Oh, and you should know that I base our lessons largely on Ambleside Online's curriculum, which you can (and should!) check out by clicking on the link above. However, I make several modifications and changes to suit our family's needs and interests.
My daughter's main history texts this year (or "spines) are:
Winston Churchill's The Birth of Britain
- Truthfully, she finds it a little dull, but we are sticking with it. It is the first volume of Churchill's History of the English Speaking People, a four volume set.
- Some people love Marshall's writing. I don't think it is spectacular, but again, this book meets a need, and does it in the simple, storytelling way that we like. I like that dates of important events are in the margins and footnotes, so as not to interrupt the narrative, and that it does not focus solely on Great Britain, like so many other books covering the same time period.
The Story of the English, vol 1
- I DO love Helene Guerber's writing, and after enjoying her Story of the Greeks and Story of the Romans last year, my daughter begged me to include this books this year. Many of the stories will be ones she had also read elsewhere, but since she wanted to read it, I did not object.
For biographies, I chose:
King Alfred the Great by Jacob Abbott
- I cannot understand why this book is no longer in print, but it is worth reading about one of the most famous kings in British history. This book is also sometimes called King Alfred of England.
The Magna Carta by James Daughtery
- Part biography of King John, part biography of the document itself, I read this book a few years ago, and enjoyed it while also learning a few things. Win.
Saint Joan: The Girl Soldier
- Another option might be Landmark Books' Joan of Arc. Both of these could be considered rather easy reads for a middle schooler, but not everything has to be Shakespeare. And they are well done besides.
I would have loved to have my daughter read George Makepeace Towle's telling of Marco Polo: His Travels and Adventures too, but there just wasn't room this year. I solved this problem by deciding to read it aloud to my elementary schoolers, while she listens in :D I love homeschooling! If your student is a male, he may prefer reading this story over Joan of Arc's.
And, because I cannot keep my daughter in books, I like to add a few historical fiction titles to her plans. Historical fiction is my all time favorite way to learn history. This year she is enjoying:
A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver
- I thought this book was so much fun - interesting, and informative and clever - much like Eleanor of Aquitaine herself. A great picture of a dynamic woman who barely got a mention in Churchill's history.
In Freedom's Cause by G.A. Henty
- I could do a whole post on Henty, who was a prolific writer of boys historical adventure stories in the late 19th/early 20th century, but I won't today. This story of Scotland's William Wallace and Robert the Bruce is perfect for my sensitive daughter, who is not quite ready for Braveheart yet.
Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
- This was an Ambleside suggestion that I wasn't sure about, since it is an adult book, not one written for kids. So I pre-read and found it fascinating. It's a really engaging look at what we think we *know* and what sources we get our history from. There was maybe a time or two of innuendo, but it was so slight that I'm pretty sure it will go right over my daughter's head. In any event, it in no way detracted from the story, and if I hadn't been looking for it, I might have missed it too.
So, aside from a few primary source texts, this is the whole of my daughter's history curriculum for the year. What do you think? Anything you've read and loved? Read and hated? Think I should have added something? Or left something out? Let me know in the comments!
You're my hero! Looking forward to reading those historical fictions for myself! =)
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