In Mason’s day, the subject of history was covered differently from our common approaches to that subject today. How do the records show she managed the study of ancient through modern history in all the age levels? More important, how can we follow her principles and keep history study relevant to our day? Emily, Nicole, and Liz attempt to distill these truths in an orderly conversation that will reveal a rich feast of history for a child.
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“The early history of a nation is far better fitted than its later records for the study of children, because the story moves on a few broad, simple lines.” (Vol. 1, pg. 281)
“We are not content that they should learn the history of their own country alone; some living idea of contemporaneous [meaning existing or occurring in the same period of time] European history, anyway, we try to get in; that the history we teach may be the more living, we work in, pari passu [meaning side by side; at the same pace], some of the literature of the period and some of the best historical novels and poems that treat of the period; and so on with other subjects.” (Vol. 3, pg. 67)
History Rotation Diagrams we at A Delectable Education have put together to clarify the rotations and “streams” of history study through the school forms (Canadians can use the same dates, substituting Canadian for American history as our settlement was concurrent. Australians may wish to follow this adaptation ADE developed here, British families may appreciate this updated version of what CM developed which accounts for the 20th century)
So fascinating! Thank you! 🙂 I was working on some last minute Christmas things and was like, "Now the house is quiet (it's almost midnight 😉 ) and I can listen to the podcast!" 😉 I took three pages of notes here to continue to try to sort it out in my mind, but I think this was very helpful to me…I hope to mull over it a bit and maybe ask you three a few questions…I still feel a little lost about where we "should" all be because I didn't know what I was doing when we started, I guess. But you've given me a lot of good ideas and places to start or new things I didn't know at all! Really looking forward to next weeks podcast…Merry Christmas to you all of you and your families! 🙂
Amy,
If the plan makes sense, you can just move forward from this point and not worry about the many directions you've attempted in the past; nothing is ever wasted in a child's mind. Please feel free to ask questions. I think you will find this approach to work well with many children at many levels and, once put in place, will give shape to your history study in the future.
Merry Christmas to you and your family.
– Liz
I second what mom (Liz) said! I hope this approach will help you organize your history studies with all your children, and will bring peace to your planning in the future!
-Emily
This was so informative and encouraging to listen to. Thank you for summarizing your findings. What are the chances that there was a whiteboard in the room with a visual diagram of what you shared? Maybe one of you snapped a picture with your phone and could post it? (haha) I'm kind of kidding…but also struggling a bit to visualize the rotation. Can you point me somewhere where this is more visually mapped out? (Or…just post the picture of the whiteboard – haha!). Thanks, again, ladies! 🙂
Unfortunately, no, we did not have a diagram on a whiteboard! I have been studying this topic in depth this year and have been tweaking my previous understanding…so it was in my own head/notes. I will attempt to make a visual diagram of these streams of history in a clear diagram and post that on this page when it is complete. Thanks for the suggestions!
Emily
I'm looking forward to your diagram! I tried to take notes during both episodes 12 and 14.
Parshall Family,
Even though Emily is supposed to be on vacation, "getting away from it all," she wrote me this morning that she is working on a visual diagram.
-Liz
I'm a little confused on how to do American History and British History along side each other when British history starts much earlier than American. Can you explain that part to me. Thanks!
Yes, Cassie, we have puzzled that out as well, but in studying what CM actually assigned her students, Forms 2 & 3 would really focus from the conquest on (1066) and since Leif Ericsson explored North America in about 1000, it really meshes well. When I looked more closely at the Ancient history stream it made even more sense since that period up to 1000 was covered at the end of their Ancient rotation. All of history would be covered this way. As for Forms 4-6 Mason primarily focused on 1500 to the present, and lo and behold, Columbus "discovered" America in 1492… So it is pretty seamless after all. For the youngest forms, the students are shaking hands with the great people and events of the past, and haven't developed their understanding of the march of time yet, so focusing on that most recent but when colonization was really begin still makes sense and in fact children can fathom it much better since it is the history of their own country, not all these obscure kings and people from a land they have most likely never visited before.
Does that help clarify things?
Emily
Yes, this is helpful. Thank you, Emily!
This was such a helpful episode. Took notes and can't wait to discuss with my husband tonight.
Ivy Mae,
It's great your husband is sharing in your discoveries.
– Liz
Amy,
Check out the new link above (https://www.adelectableeducation.com/p/history-rotations.html) to some diagrams we've put together to help make this more clear
Amy,
Check out the new link above (https://www.adelectableeducation.com/p/history-rotations.html) to some diagrams we've put together to help make this more clear
This is so fantastic! Thank you for taking the time to do this. This is going into my permanent file (and also into my head, to simmer for a bit). What a gift this group of ladies is to the Mason Community. Thank you, all!
You're very welcome!
Thank you for sharing this! This does give home that as a mother of (soon to be 5!) that I can keep my children on the same history but with greater depth for the older ones.
Several Questions:
1. Can you provide an example of how this would play out in a family with multiple ages and forms? Perhaps an example 3 children, each in a different form?
2. What resources would you recommend? We are currently following Truthquest American History I for our Y3 and Y1 students
I am completely sold out on a Charlotte Mason homeschooling approach, though this is our full year fully schooling in that format. There is still so much to learn. I am very appreciative of your podcasts. They have been incredibly useful!
Hello Catherine, thank you so much for listening to the podcast, I'm so glad we gave you some things to think about in this episode, and you've asked some good questions. I'll give them a go, but feel free to ask any more.
1)Basically, most of your students would be studying at least some of the same history every year. Where it is possible, it is great if two or more students were reading from the same book. This can look different depending on each family's situation, and I believe we've discussed that on the podcast–how students who are able can take turns with mom reading aloud, and younger students can listen to that. Narrations can be done in a group or older students can write theirs apart from younger students who would be narrating orally. This may be too much detail, and I'm sure I may answer more of this when I get to your next question.
A Form IB student would always be reading a book of tales of early America, probably the discovery of the country since those figures like Leif Ericsson and Columbus loom larger than life. The Form II and III students would be focusing on a specific period of time (and since their cycles are identical, see the chart here: https://www.adelectableeducation.com/p/history-rotations.html) they could be reading from the same history spine. They would also be doing at least British history and possibly also Ancient History (which isn't begun until the second year of Form II) which could also be read together. It is good to read at least one biography in either American or British history from the period studied per year. Depending on the books used, another life could be studied as well. Their history lessons would not always be together (Form I separate from Forms II and III) but the conversations around the table, the play in the yard, and the coordination of some literature, art, and music (which all enrich the time period being studied) would contribute immensely to the shared culture and atmosphere of the home.
2) We love the TruthQuest History book lists too! (Michelle is a dear friend of ours and we have modeled our library after hers) They offer such great selections, the only thing I would want to mention is *quantity.*
CM would only use a spine book for each Form (that would be read over the entire rotation, only the portions covering the time being studied that year were read) and maybe a biography from *one* of their history streams. However, she was a great proponent of good historical fiction being available for the students to read as much as they desired in their free time; and you will find ample choices in TQH.
Some of the spines we really like are listed on the Episode 14 page. Most of those are also listed in TQH, but you are free to choose whichever spine book works best for your children. Both of your students are in Form I, so American history is exactly where you would want to be!
I hope this helps guide you as you plan your school books and history lessons for your children. Let us know if we can be of further assistance!
–Emily
This is SOOO helpful. Now I can picture this and it makes so much sense! Thank you for making it understandable
You talked about historical tales but I am not quite understanding. Some of what I find when I google is not appropriate, so what would you look at? Would you just read these tales throughout the year with no further discussion (until you build the narration ability)?
These history tales to be read in the first year of school (Form 1B) are to be narrative stories of the great men and deeds from the earliest part of American History. Think Leif the Lucky by the D'Aulaires and other stories of the discovery of the country. Just like any other lesson, a child narrates the story (or portion of the story) after a single, attentive reading. If further discussion ensues, due to interest of the child, great, but that should happen after narration.
Are you familiar with the Charlotte Mason method? I'm detecting a question underlying this one, about the role of the teacher, and I would encourage you to listen to Episode 3 (https://www.adelectableeducation.com/2015/10/episode-3-role-of-teacher.html) where we address this.
Thank you for listening and asking your questions!
-Emily
Emily, I have been reading up and listening on the method. But there is always comments about narration starts with once a week, but if you have school every day you cannot be narrating everything to begin with until they get their legs under them so I assume you pick one thing to start with. My thought was to lean towards literature since I plan to start reading Aesops fables first. Maybe that is the question then. A first grader is not narrating everything to begin with so how do you pick and choose or get an idea what they are learning. I guess I am not seeing that balance when everyone then talks about narrating the lessons, but that is a narration question.
Laurie,
We try to say it on nearly every show, but we do start narration with the stories first. Narration is a skill and takes time to build. That said, just because a child hasn't narrated something doesn't mean he will not narrate. Children usually act out or talk about what interests them and you will still know. Two to six-year-olds narrate
constantly. Just watch, listen.
Fairy tales or chapter story books or tales are the easiest for beginners. By the end of the first year, they are probably narrating a few times per day. Every child does not progress the same, as we observe with walking and talking, so you will find no hard and fast rules. Narration is for the child, not for the teacher's information. It is a wonderful gift to train them in the habit of narration.
Liz
Thank you so much for this!! Your podcasts are really helping to fill in many gaps in my understanding of CM. Keep up the good work! A couple questions: Any ideas how State history can fit into this? … Perhaps just pick up where you are chronologically with US History, instead of going backwards to cover it all? Also, would American Tall Tales be considered appropriate stories of the "heroic age?"
J.L.B.,
Thanks for your kind words. It sounds like you are on the right track. You could do a little state history with each time period in America, or cover it in a year at an early age, say third or fourth grade, as that is the place your child is most familiar with. I usually recommend tall tales in first grade with all the tales, but there are some verses of heroic poetry (e.g., Longfellow's), that could also add to your history study at different phases. Keep up the learning yourself and your children will blossom.
-Liz
This is interesting to me, because I do the opposite with my Year 2 student (she's 7). I will have her narrate her history/geography/science and I let her just listen to our literature selections (Wind in the Willows, Understood Betsy, etc). This sounds much worse than I mean it to, but I want her to just enjoy the literature. Not to say that I want her to NOT enjoy her history! And I believe she does enjoy it! 🙂
But I would rather her narrate (and KNOW) history than Understood Betsy. 🙂 Maybe I'm misunderstanding something, though?
Catie,
It's hard for me to tell to what remark of ours you are referring here, but I'm going to take a stab that it is about narrating from stories first?
Narrating, of course, is the way the child learns and, since stories are what a child is most familiar with, a good starting place in learning the art of narration. Narration is not simply for the purpose of reporting to you her lesson, it is a myriad of complex skills of ordering, organizing, and absorbing ideas for a child to store for
future use. I don't know whether the "literature" you mention is pleasure reading or school lessons, but the special development of characters, plot, and vocabulary, as well as differing literary styles, do need to be put into words by your child for her future exploration of the wonderful world of literature. If you are referring to family pleasure reading, naturally narrations aren't required outside of school hours. Literature is particularly powerful in helping a child to understand himself, others, the world, and ultimately, God himself; therefore, those narrations of literature in school time are critical. You are right, narration is the Act of Knowing as Mason said, and does help a child to *KNOW* the lesson, but this knowledge is much more complex than just plot and facts, and is probably even richer than we currently realize.
Liz
Sorry I wasn't more clear! 🙂 And THANK YOU for responding! That *is* what I meant exactly. 🙂 I usually try to read our literature selections during school time, but if we're "behind" I'll also read them before bed.
"but the special development of characters, plot, and vocabulary, as well as differing literary styles, do need to be put into words by your child for her future exploration of the wonderful world of literature." That was especially helpful!
Thanks for all you ladies are doing! God bless you!!
I had to listen to the episode twice & take notes BUT I have to say that THIS way of cycling through history makes the most sense of any I have come across! Thank you all so much for this podcast!!
Morgan,
That brings me such joy to know! I felt the exact same way when I had charted Mason's assignments and saw her overall pattern. I felt like the Holy Spirit was acting as bridge between her brain and mine over the intervening years. That sounds kind of crazy, I know, but I was that excited to finally grasp her pattern!
-Emily
Hi Emily
Thank you for your careful research and sharing this with us. I agree with the previous poster. It makes more sense to me than the other history cycles I've come across over these 10 years or so I have been researching cm & homeschooling methods. And what I want is to do what cm did, and now I know what that looked like specifically when it comes to history.
I have an 8th grader & 5th grader who will be beginning with the age of discovery/ Renaissance this fall and cycling through over 4 years to modern times. (For both American and English/western civ.). Now, for the ancient history, what should our four year cycle look like?
A first civilizations / Egypt
B Greeks
C Romans
D Middle Ages
Or
A Egypt & Greece
B Romans & early Middle Ages
C high Middle Ages
D late Middle Ages
Or should we just cover pre-Greek in the course of our Old Testament background commentary?
Any guidance you can offer as far as which parts of ancient history to spend more time on, I would appreciate it greatly!
I am so glad my research could benefit you! In Mason's schools her rotation looked just like you first option. Bible was separate and deserved it's own study–but would also be included in their book of centuries. The only thing to note is that for your form 2 student, they would only study the early Middle Ages up to about 1000ad where their "modern studies" picked up.
Emily
Thank you, Emily! I have another question please. CM scheduled church history, right? Was this fitted into it's time in both the ancient (Roman) and modern streams or covered separately from beginning to end without regard for the historical period being covered in their history subjects. Also, did she use any kind of art history and was it fitted in with history streams or covered separately? Thank you!
Actually, CM didn't schedule Church History as such. It was not a separate stream of their history studies, but occasionally junior-high/high-school students were assigned an *optional* Sunday reading that was a part of church history–a biography or an individual book on a specific era of the church, etc.
As the student is reading through their Ancient and Modern books, church history does play an important role, and will be included. It should, like all other historical periods studied (including Bible), be added to their century charts and Book of Centuries.
As for art history–yes! Starting in High School (check out the "Subjects by Forms" page for more info like this), CM added an Art Survey (as a separate lesson from history) book and the students specifically read about the art from the period of history they were currently studying. (She did that with music and architecture too)
-Emily
Very clear explanation. Thank you, Emily. Ok, yes, now I see the art survey and music history beginning in form 5 (10th grade). Good to know that it was concurrent with historical periods being covered in history streams.
Actually, a specific Music Appreciation book was used beginning in Form III and Art History in Form IV. I see I don't have them delineated as such on my Forms page, I'll add that to the list!
Emily
Great. Thanks for sharing all of these details with us all. I have been copiously taking notes from this podcast as I plan our next year and the rough plan for the next several years.
I have a question about Form 1B. I understand that we would study our nation's Heroic age by focusing on the great tales and men of that time. Multiple times you have mentioned Leif Erikson but who else falls in this category? Do we include Columbus and other early explorers? Jamestown and the Plymouth colony? How far can we go? Legendary figures such as Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan, John Henry, Pecos Bill? What about other explorers such as Lewis and Clark? Is learning about Benjamin Franklin's inventions going too far? Would this be an appropriate time to learn about Native American tribes that lived/live in our region? I am trying to pin down what is meant by an American heroic age.
The history tales that I think appropriate for our American history would be those early explorers (1000-1600). The only period studied in 1B would be before the chronology starts in Form 1A–with the permanent settlement at Jamestown, so 1607. That's when our "Authentic," as Mason called it, history begins and we have a continuous chronological record of American history. Really, if you think about it like replacing what Form 1 in the PNEU did with Our Island Story, those first 20 chapters are what 1B would cover. Other than the first mythic chapter, all the rest are actual recorded events, but there is lots of "blank" space in between. Misty times.
Those characters you mention like Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill would fit much better in literature as Tall Tales, since mostly they are fiction. Perhaps all about them is fiction. Johnny Appleseed was a real person, most definitely, but lived in the 18th-19th centuries so would also not fit into this time. The same goes for Lewis and Clark–all of these people will be covered once the chronological study of our authentic history begins.
I'm trying to figure out how to get our cycle back on track. Because of what we studied last year, we didn't follow these history rotations, we are in Ancient Greece and Modern. How important is it to keep Rome with Expansion and Middle Ages with Modern?
If I just followed the rotation of each stream that we are currently in without treating them as a pair, I'd have:
US/British – 1900-2016 + Ancient Greece (Current – 7th/9th grade)
US/British – 1492-1650 + Ancient Rome (8th/10th grade)
US/British – 1650-1800 + Middle Ages (9th/11th grade)
US/British – 1800-1900 + Ancient Near East/Egypt (10th/12th grade)
Is there a way to get us back on track? What other options would you suggest?
What do I lose by not keeping the streams aligned as you suggest? Thanks for your help!!
Melissa,
It is very important to keep the Ancient and American/British cycles together because as you cycle through your A/B picks up right where you left off in Ancient. (When you finish Middle Ages at 1000 AD the next year you cycle back to 1000 AD in American/British). I'd just recommend switching your Ancient stream ASAP (if you have a term or more now you could at least do some Middle Ages), and use a different book the next time you do Greece. There is so much to cover in each Ancient civilization, and the jump would be much more noticeable in your modern streams, that I think the negatives would be outweighed by the positives of keeping the alignment.
-Emily
Thanks, Emily! We will finish out this term with Ancient Greece and then jump over to the latter Middle Ages (since we did early Middle Ages last year) and then we'll be right on track! 😀
Aaah! Ok. So with my 6yr old this year we have read already Mara Pratt's American History Stories and just finished vol 1. We have read Ben Franklin and Washington Crossing the Delaware, Sarah Noble, Matchlock Gun, Jonathan Edwards, Hiawatha…and just started Lewis and Clark and Me. Sounds like we've done too much and went too far?! He also loves listening to an audio cd by Teddy Roosevelt (American History Tales I think it's called which has a lot of Civil War on it) and we've read lots of tall tales. The thing is we've been reading so much Early American history even since he was 4….do I keep going? Do I stop? We've done a timeline and he narrates everything. And is very good at it…and this doesn't count our literature readings… I'm going to try to get a consult with you:). But in the meantime did I go too far/do too much? I've kept the readings very short (followed mostly along with AMCM). But again we started a lot when he was younger just because he ate up everything we read.
Tricia,
Oh, how wonderful to have such an eager student. I would be delighted to help you with a consult, but in the meantime, try to include more of all the other subjects on the feast table–math, picture study, poetry, fairytales, folk songs, handicrafts…
You could read some more biographies. When you start in a time period for next year, you can get into the rotation at any point in the future–1800, 1900, etc. Also, Mason did not do timelines with children this young, but his eagerness does make me smile.
-Liz
Thank you for responding! And I am excited to request a consult with you all! the thing is we DO all those other things you mentioned, to quite a full extent as well, including cello, and are pretty balanced (I THINK;). I can't wait to talk to you ladies. Anyway, I thought of another question in regards to history. We've been studying and reading Opal Wheeler's Handel and I wonder does it matter that the time periods are different? Also we are finishing up Matisse, and Frost for poet, so did Charlotte intend to keep all other studies within that time period? And free reads? And I'm glad his eagerness makes you smile. It does me too, when it isn't wearing me out! Ha! This boy came out eating the world up I tell you!
Tricia,
Mason indeed tied literature, poetry, geography, biography, composer, and artist with the chronological period, especially starting in form II. In form I, it is more important that the child be awakened to the existence of such things. "Free" reads include historical fiction of the time period, but pleasure, non narrated, non-school reading does not have to fit with the lesson focus.
Liz
I’m intrigued by this model of history and appreciate your knowledge of CM in general. That being said, could anyone offer any insights on some of the concerns my husband mentioned about some of the history?
-lack of understanding contributing to everything happening around the world that influenced both British (ex – tribal stuff in Africa contributing to slave trade) and American history because of such a limited focus (This study could happen in later years, but does it?)
-made more sense in her time to focus on British and then French history, but the world as changed a lot in 100+ years, and more study of world history seems like a better fit for a more globalized world
-Is the Bible not studied as history itself? Is there a tendency for kids to dismiss as not as relevant or real?
Hi, I’ve been listening to some of your podcasts, including this one of course. 🙂 They are so helpful! I’m wondering if you could help me to see how to approach this year based on what we have done up to this point. We have been following Ambleside Online and have completed Years 1-3. My daughter is heading into 4th Grade and is beginning Form II. Regarding specifically history, am I understanding it right that, since she is now entering Form II, we would be cycling through history again, beginning our study of American History at around 1500 (basically starting at the beginning of our country’s history) then match that up with British history for that same time period? And if I’m understanding that correctly, I’m wondering what resources I should use. Since we have already read all of Our Island Story except for just a handful of chapters at the end, and are about 30 chapters into This Country of Ours. Thanks for your help!
Hi, Karen.
Students do *not* start over at the beginning of the rotation when they enter a new Form–they just keep moving forward until they reach the present and then rotate back to the beginning. Have you checked out the History Rotation Diagrams linked above? Form II students’ history time periods cycles between 1000-present. I’d just start in whichever column, in the appropriate row for your Forms, comes next after your current course of study. If you look at the comments on Episode 14, you’ll see many suggestions of books to use, including alternatives for Our Island Story.
–Emily
Thanks Emily. I actually listened to Episode 14 after I had posted my comment and jotted down some options. 🙂 Sorry about that. Thanks for clarifying the history rotation. I had looked at the History Rotation Diagrams and I did understand that they kept progressing chronologically through Forms. But for some reason, I thought that they started from the beginning at the start of the Forms indicated on the diagrams. Silly me! *blush* I appreciate you clarifying that for me. 🙂
I plan to homeschool my oldest next year and don’t quite understand how we should jump into the form III rotation. There’s a four year cycle but only 2 grades comprise this form. Since we are new to CM and homeschooling which 2 cycles do I choose? My guess is Expansion of America Year and Modern America Year so be on track for forms IV-VI but would love your advice. Thanks!
The rotation keeps going after your child leaves a Form. I would suggest moving forward to the next time period from wherever you are currently in your studies. CM was insistent that history study should be consecutive and chronological.
I forgot to specify that she is currently in 6th grade. My apologies!