Renaissance & Reformation History

I've been deep in planning mode for the 2015/16 academic year for many moons, and now have all our books chosen, scheduled, and (mostly) bought. We mainly follow Ambleside Online and my oldest daughter will be doing Year 8 this year. Two years ago, we began our study of world history with the ancient Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans; last year we delved into the middle ages, and now Eldest Daughter (and two of her younger siblings) will be exploring the tumultuous years of 1400s - 1600s - the time of European Renaissance and Reformation. As always, I'm excited about the books we'll be reading this year (I mean, if I wasn't, I wouldn't be using them!) and would like to share them with you, along with a little bit about why each was chosen. I'm even MORE excited about the public-domain primary-source documents that Ambleside has included in their YEAR 8 schedule. I can still hear one of my college professors waxing on about how significant primary source documents are, and how important it is to base any real research on them, and I am so glad the AO advisory took the time to dig up and include them in middle and high school history studies. I'll probably not go into them too much here, so be sure to check them out in the Year 8 link above.

The New World - Churchill 
This will be our main text, or spine, for this year. This book is the second volume in Churchill's four volume set, A History of the English Speaking People. We read the first volume this year, and even though my daughter found it a little dry, I feel that it's well done and important enough to stick with. So to help it go down a little easier, and to round out our studies, I am also assigning

The Story of the Renaissance and Reformation - H.A. Guerber and Christine Miller
 I may or may not have mentioned this before, but I love Guerber's writing. LOVE. And if I had an infinite amount of time and a lot more money, then I would buy her Story of the English and the Story of Old France, and pick and chose my favorite chapters to assign, throwing in a few from Marshall's A History of Germany (which I DO own). But really, what would be the point, when Christine Miller has done it all already, and thrown some helpful maps in, in the bargain? My daughter and I are really looking forward to this book.


The Voyage of the Armada - Howarth
The first of three non-fiction titles we will be reading during the year, these are not boring textbooks! this one recounts one of the seminal events of this period in history - from the Spanish point of view. I was hooked after the first few pages. 

Homes in the Wilderness - Margaret Wise Brown
Yes, THE Wise Brown of Good Night, Moon fame! It was a little surprising to see her name as editor of this collection of pilgrim journals from William Bradford and others, but this important document was only helped by Brown's updated spelling and Mary Wilson Stewart's simple illustrations. 

A Coffin for King Charles - Wedgewood

I've not read this book yet, but it is said to be a well researched account of one of the most shocking events in English history - the trial and execution of King Charles I, written in magnificent prose.

You can learn a lot of history through the well told story of one person's life. To this end, we will also be reading these biographies this year:

A Man for All Seasons - Bolt
A two act play about the Lord Chancellor who refused to compromise and was executed by Henry VIII.
                Utopia - After reading ABOUT Sir Thomas More, we'll also be reading this classic work          BY him, which, though not strictly a book of history, nonetheless had historical value. 
 
The Life of John Donne - Izaak Walton


Please note, the above link is NOT to an Amazon book listing, but to an online text from Project Canterbury, a "free online archive of out-of-print Anglican texts and related modern documents."
This short selection has the distinction of being written a contemporary of Donne's, and includes excerpts from many letters written by the latter.



Galileo's Daughter - Sobel 
I read this years ago, and while it was occasionally a bit slow, for the most part it is a fascinating look at the Medici's Florence and the mythic "father of modern science," through correspondence with his daughter, the nun Maria Celeste.

Did you notice that I didn't mention a few of the books pictured? We'll get to literature (including poetry!) and free reads in my next post.



And once again, please remember that I am NOT an affiliate with Amazon or anyone else. Any links provided are simply for reader ease, I currently receive no compensation for keeping any part of this blog. :)



 

Early American history with historical fiction

I was cleaning my desk and found a list I had scribbled out when someone asked me about living books for early American history. And, because I must have been in a fastidious mood that night, I even arranged the books in chronological order. It's too good of a list to just throw away, and I will lose it in a heartbeat if I try to save it, so I am posting it here for all posterity. Know too, that for purposes of this list I defined "early American history" roughly as the time from Columbus to about the year 1800. 

Pedro's Journal by Pam Conrad  (1492-93) the fictional diary of a ship's boy on Columbus' vessel  Santa Maria.

Walk the World's Rim by Betty Baker (1527+) A 14-year old Indian joins Cabeza de Vaca's expedition through the Southwest.

Conquista! (1541) - an early chapter book about a young native American who encounters his first horse.

The King's Fifth by Scott O'Dell  (1541) - recounts the adventures and trial of Spanish mapmaker Julian Escobar in the New World.

The Lost Colony of Roanoke (1587) - a non-fiction title from Jean Fritz, recounting the mystery surrounding one of the earliest attempted colonies in the New World. 

Landing of the Pilgrims by James Daugherty (1620) - One of the highly esteemed Landmark Books, tells of the coming of English Puritans to Plymouth.

The Scarlet Letter (1642) - an excellent  literature selection for older students, this powerful psychological novel explores themes of sin, guilt, and redemption in the early Massachusetts Colony.


The Explorations of Pere Marquette (1670) - another non-fiction Landmark title, this book recounts the travels of French Jesuit Marquette (and his friend Joliet) as they explore the Mississippi river and environs. 

The Witch of Blackbird Pond (1687) - 16 year old Kit finds it difficult to adjust to life with her uncle's family in Puritan Connecticut, after growing up in sunny Barbados. The colonists, in turn, have a hard time understanding her different ways, especially after she befriends a Quaker woman that is already regarded as a witch.

Madeline Takes Command (1692) - with her parents away, 14-year old Madeline is left to defend a fort on the St Lawrence River against an Indian attack.


Om-kas-toe (early 1700s) -fictional tale of the Blackfeet tribes first encounters with the horse.

Amos Fortune, Freeman - Spanning the whole of Amos' life, from 1710 to 1801, in which he is kidnapped in Africa and sold into slavery in Massachusettes, where he dreams of and plans for freedom for 45 years.

Indian Captive (1743) -well done fictionalization of the story of Mary Jemmison, who is captured in a raid as a young girl, and lives out the rest of her life with the Seneca Tribe.

Calico Captive (1754) - more engaging historical fiction, recounting the trials of Miriam Willard, who is taken from her home in New Hampshire during a raid, and sent to Quebec during the French and Indian Wars. 

The Last of the Mohicans (1754-1763) - paints an excellent picture of frontier life and struggles that made up the French and Indian War, this a must read for high school students. And though I don't often recommend adaptations, THIS ONE is particularly good. 

Sign of the Beaver (1768) - 13 year old Matt faces teh task of guarding his family's new cabin in the wilderness bravely - until a wandering stranger steals his gun and leaves him feeling vulnerable. But a friendship with Attean, a boy of the Beaver clan, teaches him more than just practical survival skills.

A Light in the Forest (1769) - not just another story about a white boy living with Indians, this well crafted story explores the ways in we create any identity for ourselves.


Johnny Tremain (1773) -Bitterly disappointed over an tragic accident that ended his days as an apprentice silversmith, Johnny finds that his new job as a dispatch rider brings him in contact with Boston patriots and the excitement that leads up to the Boston Tea Party and the Battle of Lexington.


Early Thunder (1774-75) - a 14 year old boy who has been raised as a royalist begins to questions his loyalties as the event of history unfold in Salem, Massachusettes.

The Cabin Faced West (1784) - a simple story of life on the Pennsylvanian frontier, with a fun cameo by George Washington himself.

The Reb and the Redcoats (1779-80) - An interesting look at the American Revolution, as told from the point of view of a British family who takes in an American prisoner of war.

Year 1.5

Last fall, when my daughter was 6 1/2, I started formal lessons with her. She was more than ready, so in addition to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, Italic Handwriting, and math, we did Ambleside Online's Year 1. My son, who is my daughter's faithful sidekick in most things, had just turned 5 and was NOT ready for Year 1, and so we did Year 0 with him. I kept both schedules as light as possible, for my own sake, because the addition of these two children meant I was teaching 5 different students/grades in our little homeschool and well, yeah. There are only so many hours, and so much sanity, to go around.    

Anyhow, THIS fall my little guy is ready for Year 1, and in interest of consolidation, ease, and family togetherness, I decided to create a Year 1.5. This way, they can be reading the same books (or rather, be read the same books) in Bible, history, geography, natural history, and literature, without repeating too many of the ones my daughter already did this year. They will still each work at their own level in math, reading, and handwriting. It is also going to allow me to include some books that I either didn't have time for this year, or that I didn't feel we were ready for yet. Then the year after next these two students will move on to Year 2 together, and continue to go forth together in the future. So here's what we'll be doing:

Bible
Ergermier's Bible Storybook - part 2 of 3
                Because we have daily family devotions, I try not to overload our school time with Bible readings. But I love this book and feel that it's a good way for young children to learn these stories. We have stretched this book out over three years (YR 0-YR 2) but other families may prefer to do it all in one or two years.

57 Stories of Saints - I am using this in place of Trial and Triumph, and have only scheduled 2 per term.

Parables From Nature - Two per term. I've not had success with this book in the past, but I am giving it another try. I think it will be a good fit this time. 

History
Child's History of the World - ch 5-41 (skipping ch 37) this year. The more I read this book, the more I like it, and am excited to use it with my littles this year.   

Boy of the Pyramids, Alexander the Great, A Triumph for Flavius, & Viking Tales (also available free for Kindle)

Geography
Paddle-to-theSea - I skipped this with my daughter this year, but I think they are ready for it now.

Natural History
Burgess Animal Book  - one chapter per week     

Literature
Grimm's Fairy Tales  When looking back, I was surprised to find that we haven't covered more of Grimm's tales already. But our Year 0 selections seemed to be mostly Hans Christian Anderson and Perrault, and Year 1 was The Blue Fairy book. I chose only two per term because I am also adding in a few longer stories that I wanted to share with my children. They are:

King of the Golden River, The Velveteen Rabbit, and The Reluctant Dragon

Peter Pan and Pinocchio

(There are so many different versions of these literature selections, that I am hesitant to link to just one. I love lavishly illustrated hardcovers, but there are many less costly paperback versions that are equally nice, especially when you can find one illustrated by the likes of Milne and Arthur Rackham!)

Poetry: A Child's Garden of Verses (Robert Louis Stevenson), When We Were Very Young, & Now We Are Six (A.A. Milne) - yeah, I just read these with my daughter this year, but I love them so much, I'm doing them again. Although, I just now occurred to me that some Edward Lear might not be remiss in Term 2 instead....

And that's it. Pretty simple, but I'm always excited when I get to introduce kids to good book for the first time.

NOTE: I am NOT an Amazon affiliate. I will get absolutely nothing if you click any of these links. I simply include them because I know how much  it enhances *my* blog reading experience, to be able to immediately click and see which book is being referred to. 

The Prince and the Pauper

So if my middle schooler's schedule had not already been full of great books, I would have also assigned her The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. As it was, I read it aloud to my 3rd and 5th graders, and she listened in. We just finished it, and I'm so sad because I love love loved this book.
I'll admit, one of the first things I loved about this book was that my copy had illustrations by Peter Spier. His pen and line drawings are among my favorite types of art, because they are so beautiful in their simplicity. If you can find a copy with Spier's illustrations, I highly recommend it.

The second thing I loved about this book was the vocabulary. The antiquated dialog did not sound forced or awkward, and the story was rich in descriptive vocabulary, fun similes, and Twain's trademark ironic humor, which, if sometimes went over the heads of my students, at least amused me.
Here is one that we recently used for copywork:

Whilst the true King wandered about the land poorly clad, poorly fed, cuffed and derided by tramps one while, herding with thieves and murderers in a jail another, and called idiot and imposter by all impartially, the mock King Tom Canty enjoyed a quite different experience.

Finally, I loved how clear it was that Twain had obviously done his research in writing this novel (he was a journalist first, you know). Through the nature of the plot the reader is treated to a clear picture of both the splendors of Henry VIII's court as well as the plight of the poor and downtrodden. If the the occasional footnote weren't enough, the unparalleled description of the nuances of daily life in 16th century would have given it away. And yet, in all the information, the story never felt bogged down or slow. Reporter, yes; and master storyteller.

Truly I think this a gem of a book, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Have you read it? What did you think? If you haven't, do you think you might now? 

 

The Middle Ages for middle school

Once again I have three drafts open on my desktop, yet here I am starting a new post. Anyone who is a writer knows: some stories fight you, and some beg to be written. But I'm not telling stories here, I'm telling you *about* stories. Specifically, medieval stories, since that's where we've been in our history cycle for oh, the last 15 weeks or so (Eep!) I wanted to share our books with you way back then, but I was preparing up until (and past!) the last minute, and we just jumped in full steam ahead. Now that it's Christmas break, I have a little breathing room, so without further ado, here are some of the books my 12 year old 7th grader is reading this year, as we delve into the Middle Ages and study the geography of Europe.

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.

The Story of Europe by H.E. Marshall 
  - 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! 

Review: Flame Over Tara

 
Flame Over Tara by Madeline Polland

This book has been on my radar (and my bookshelf!) for a long time, but I have only now gotten around to reading it . And now that I've finished, I have to say that THIS is how historical fiction, and especially Christian historical fiction, should be written. I can't tell you how many books I've had to put down because the characters, and especially their conversation, were so wholly unbelievable. I know a lot of Christians, but I don't know any who quote whole sections of scripture during casual speech, complete with the "address" tacked on to the end, or who model the sinner's prayer to every unbeliever they meet. Who DOES that? No one.

Then there is the historical aspect - I do not appreciate characters whose thoughts and/or actions seem totally out of tune with their time or place. I believe one has to earn the title of historical; just setting your story "sometime in the past" does not historical fiction make.

Granted, it should have been easy enough to tell this story without unnecessary embellishment. In it, 13 year old Macha and her foster brother Benet encounter the Bishop Patrick upon his arrival to Ireland. Much of Patrick's work in Ireland is know to history, largely through his own letters and writing. In them, his faith and character shine through, hence my comment that no embellishment is needed.

But Polland's other characters are equally well thought out in this story. The quiet trust of Benet, the confused Macha and her affianced, Kiann; Macha's honorable father, and the thoughtful King. The omniscient point of view allows a glimpse into all their thoughts, and the reader finds it easy to understand and sympathize with them.   

 I also appreciated that, as in many of Polland's other writings, the romance is only hinted at. Yes, a wedding is in the future, and yes, the two involved actually care for each other, but there are no drawn out passages of angst or longing or details of passion, making a safe book in that respect for readers or listeners of any age.

Many of the well legends about Patrick are included in this story, which could be viewed as either pro or con, depending on how strictly you define your history. I thought it all worked well, except the part about the shamrock, which felt a little forced and sloppy.

The only real fault I found with this story is that it felt to me like it ended too abruptly. I like to think I've gotten over my childhood desire to know *exactly* what happened next - I no longer need to know the details of the wedding dress or the names of the grandchildren. The early conflict in the story - that Macha had run away to follow Patrick, angering both her father and fiance, who felt she had been stolen by the strange Roman - was quickly and easily settled. The rest of the story dealt simultaneously with the larger conflicts Macha trying to reconcile her twin desires of following God and marrying Kian, and of Patrick winning over the pagan island, all leading up to his confrontation with the king's Druid priests, which occurred in the final chapter. The reader is given less than the last two pages to see how Macha and Kiann will go forth. Not enough, I say!

Last year, during our Eastern Hemisphere studies, I read aloud Mission to Cathay, also by Madeline Polland, and we enjoyed it immensely for good writing and well drawn out characters mentioned above, combined with the added bonus of a little mystery. Soon, I will begin City of the Golden House  in conjunction with our Roman studies (look for a separate post on that book soon-ish). And soon after that, I hope to share Flame Over Tara with my children. Because the only thing that can make a good book better is sharing it.

Ancient Rome in Literature

The past few weeks in our homeschool have seen the decline of Greece and the Rise of Rome, and our booklist has shifted accordingly. There are history books aplenty  - and good ones at that - covering this time period, so I'll not dwell on those now. But I wanted to share with you a few of our fiction/literature selections, because, well, they're just so good I can't help myself!

Brave Cloelia by Jane Louise Curry - Long been one of our favorite picture books, the story of Cloelia, a young Roman hostage whose fearlessness and cleverness made her a national heroine, comes from Livy.

A Triumph for Flavius by Caroline Dale Snedeker -  a short tale from the time Rome's heyday, this story could be easily read by my eight yer old. However, when I read it aloud, everyone - from the 4 to the 12 year old - listens in.









The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth Speare - The 1962 Newbery Award winner, this classic story of the bitter Daniel's life changing encounters with Jesus has become a staple of school curriculum everywhere.








Twice Freed by Patricia St. John -  tucked in among Paul the Apostle's longer epistles, is a short letter to Philemon, encouraging him to seek restoration with his runaway slave, Onesimus. This is Patricia St. John's story of how it all might have happened.  







City of the Golden House by Madeline Polland - I haven't finished this book yet, but what I've read is SO good. The young and lame Diomedes and his British slave, Gretorix, are curious to learn more about the new sect of Christians, and the rumored healings of one Peter, but times are dangerous in Nero's Rome.





 
In Search of a Homeland: The Story of the Aeneid by Penelope Lively - this description of the Aenied from Wikipedia pretty much sums it up: Virgil took the disconnected tales of Aeneas' wanderings...and fashioned [them] into a compelling founding myth or national epic that at once tied Rome to the legends of Troy, explained the Punic wars, glorified traditional Roman virtues and legitimized the Julio-Claudian dynasty as descendants of the founders, heroes and gods of Rome and Troy. Livey's version is easily understood and enjoyed by both young children and adults.