buenarotti and Raphael
2nd Year: English Romantics
Term
1: George Stubbs and Thomas
Gainsborough
Term
2: Joseph Mallord William Turner
Term
3: John Constable
See notes on picture
study
for details, resources and instructions for picture study.
Optional Extra
Art
Fraud Detective by Anna Nilsen
|
|
Music
Appreciation (weekly)
|
|
* Music
Masters Set
2 (Handel, Beethoven, Wagner, Dvorak, Haydn, Vivaldi/Corelli).
CDs can also be bought separately as The
Story of Handel etc. Study one composer
each term. Follow up each Music Masters CD by listening to complete
works by the featured composer.
Note:
Other Music Masters CDs can be substituted so that all children in a
family can study the same composer.
Recommended
Resource
Masters
of Classical Music, Vols.1-10 (Box Set) – economical set of 10 CDs, each
featuring works by a different composer. Ideal as follow up listening
to the Music Masters CDs (includes Beethoven, Wagner and Vivaldi).
|
| Art
(Twice weekly) |
Artistic Pursuits: Grades 4-6,
Book One: The
Elements of Art and Composition
This
can be used slowly over two years, or started in the second year of
Level 2.
Recommended
Resources
Discovering
Great Artists by Mary Ann Kohl and Kim Solga – lots of art
projects in the style of great artists. All projects are given a rating
for both difficulty and the amount of preparation required.
The
Usborne Book of Art Skills by Fiona Watt – lots of simple but
effective projects, using a variety of media.
[UK] Artists Workshop Series by Penny King and
Clare Roundhill – pictures of different works of art and styles are
used as the inspiration for art activities for children.
|
| Music |
|
(1)
Singing
Learn
two new songs and two new hymns of your choice each term.
(2)
Instrumental (Daily practice)
If
you have a piano or keyboard available, either start or continue
learning to play it. Two beginners' piano programmes that can be used
independently are:
Beginning
at the Piano books, by Alan Jemison (Catholic)
Bastien
Piano Series.
Alternatively
either continue or start learning to play the recorder. A good starting
point is the Nine
Note Recorder Method by Penny Gardner.
Optional
Extras
Usborne
Book of Easy Recorder Tunes
Easy Duets
for Catholics: a Nine Note Recorder Book by Penny Gardner
Easy
Christmas Duets: a Nine Note Recorder Book by Penny Gardner
|
| Practical
Work |
|
(1)
Help in house and yard (garden).
(2)
Work on learning a practical craft or skill of your choice.
British Resource
Opitec sells a wide range of
reasonably priced craft kits, projects and hobby materials.
|
Copyright
© 2004-2005 Kathryn Faulkner and Michele Quigley. All Rights
Reserved.
|
