HEO Year 9

Year 9 marks a transition for both parent and child in terms of effort, involvement, content and goals. High school is hard work. Students should be encouraged to approach it as though it's their first full-time job, and parents must remain involved -- even as the child is maturing toward independence and becoming capable of taking over some of the decision making and record keeping. Some students already have specific career goals in mind that can be integrated into their school work, while college bound students will need to tailor their studies to meet university admissions requirements. In short, Year 9 ushers in a new phase of life and school for everyone involved. It's an exciting time that can and should be enjoyed!

Selecting the best books is a challenge that increases with each successive school year. High school students are journeying across the bridge into adulthood, and the books they should read at this level reflect the adult world. While previewing the content of mountains of books for the HEO high school years, we've been constantly aware that we cannot predict how far across that bridge other people's children may be. Families vary greatly in their views on sheltering, protecting and preparing for adulthood, so it would be futile for us to attempt to be the censor or guardian (the bridge troll?) for all House of Education Online scholars. We set a very high standard for HEO materials, and we've gone the extra mile and beyond to create and provide a Year 9 prototype that reflects excellence. However, by no means do we claim to have done all the work for you! It remains the homeschool parent's job, most particularly on the high school level, to assume full responsibility for matching your child's sensitivities and sensibilities and your family's standards with the books you select for study.

In the booklist below, we've offered a few notes on potential concerns in certain books, but it goes without saying that we have not noted every potential concern in every book. Please understand that the absence of a comment does not mean the absence of anything your particular family might find offensive or inappropriate.

For these and other reasons, the HEO high school Years are designed not as a single curriculum list (like the preceding Years), but rather as what we fondly call the HEO "Salad Bar" approach. In many subject areas, we offer a variety of options for you to choose among (or you may substitute your own). The final product will be your design. Those who still prefer the comfort of a single booklist may simply select "Option One" where options are presented.

To arrive at the best high school plan for your child, expect to burn some midnight oil, dig a little more than you did to prepare for the younger grades, and make more personal choices. You should budget time over a few weeks to focus on previewing and selecting books. Look on the bright side: you'll emerge from this process more conversant and familiar with the era and books your student is about to cover -- and discussion is so vital for students in the upper grades. You'll also be more sympathetic to your hardworking young scholar!

As you devise your own Year 9 curriculum, whether using our book suggestions or your own substitute titles, it's useful to keep a page count in mind. Charlotte Mason's students covered approximately 1600-2000 pages in a term by Year 9, using about 40 different books. This loose guideline will help you gauge whether your own academic load is in keeping with Miss Mason's.

Before beginning these upper years, please do yourself one very smart favor: zealously pursue some teacher preparation time for yourself. It's a little investment that will pay you back double every single school day. We suggest you read (or reread) volume 6 of Charlotte Mason's six volume set. Volume 5 may also be helpful to you. Both are available online, as free e-texts. You'll also find it useful to scan the sample Programmes from Miss Mason's own PNEU school, which are linked from the AmblesideOnline homepage. Forms III and IV are the ones relevant to Year 9. You'll find a wealth of helpful articles at Ambleside Online, so plan to spend a few evenings exploring the site. It's also helpful to have on hand a good current book on homeschooling through high school. And you'll find terrific support on the House of Education Online email list -- please subscribe and participate!

[Please Note: We do not wish to appear to imply that a full and complete study of American History is mandatory for non-Americans. Because of the influence the US has had on world events, we do believe that some understanding of the histories of England and the US is necessary for everybody; however, the depth of that coverage is an individual choice. Students from other countries should have a more thorough exposure to their own national history than our suggested options offer, and we encourage all HEO users to seek excellent books on their own history and heritage. However, as we lack the resources and time to choose histories for other countries, we leave this responsibility to our foreign users. Please be bold in making the curriculum fit your own needs.]

Many AO/HEO parents find Truthquest History guides to be a tremendous help for enriching discussion of the big picture of history with their children. Somewhat reminiscent of the kinds of lesson preparation materials Charlotte Mason provided her PNEU teachers, they may be used to supplement whichever history books you choose. Truthquest Ages of Revolution Guides I and II fit the time period of Year 9. For more information see http://www.truthquesthistory.com .

The Age of Revolution, by Sir Winston Churchill. A broader overview of the time period. Americans and those who desire a more accurate picture of the American Revolution (which is covered in Term 2) may prefer another option, or at least an additional option. In that regard, one alternative would be to use the Churchill book alone for terms 1 and 3, and substitute an American history book to be used alone for term 2.

A Basic History of the United States, by Clarence B. Carson. Carson (a history professor) has a scholarly tone, and approaches his topic from a libertarian, probably Christian, point of view. This is a five volume series, available through used booksellers or currently in print from Bluestocking Press as a six-volume series http://www.bluestockingpress.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=733 . Available on cassette from www.blackstoneaudio.com , who offer a considerable discount to homeschoolers (order by phone for discount). Year 9 students would roughly use volume 1, pages 79-165; and volume 2, pages 1-201, which leaves only about 4 pages more of the book. (In Volume 1, Carson forays into some topics that range from Year 8's time period to the middle of Year 9's, such as general overviews of the development of culture and thinking, and tracing the development of ideas and events. This makes it a bit harder to assign pages in these chapters that fit precisely in the Year 9 time period. However, the material is still valuable.) There is an appendix including such historical documents as The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution of the United States, Washington's Farewell Address, Jefferson's Inaugural Address, and The Monroe Doctrine.

Note: Incidentally, a good foil for reading the Witchcraft Trials of Salem would be the Malleus Maleficarum http://www.malleusmaleficarum.org/ -- a book about how to discover witches published in England. The Salem Witch Trials were a blight on our history, but the fact remains that they stand out because of the rarity of witchcraft executions in the Colonies, and their comparatively late date (although Switzerland executed a witch in 1892). In the Colonies, 40 people were executed for witchcraft, half of them in the Salem Trials, and one of the key judges later repented and expressed his deep sorrow for his role in the executions. In England, there were nearly a thousand witchcraft trials from 1552 to 1722, and roughly a quarter of those ended in executions. Scotland tried nearly 2,000 in the same period, and even Switzerland had nearly 400 witchcraft trials in this period with nearly a quarter of the accused executed. Southwestern Germany executed some 3,000 during the same time period. For another perspective -
http://www.freeessay.com/killer/history/witchcraft2.shtml

- "Liberty! The American Revolution" - painstakingly accurate and gripping 6 hour documentary produced by PBS, which covers events from 1763-1788. Includes commentary from scholars and historians, and draws heavily from period journals, letters and source documents. Battle scenes recreated on location with Revolutionary War re-enactors. Excellent acting and period music -- clearly conveys a sense of the times, the force of personalities, the ideas that drove events, and the progression of the battles. Descriptions of each episode can be found here:
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/series/episodes.html Check libraries and video stores, or purchase home video here: http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/series/products.html (A video series is something of a departure for Ambleside/HEO, and not a recommendation we would ordinarily make, but this one is unusually well done.)

- Speech by William Wilberforce concerning the slave trade. In the book "A Treasury of the World's Great Speeches," (readily available on used book sites) this is listed as "William Pitt the Younger Indicts the Slave Trade and Foresees a Liberated Africa" April 2, 1792. We've been unable to find this online. We suggest that a book of famous speeches such as the above treasury ought to be in every homeschool library.

- Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis - A small paperback (248 pages) that won the Pulitzer in 2002, and thus should be in every public library. From the back of the book: "Through an analysis of six fascinating episodes -- Hamilton and Burr's deadly duel, Washington's precedent-setting Farewell Address [does not contain the text of it, but rather puts it in context], Adams' administration and political partnership with his wife, the debate about where to place the capitol, Franklin's attempt to force Congress to confront the issue of slavery, and Madison's attempts to block him, and Jefferson and Adams famous correspondence -- Founding Brothers brings to life the vital issues and personalities from the most important decade in our nation's history."

- Founding Father -- Rediscovering George Washington by Richard Brookhiser. Written as a moral biography after the tradition of Plutarch. Many modern biographies of Washington are plagued with revisionism, while some earlier biographies treat him with such iconic, reverent distance that he remains out of reach and never comes to life for the reader. This book avoids both flaws. 200 pages, in print.

- George Washington: A Biography by Washington Irving. Irving, who met Washington as a small boy, wrote a four volume biography which is available in condensed form. A very literary read. One note: Irving was aging toward the end of the work and as such the coverage of Washington's life from the presidency through his death is a bit thinner than the earlier chapters of the work. Regardless, a good choice. 740 pages, in print.

- Washington: The Indispensible Man by James Thomas Flexner, winner of a Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. A favorite among Washington biography enthusiasts, and considered by many to be the best work on his life. For an above average student, or one with a keen interest in Washington or the Revolutionary era. One note: according to one reviewer, Flexner makes the odd (and arguably insupportable) suggestion that Washington was a deist. 402 pages, in print.

**, *** - The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis -- A candid and wise reflection on the four basic kinds of love, by a most perceptive Christian writer. As the teen years begin, it's quite natural for thoughts to turn to love and relationship issues. At this pivotal stage, gaining a Biblical understanding of the different types of love is of inestimable benefit, and can spare much confusion and heartache. A deep, important book that should be read and discussed with a parent. "The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell." -- Lewis. 140 pages, currently in print.

Charlotte Mason had students at this level read the daily news and keep a calendar of events. We suggest students choose the most important 2 or 3 stories of the week and re-write them in their own words as a chronicle of the year, making the heading of each page something like "This Week in History, September 1st, 2003." Parents: pre-read and filter current events materials (on the web, or in print) as necessary, due to the potential for coverage and topics of an explicit nature, even from conservative sources.

- Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder - Note: This book requires parental discussion. The Sophie story parallels the chronological history of philosophy (don't tip off your student to this, however -- let them discover it for themselves!). Toward the end of the book, as modern philosophy with its relativistic, non-absolute values takes over, the story becomes fragmented and drifts into nonsense. It's supposed to be that way -- that's the point. Be aware that one of the final chapters, entitled "The Garden Party," contains an episode illustrating how human behavior deteriorates in the absence of absolute values, and readers should find this episode offensive. Again, it's supposed to be that way -- it's a potent illustration that "ideas have consequences" -- and the consequences of living without absolute values are unavoidably offensive. (This is perhaps the most important point to learn from studying philosophy and worldview.) The ideas covered by this book reflect the historical scope of man's understanding of his existence told in literary form, making it a valuable book, but one that must be discussed with an understanding parent. We would go so far as to say it would be a mistake for a parent to hand this book to a teenager without having read it and understood it themselves. If the parent is unable to read this book (and we do understand that some parents simply won't be able to squeeze it in), we recommend leaving it out of the curriculum or postponing the book until the parent has read it. In that case, it would be best to approach philosophy/worldview studies from other sources.

"Often regarded as our first African-American writer, Phyllis Wheatley's poems garnered her the acquaintance and respect of such luminaries as Benjamin Franklin and John Hancock as well as letters of appreciation from George Washington. Her neoclassical works treat a number of significant themes, including politics, religion, nature, and her own slavery."

http://www.forerunner.com/forerunner/X0214_Phillis_Wheatley.html "Born in 1753 in Africa, Phillis Wheatley was kidnapped and sold at a slave auction at age seven to a prosperous Boston family who educated her and treated her as a family member. Rescued from an otherwise hopeless situation by the sympathies of the Wheatley family, Phillis learned English with remarkable speed, and, although she never attended a formal school, she also learned Greek and Latin. It is clear that the Christian compassion of the Wheatley family was the nurturing womb in which Phillis' rare gifts were cultivated. She came to know the Bible well; and three English poets - Milton, Pope and Gray - touched her deeply and exerted a strong influence on her verse. She became a sensation in Boston in the 1760s..."

- On Writing Well by William Zinsser -- If your student has completed Elements of Style, use this for Year 9 (could be spread over two years). This is a classic, respected book familiar to all writers, and commonly used as a text in writing courses. Very readable and instructive, and currently in print. Written for adults; you may wish to preview.

Assign 3 to 5 written narrations each week, varying the assignments among subjects, and assigning some narrations to be written from readings done earlier in the week. [Example: On Tuesdays, the student would read the scheduled Literature, news of the week, historical or allegorical subjects, etc. Then on Thursdays, the student would write a narration of one of those readings.] Narration can be done in many ways: poetic, in answer to an essay-style question, straight narration, narration in letter-writing form, and many other creative ways. Examples of creative narration techniques for the high school level, see here NO LINK ACTIVATED YET

The student studies two or three pages of dictation material per week, from which the teacher dictates several paragraphs or sections. Students should have the opportunity to study the passage carefully for spelling, punctuation and form before they are required to write it from dictation. At this level, you may wish for your student to alternate between taking dictation in the traditional way by hand, and with a word processor (an added benefit here is the spellchecker function, which can be a useful teaching tool and actually functions in a manner complementary to CM's spelling methods.)

Dictation selections may be drawn from sources such as the term's prose, poetry and Bible readings. You may also occasionally choose to assign selections from well-written journalism sources to exemplify a more technical and factual style of writing. However, choose carefully as newspapers and magazines are often poorly written. Examples of worthy sources might include World Magazine, and columnists such as Peggy Noonan, William F. Buckley, William Raspberry, Charles Krauthammer, Cal Thomas, George Will, and Thomas Sowell, most of whom are accessible from www.drudgereport.com . Another good resource for exemplary journalism is http://www.opinionjournal.com from the Wall Street Journal. Writers from these sources are prolific and skilled at the craft of writing. The New Yorker magazine is known for being expertly written and edited, but may require parental previewing.

These provide a good starting point for the essay form of writing. After two or three terms of studying Lamb's essays, students should be prepared to tackle writing essays on subjects they choose. One possible usage is to have students read an essay on Monday, outline it on Tuesday, rewrite it from their outline on Wednesday, and polish up that rough draft on Thursday.

[Note: To get the list of plays from the Bartlett's Familiar Quotations page, try selecting 1) the Author index, then select 2) the Shakespeare entry, which should provide a list of quotations from the first play in the list; and then try selecting 3) Shakespeare's name above the quotations. This last step should bring you to an index of the plays, not just the list of quotations. Or, you may go directly to the play needed from the Shakespeare play index.]

Be sure to get the revised edition, which was written by both Adler and Charles Van Doren. If Van Doren is not a co-writer, it's the older book. It was revised in 1972, but later books may not be called "revised." The version to use has five chapters in part 1; 7 chapters in part 2; 7 chapters in part 3; and two chapters in part 4. The unrevised edition may have fewer parts. Read only Part 3 this year (this book continues into Year 10). This is a slow pace, but this material is weighty and should stimulate reflection and discussion with parent. Accordingly, consider reading this book aloud with your student.

(One Advisory suggestion: For routine fitness, Living Arts' Pilates videos/DVD's offer a challenging but enjoyable 30 minute mat workout that will benefit the entire family. Instructor Ana Caban gives clear and concise verbal cues that even young children can follow with a little guidance (even a 3 yob! ;-) and the background music is neither loud nor distracting. Start with the Beginning Mat Workout video/DVD, which explains the basics, before advancing to the Intermediate Mat Workout. Available at most major bookstores and fitness stores.)

[Note: Gothic novels such as Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole and Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe (referred to in Northanger Abbey) were quite popular in this time period, and Northanger Abbey is a delicious spoof of the genre. Exposure to these works forms a good backdrop for the works of Scott, Bryon, and Poe.]

C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower books - Particularly suited for male readers (although we know several women who enjoy them as well). The character Hornblower was inspired by Horatio Lord Nelson, and is noted for his personification of honor, duty and personal integrity. These books are historical fiction accounts of actual battles and incidents in the wars between England, France and Spain during this era. Titles are, in chronological order: Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, Lieutenant Hornblower, Hornblower and The Hotspur, Hornblower and the Atropos, Beat To Quarters, Ship of the Line, Flying Colours, Commodore Hornblower, Lord Hornblower, Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies, and Hornblower During the Crisis.

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