Writing
Dictation
Composition
Grammar
History
Secondary History
Citizenship
Geography
Natural History
Picture Study
Math
Foreign Language
Drawing
Recitations
Reading
Music
Music Appreciation
Singing
Drill
Work
World Religions, Philosophy and Logic
For help scheduling your week, you might find the Form II Timetables for Today blog post at Juniper Pines useful.
Writing
Each term:
Continue with handwriting instruction and practice as necessary.
Transcribe some of your favorite passages from this term’s Shakespeare selection, or from Poetry Books. Two perfectly written lines every day.
[the programmes say “A New Handwriting by M. M. Bridges; teacher to study instructions: practice card 3. Transcribe, with card 6 as model, some of your favourite passages from Shakespeare’s As You Like It, or from Poetry Books set. Two perfectly written lines every day.”]
Dictation
Each term:
Two pages at a time to be prepared carefully, then a paragraph from one of these pages to be written from dictation, or, occasionally, from memory.
Use the books set for reading and citizenship. Words not known to be visualized (see Home Education, pp 240-243).
Composition
Each term:
- Oral or written narration after each lesson. Mostly oral, but one 10 minute written narration daily.
Do not require more than 10 minutes of a written narration. If your child is new to narration, focus solely on oral narrations for one term or several, and introduce written narrations in term 2 or 3.
If you have more than one child doing the same work, each child does not need to narrate each lesson. Mix it up, choosing randomly who will narrate, and sometimes have both of them do it. They should not know if they will be required to narrate so that they develop the habit of attention.
While Charlotte Mason did not advocate formal writing instruction at this age, we recognize that some will want to or be required to provide this. Click here for suggested programs.
English Grammar
(If your child is not yet reading proficiently on their own, continue to do reading lessons instead of grammar.)
Parse and point out Subjects, Verbs, Objects, every week, making progress each term.
Poetry:
- Term 1:
A Short Grammar of the English Tongue, p 162, Lesson 1: What Verse Is- Practice determining if writing is in verse or prose.
- Practice hearing the accents in verse. Clap or otherwise mark the accents while reading poetry (not every time).
- Have your student identify lines in poetry, and practice identifying how many accents are in each line.
- Term 2:
A Short Grammar of the English Tongue, p 162-163, Lesson 2: Feet I- Identify accented and unaccented syllables in the poems you read (not every time), and mark the syllables with ‘a’ and ‘x’.
- Identify iambuses (words and phrases)
- Identify trochee in poems you are reading
Not every poem should be analyzed, and you should allow plenty of time for each of these skills to be mastered. Don’t try to make this a single lesson; skills should be practiced repeatedly.
- Term 3:
A Short Grammar of the English Tongue, p 163-164, Lesson 3: Feet II- Identify anapests and dactyls in your poetry reading. Continue to identify iambuses and trochee.
- If you have not already, begin having your student write some poetry of his own. Have fun with this — we don’t need an ode to a sunset. Make up silly verses and find and mark the accents.
Grammar:
All terms:
KISS Grammar (click here for how to navigate the website).
[Optional- for terms 2 and 3, add It Figures! Fun Figures of Speech by Marvin Terban. Chapters 1-3 for term 2, Chapters 4-6 for term 3]
US History
Note: if you don’t live in the U.S. see History for Users from Other Countries
[Optional: take a current events magazine for students]
- Term 1:
–Your state’s or province’s history. Every place’s resources will be different, so instead of presenting a formula, here are some ideas:
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- Geographical history — how was the landscape formed? (also ties in with geography)
- State or Province flower, song, animal
- What indigenous tribes lived locally, and how did they live? Take a field trip to an interpretive center if you have one locally.
- Who were the first Europeans to explore the area? Settlers, voyageurs, fur trappers, miners, colonists?
- What country or countries claimed the land before the United States or Canada?
- What events took place before your area was a territory or state?
- What was the main industry pre-statehood? When did your area become a state or province?
- How did your state or province get its name? What about your town and neighboring towns? Take field trips around your area to learn the local history. Spread out to learn about the state.
- Do you have a local Rendevous, Pioneer Days, or Old Settler’s festival? Is there a Pow Wow nearby?
-
— [Optional – Turtle Island: The Story of North America’s First People by Eldon Yellowhorn & Kathy Lowinger, pages 7-53. This book will be used in Term 2, but the time period here is much earlier than our other history thread. We are therefore making this optional for Term 1.]
- Term 2:
— Turtle Island: The Story of North America’s First People by Eldon Yellowhorn & Kathy Lowinger, pages 56-85
(we are only using a portion of this book that generally lines up with our time period. Read the earlier pages as Sunday reading if you wish, use in Term 1, or save for next year to read as part of your Ancients study) - Term 3
— A Picturesque Tale of Progress by Olivia Beaupre Miller: Explorations II, pages 175-214 (The Indians of the Southwest) Note: some editions have both Explorations I and II in a single volume, or label it Explorations VIII since it is the 8th book in the series
— Turtle Island, p 87-91
Secondary History – British History
Note: if you don’t live in the U.S. see Users from Other Countries
Please check the Form II Options page for a fuller discussion of other options.
- Term 1:
The Story of Britain: From the Norman Conquest to the European Union by Patrick Dillon (AMZ) pages 23-53
- Term 2:
The Story of Britain: From the Norman Conquest to the European Union by Patrick Dillon (AMZ) pages 54-88
- Term 3:
The Story of Britain: From the Norman Conquest to the European Union by Patrick Dillon (AMZ) pages 89-130
Citizenship
- Term 1:
Stories from the History of Rome by Mrs. Beesly, Chapters I-VI
- Term 2:
Stories from the History of Rome, Ch VII-XI
- Term 3:
Stories from the History of Rome, Ch XII-XVI
Geography
6 map questions to be answered before each lesson. Map questions to be answered from map and from memory before each lesson; then reading and narrations; children to make memory sketch maps. All Geography to be learned with map.
Every geography lesson should begin with map work. While looking at your map with your child, point out how the region, state, or country you are working on is shaped. Note distinguishing features and how they might affect the people who live there. Ask your student six questions per lesson. Sample questions:
* How many large peninsulas are there in the south of Europe?
* What two countries form the most western of these?
* What mountains divide France from Spain?
* Name a French river which flows in the Mediterranean
The student should be looking at the map in the beginning, but occasionally ask questions from previous sessions on the map. Can he answer any from memory? If not, that’s ok. Have him look and answer.
As you continue to work on the map 1-2x per week over several years, more and more will be able to be answered from the map in his head rather than the book. Once a week, have the student draw the region you’ve been working on, from memory. Then have him look at the map and correct his mistakes. No judgment, no sighs of frustration that by golly, this is the fifth time he’s drawn the boot of Italy backwards and shouldn’t he remember by now? It will come. Let him ask you questions, also. Make it a game. If you do this as a family, work on a single region for as long as you want, and each of you ask a question about the map.
In addition to work on the map of your region, your country, and the world, also have the student draw maps of your neighborhood. Add in where the blackberry bushes are, where you saw the fox tracks, how the water flowed after the last big rain. Make a sketch map and then put in all the animal trails you saw this morning, including the ants’. Make one the following week marking where all the wildflowers are blooming, and what they are.
Map work such as this will continue every term throughout this Form.
- Term 1
— The Wonderful Adventure of Nils by Selma Lagerlof, Ch 1-3, 68 pages
*Note: The Further Adventures of Nils is used in IIA. If you are buying instead of using archive.org/gutenberg, buy the combined book
— local geography
We begin our Form II geography with our local area. Start with your local area and county. Take trips to as many places within the area that you can, particularly to environments that differ from those near your home. Try to go to different biomes in your state/province and surrounding states (depending of course on how large your state/province is), to experience mountains and hills but also lakes, streams, fields, woods, and prairies.
When you go on field trips to historical sites, pay attention to the landscape also. Go on day hikes and weekend excursions. Discuss with your children how the topography affects climate and human industry, both in terms of modern and historical significance. Is there a river that made transportation easy? Does the sea coast modulate the summer heat and winter cold? Did the mountain provide shelter from cold winds, or impede travel? Was the logging industry a major factor in who settled the area? How has industry changed over time as the environment changed?
To find resources for your area, go to the bookstore and look in the ‘local’ section. Look for books on local geology and day hikes. Visit your local nature center, historical society or museum, and any state or national parks that have a ranger station and small bookstore. You might also find books on your local Game and Fish website (names vary by location — in some states this is the Wildlife Department or Department of Natural Resources). Use these to read up on the area yourself and then share that information with your kids when you go on your trips.
Some ideas:
Roadside Geology of [your state]
Walks in Winnipeg
Day hike Guides for your local area
- Term 2
— The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, Ch 4-9
— continue local geography -OR- Minn of the Mississippi by Holling C. Holling
- Term 3
— The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, Ch 10-15
— continue local geography -OR- The Last River by John Wesley Powell (Canadians use Beyond the Sea of Ice: The Voyages of Henry Hudson by Joan Elizabeth Goodman)
Natural History, etc
Each term:
— Keep a Nature Notebook.
— Make special outdoor studies according to the season and climate, with drawings and notes. For one term’s study this year, study the constellations using H. E. Rey’s Find the Constellations. Take into consideration when darkness falls along with your area’s temperature and typical cloud cover, and choose the term that you think will work best. Orion is an easy constellation to find, and is a winter/spring constellation in the Northern hemisphere. Many constellations can be found using Orion as a starting point.
If your kids are at a good age for it, it can be fun to watch Men in Black, where Orion’s Belt plays a prominent part of the storyline. Please use your discretion for what is appropriate for your family.
— For the two other terms, do a special study of your choice, e.g. seed dispersal, trees and seedlings, or reappearance of animals after winter sleep. Use Countryside Rambles by Furneaux (recommended; ebook from Yesterday’s Classics) or another nature study book.
— Children should do the experiments in the assigned books where possible. Also use a simple science experiments book such as Six-Minute Nature Experiments by Faith Brynie.
– -Scouting games and tests. You can use Aids to Scouting and Scouting for Boys for ideas
- Term 1
— A Really Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson p 1-55
— Rocks, Rivers, and the Changing Earth by Herman Schneider, Chapters 1-4
or
Geology for Kids by Meghan Vestal, Ch 1-3
(NOTE: Rocks, Rivers, and the Changling Earth is extremely hard to find now. Geology for Kids is inconsistent, with some portions being engaging and others dry. It’s the best option we have right now, but we welcome other suggestions)
— special study (see note above)
- Term 2
— A Really Short History of Nearly Everything p 56-107
— Rocks, Rivers, and the Changing Earth, Chapters 5-8
or
Geology for Kids, Ch 4-5
— special study (see note above)
- Term 3
— A Really Short History of Nearly Everything p 108-161
— Rocks, Rivers, and the Changing Earth, Chapters 9-end
or
Geology for Kids, Ch 6-7
— special study (see note above)
Picture Study
Follow the current term’s choices for picture study, or choose your own artist to study.
Begin with biographical information and information on the artist’s style (Impressionist, etc), given as an object lesson if there are no short books available.
Arithmetic
Continue with your math program of choice. Emphasize word problems, and tables and rapid oral work.
To be read in leisure time: Number Stories of Long Ago by D. E. Smith (specifically stated in the programmes as “very important”)
French/German/Spanish
- Read Home Education for how to teach a second language.
- Use the program of your choice, as much oral as possible. (Consider The ULAT, which is inexpensive and oral for the first 2+ years. Parent’s will likely need to monitor to make sure the student is repeating the words and actions and not simply watching the videos. The first 15 lessons are free.)
- Read children’s books and poems in the target language, translating with the children’s help; children afterwards narrate in the target language.
- Listen to nursery rhymes and other children’s songs in the target language. Mama Lisa’s World is a good resource. Use recordings done by native speakers if possible.
- Learn three songs per term in the language you are studying.
- Mason’s Living Languages, a website concerning Charlotte Mason’s approach to language learning
Drawing
Teacher should consult Drawing with Children by Mona Brookes, and/or The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling by John Muir Laws
Every term, the PNEU programmes had under Drawing to “make a study of” different topics. We encourage you to do the same, but instead of assigning things your student may have no interest in, we encourage you to come up with a list with your student. Some specifics that were in the PNEU programmes, to give you ideas:
- Simple sketches from nature
- Kitchen and garden utensils
- Objects and furniture in the schoolroom
- Objects in the house
- Knights on horseback
- Figures and horses
- Outdoor animals and pets
- Figures at work
- Children at play
Additionally:
- Term 1:
Six (a) wild fruits, (b) studies of animals, that you have been able to watch, in brushdrawing. Original brushdrawings from scenes in books set for reading. Memory drawings.
Pencil should not be used.
- Term 2:
Six twigs with leaf buds, in brushdrawing. Original brushdrawings from scenes in books set for reading. Memory drawings.
Pencils should not be used.
- Term 3:
Six wild flowers, in brushdrawing. Original brushdrawings from scenes in books set for reading. Memory drawings.
Pencils should not be used.
Recitations
Each poet selection this year can be found in the well-illustrated series Poetry for Young People. The poems in these books are also appropriate for youth, even though not all poems by these poets are. You may wish to use other books with poems from these authors, but check for appropriateness.
Concentrate on one poet per term, but also use an anthology of other poems for variety. We recommend Classic Poetry from Candlewick Illustrated Classics.
Click here for full text of recitation selections for Form II
- Term 1:
- Focus Poet: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Memorize:
— Disobedience by A. A. Milne
— 1-2 poems of your student’s choice - Oration practice (does not need to be memorized):
— a scene from this term’s Shakespeare selection -or- 50 lines from Longfellow
- Term 2
- Focus Poet: Robert Frost
- Memorize:
— Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
— Singing Time by Rose Fyleman
— 2-3 poems of your student’s choice - Oration practice:
— a scene from this term’s Shakespeare selection -or- 50 lines from your poetry anthology
- Term 3
- Focus Poet: Maya Angelou
- Memorize:
— My Shadow by Robert Louis Stevenson
— Persevere (author unknown)
— 1-2 poems of your student’s choice - Oration practice:
— a scene from this term’s Shakespeare selection -or- 50 lines from your poetry anthology
Reading (Including holiday and evening reading)
Books set for geography, history, and recitations should afford exercise in careful reading. Some new words to be visualized every day.
- Term 1
- The Heroes of Asgard by Keary and Keary p 59-108
- Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
- Race to the Moonrise by Sally Crum — OR — Children of the Longhouse by Joseph Bruchac
- This term’s Shakespeare selection.
- Term 2
- The Heroes of Asgard p 109-162
- Robin Hood by Howard Pyle or Roger Green
- Morning Girl by Michael Dorris — OR — The Apple and the Arrow by Conrad Buff
- This term’s Shakespeare selection.
- Term 3
- The Heroes of Asgard p 163-211
- Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter by Astrid Lindgren
- Sees Behind Trees by Michael Dorris (easier) — OR — The Samurai’s Tale by Eric C Haugaard
- This term’s Shakespeare selection.
Music
Continue instrument lessons. Learning from a teacher in-person is generally the best way, but we understand that many of us are unable to do this, whether due to budget or other constraints.
This page from Charlotte Mason Help has good ideas for how to learn an instrument on a limited budget: Learn to Play Piano on a Shoestring
Resources:
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- Faber Piano Adventures
- Hoffman Academy
- Progressive (Piano, Guitar, Keyboard, etc) Method for Young Beginners
- Piano Lessons with Christie Peery (also multiple instruments with other teachers available at that site)
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Musical Appreciation
Use this term’s selection from the Composer Rotation, or choose your own to study.
Singing
Learn this term’s selections of songs, or choose your own.
Remember to also learn three songs in your foreign language.
The PNEU programmes had resources for sight singing with the Curwen method, to be worked through slowly.
Go to our Singing Sol-fa page for more information and resources.
Drill
Continue with yoga and drill in good manners. [Yoga for the Classroom : Yoga with Adriene]
If yoga is a sticking point for you, click here for other options.
Click here for a list of manners to drill, if you are stuck for ideas.
Work
Helpful resources for all terms (more resources here):
Gardening Lab for Kids by Renata Brown
Kids Knitting by Melanie Falick
Martha Stewart’s Favorite Crafts for Kids by the editors of Martha Stewart Living
The Amazing Stitching Handbook for Kids by Kristen Nicholas (embroidery)
- Term 1
— Help in house or garden
— mend clothing from the wash each week
— knot tying
— make gifts for the winter holidays
— learn embroidery (this does not have to be flowers and hearts! Skulls and crossbones, a sports team logo, or your family pet are also options) Advice for parents
— (optional) Cardboard Sloyd: 4 models
- Term 2
— Help in house or garden
— mend clothing from the wash each week
— continue embroidery (holes can be patched and the patch embroidered)
— (optional) knit a simple hat
— Family craft: Soap carving (Soap Carving for Children of All Ages by Howard Suzuki)
— (optional) Cardboard Sloyd: 4 models
- Term 3
— Help in house or garden
— sew a belt by hand
— mend clothing from the wash each week
— clay modelling
— Service Project: bake cookies and bring to a neighbor, or visit a nursing home
— (optional) Cardboard Sloyd: 4 models
World Religions, Philosophy and Logic
Charlotte Mason’s original curriculum included comprehensive Bible readings alongside optional Sunday readings. Wildwood encourages each family to include books on their own spiritual traditions, and as those are so plentiful, it would be impossible for us to include them all. As an alternative, we offer some suggestions for those who may be interested in readings on World Religions, Philosophy or Logic.
N.B.(nota bene — take special notice)
Taken directly from the PNEU programmes for Form II:
-
- In home schoolrooms where there are children in A as well as in B both Forms may work together, doing the work of A or B as they are able, but more work must be expected from A. Children should be two years in II.A. (ages, say, 10-12).
- In Grammar (English and foreign) and in mathematics there must be no gaps.
- For methods of teaching the various subjects see Home Education by C. M. Mason. [also, A Philosophy of Education]
- Members are asked to remember that an average child should cover the whole programme suitable for his age; also that provision is made for holiday and evening reading, occupations and hobbies.
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