Many parents and teachers would love to use more trade books in the classroom, either to replace or supplement textbooks. Many times, however, it seems to be too much trouble to find titles that accurately match up by grade level, historical period, or by geographical region. In addition, many educators want a short book summary or even warnings about potential inappropriate language or other questionable issues, in order to make appropriate selections.

In my own homeschool planning, I have found several excellent resources to help in my quest to find great books to use in my curriculum. These literature guides are the map to help me match up titles that go along with the topics, people, region, or time periods that were are studying—and they save me lots of time that is better spent teaching or reading with my children.

Books Children Love: A Guide to the Best Children’s Literature by Elizabeth Wilson

An author who advocates the Charlotte Mason approach to education wrote this book, and the titles do reflect Judeo-Christian values. It includes lists of books for many areas and subjects including: animals, art and architecture, bible/spiritual teaching, biography, crafts, hobbies, domestic arts, dance, drama, geography, history, horticulture, humor, language, literature, poetry, rhymes, math, misc. music, outdoor activities other than group games, physical education, reference, science, technology, and special days and seasons.

All Through The Ages: History Through Literature Guide by Christine Miller

According to material in the book’s introduction, this guide is a glorified list of books, commonly available from public libraries and homeschool catalogs, which are useful for learning history using literature—real books—rather than textbooks. Christine Miller has taken suggestions from many resources, catalogs, and other literature resource guides to create a comprehensive (and chronological) resource for all educators. Each section (historical era or geographical region) is subdivided by reading level.

Honey For A Child’s Heart: The Imaginative Use of Books in Family Life by Gladys Hunt

This resource includes an indexed list of the best children’s classics ever and an extensive annotated bibliography of books worth reading, arranged by their suitability for various ages. However, Mrs. Hunt also provides insightful articles and ideas for family reading, nurturing young readers, parenting, and what makes a good book. This resource is definitely based on Christian principles.

Let The Authors Speak: A Guide To Worthy Books Based on Historical Setting by Carolyn Hatcher

This guide is unique in that it can be referenced specifically by setting, author or title, as laid out in the table of contents and index. It is also arranged by reading/age level, which makes it very user friendly. As with the other resources, the author gives a brief summary of the book as well. There is also a great section about the use of ‘living books’ and how they are a superior way to educate children and teens.

Turning Back the Pages of Time: A Guide to American History Through Literature by Kathy Keller

This tiny resource packs a big punch! It is limited to American History, but the chronological list includes biographies, classics, historical fiction, and some non-fiction titles arranged by grade level. All titles have been screened from a Christian perspective and are historically accurate, although suggestions are included from both secular and Christian sources. Sections include: Early Explorers, Early Indians and Pilgrims, Colonial America, American Revolution, Westward Expansion, Civil War Era, Progressive Era, World War II, General US History, and Cookbooks.

Although there are probably many resources available that adequately give book suggestions, I have personally used these specific guides and have found them to be extremely helpful. The books are easy to use, and most of the titles are easy to find. I also like the summaries and suggestions by grade level. Most of all, I like the convenience of using these literature guides—the research and legwork has already been done for me, and I can do what I do best—TEACH!

*Originally posted at the National Writing for Children Center on September 29, 2010

Owls by Sandra Markle

Okay, children, today we are going to dissect this owl pellet and find out what the owl last ‘dined’ upon. Everybody ready?

Hmmmm…fur, fur, bones, bones. Make that teeny-tiny little bones!

More fur, more little bones….

John is very fascinated (or is that disgusted) with the whole activity!

More fur, more bones, and a teeny little skull, mandible, and obvious little rodent teeth! According to our chart, the owl had eaten a…..MOUSE! I know from the photo, the skull might resemble that of a bird. But if the thing was turned around, you would be able to see that the ‘pointy’ place is not a beak, but two long teeth. Plus, you can tell from the mandible that there are rows of tiny little teeth there as well. And of course, the fur is sort of a give away.

If YOU haven’t dissected an owl pellet, what are you waiting for? It was VERY interesting! We read several books about owls and also read an entry from the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. All in all a most delightful ‘extra’ science activity.

So there you have it…a snippet of science!

Most visitors who come here know that in addition to being a writer, I’m also a homeschool mom of fourteen years. And over the years, I’ve had many questions about Classical-Charlotte Mason homeschooling. I received an email to which I came up with the following reply, and I thought I’d post the answer here, in case it can help someone else. I certainly don’t consider myself an authority, but at least you can get a better understanding of why this is the ‘path’ we’ve chosen to homeschool our children. There is so much more than what I’ve touched on, but it’s a start! When I have time, I’ll try to come back to this topic again. As I told this individual below, we fall more into the Charlotte Mason camp, but there are certain aspects of Classical learning that I really like. I guess we’d be considered more ‘eclectic’ homeschoolers than anything! So, here it is….
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Hello,

Thanks so much for your question…and please forgive me for just now getting back to you. I’ve finally found a quiet moment to sit down and get my thoughts together!  I applaud you for doing your research on C-CM! Even after fourteen years and graduating twin daughters who are now finishing up there second year of college,  I still like to research/read/review all kinds of homeschooling methods, books, and curriculum. No matter how many years you do this, you will always be learning!

As far as Classical-Charlotte Mason, let me tell you first off that one of the best books on combining the two methods is For The Love of Learning by Jenny Sockey. Subtitle is: Information and Resources for Combining Charlotte Mason and Classical Education. This is a great little book and chock-full of wonderful information and resources. I highly recommend it!

I’ll be honest enough to say that we fall more into the Charlotte Mason camp, but there are several things about Classical Education that I like and implement. I love CM because of the ‘gentle’ style of learning. CM had much wisdom and insight into the minds/learning styles of children. And her emphasis on whole or living books is right-on in my opinion. There is nothing better than letting our children learn from an author who is passionate about his/her subject, instead of little snippets here and there of a greater work. Plus, I like the addition of nature study, art, music, etc. I think those things get pushed aside too often, but they bring much joy and inspiration to children and adults alike. How can we really see the awesome hand of God in creation if we don’t spend time ‘seeing’ and ‘learning’ what He has done or what He has inspired others to do?! Although our more ‘core’ subjects take first place in the schedule, I do try to bring in the fine arts/nature study as much as possible!

With Classical Education, I definitely see the benefits of acknowledging the stages of the trivium. With six children, I’ve seen the natural progression of learning stages too many times to doubt. By knowing this, I’ve not been too upset (usually-LOL)  if one of my children is not ‘ready’ to ‘conquer’ a certain idea/concept when *I* think they should. Perhaps they’re not ready yet! It WILL come…when it’s time! And as a dear friend once told me, it’s all about exposure! Sooner or later, all those little bits of information will ‘come together’ to form the bigger picture…again, when it’s time!

I also really like the chronological study of history which is the way we’ve done it for years. Some of the best resources for this have come from Christine Miller. We love the H.A. Guerber history books that are available on her Nothing New Press website. We also do Latin, and I’ve seen great benefits from the study of classical languages when it comes to my children’s vocabulary! Also as a key component in Classical Education, I do believe that ‘mastery’ of certain things is very important!

Many people believe that CM probably used (or at least acknowledged) the trivium in her method of education…perhaps not as rigorously as Classical ‘purists’, but it was still definitely a big thing (and an old path) in her day! She did, however, suggest shorter lessons…but ones that were disciplined, effective and focused on excellence. She also believed that good habits and a rich home learning environment were absolutely key for a stable and well-rounded education. I whole-heartedly agree…but often easier said than done! LOL

Overall, both methods emphasize great books, great minds, and a goal of self-education (mastery)…in my mind, C-CM go hand in hand in this arena! Plus, both methods utilize narration or ‘telling back’ to aid in retention and comprehension. I love this! If a child can tell you about or write about what he/she has learned while reading, it becomes ‘theirs’…and they KNOW it! I’ve often heard that the best way to learn is to teach. If my child can ‘teach’ or ‘share’ with us what he/she has learned, so much the better!

I know I’ve not done C-CM justice, but it works for us! As I said above, I really love the ‘gentle’ style of learning ‘Charlotte Mason’ style. We do A LOT of reading aloud in our home, and even though I do start a formal grammar program around 4th-5th grade, I implement copywork every day…and I’ve seen benefits from having the children copy the works/words of great writers. When they are exposed to great writing, they will ‘pick up’ a lot!

Cindy Rushton has a lot of great resources on CM, as does Penny Gardner, Karen Andreola, Queen Homeschool, and Catherine Levison. By the way, I love, love, love Catherine Levison’s book called A Literary Education! Christine Miller is a great resource for Classical, and of course, The Well-Trained Mind is a ‘classic’! There is a company called Camrose Academy that produces lesson plans by grade level to combine both C-CM. I’ve used their stuff in the past, and was very pleased. At present, I use a lot of Sonlight with some Ambleside Online thrown in. And for next year, I’m researching ‘Living Books Curriculum‘ as an option for my younger children. I am also using another free online resource called Guest Hollow this year, and I have been extremely pleased with the plans, resources, and books!

Once again, I know I’ve not done justice to your question, but I hope I’ve helped in some small way. I think I’ll post this answer on my blog…just in case it will help someone else as well. May the Lord bless you as you research and seek His will…and set out on one of the greatest journeys you’ll ever experience!

Blessings,
Amy O.