Ambleside Online Additions - Living Books for Year 4 & Year 9 (18th century)

Ambleside Online Year 4: History 1640-1780 

(American Revolution and French Revolution, near the end)

In addition to the readings for AO Year 4, I added in books from different non-white perspectives: mainly Black and Native American from this time period. Books that we don't get to read together this year, can be for summer independent free reading or bump to Year 9. We did eliminate Madam How and Lady Why after Term 2, so that gave us more space to read these parallel narratives. Here is Ambleside Online's history sequence. This time period is covered again in Year 9. 

Amber from Heritage Mom has an AMAZING list of books covering this time period. I'm not going to list those here; just jump over to her website for all the glorious details. We have read many them and will incorporate the ones we missed/ones for older students into later years. Please check out the biographies and her descriptions for many of the books I have pictured below.

But heed her warning first: if you haven't studied African American history or read books about Black joy with your children prior to these times of enslavement, don't start here. Start with African tales or even early African history...and Amber has a curriculum ("Heritage Pack") about many of the countries in Africa called Amazing Africa!. She uses living picture books and some videos to explore the different cultures and countries. We started this and will continue it over the next couple years. 

Black history:

AO added this new book in 2020: Answering The Cry for Freedom by Gretchen Woelfle. It is superb. It contains a series of short biographies of African Americans during the 18th century. I also use this book as a springboard for further study of these heroes. Note that the book is scheduled over 3 years (Y4, 5, and 6). I have grown to truly appreciate how AO spreads out readings over whole years. It allows for deeper study and reflection of the times and people we read about. From Answering The Cry:

Year 4 includes: Boston King, Agrippa Hull, James Armistead Lafayette, Phillis Wheatley

Year 5: Elizabeth "Mumbet" Freeman, Prince Hall, Mary Perth, Ona Judge

Year 6: Sally Hemmings , Paul Cuffe, John Kizell, Richard Allen, and Jarena Lee

James Armistead LaFayette - we also read A Spy Called James by Anne Rockwell. He was my favorite from Year 4 readings. 

Phillis Wheatley - we read Phillis Wheatley America's First Black Poetess by Miriam Morris Fuller. I really like these books from the "Americans All" series published by Garrard. 

Benjamin Bannecker 1731-1806 - In addition to the books on Amber's list, I like Benjamin Banneker Atronomer and Scientist in the series "Americans All". 

James Forten - James Forten, Prisoner for Liberty by Marty Rhodes Figley and a chapter in We Were There, Too! by Phillip Hoose p. 65 (A good book to inspire further reading; I would not hand this over to a young child because of some graphic images.)

Look To The Hills by Patricia McKissack is part of the Dear America series 

Brick by Brick by Charles R. Smith Jr - we read this in Term 3 of Year 4 because there was a chapter that mentioned the building of the White House in the Abigail Adams book. 

Olaudah Equiano 1745-1797 - Two autobiographies - The Kidnapped Prince (Y4) and The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (Y9)

Jean Baptiste Pointe Desable founder of Chicago by Shirley Graham

A Crown for Thomas Peters by Maurice Hennessy

Native American / Indigenous Peoples:

Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom by Tim Tingle - This picture book shows the connections of the Choctaw Nation and Black people during this time.

Pontiac - Ottawa chief 1714-1769 There is one chapter in This Country of Ours on Pontiac, but we added in a Childhood of Famous Americans biography by Howard Peckham called Pontiac Young Ottawa Leader. There is also Pontiac Might Ottawa Chief by Virginia Voight. 

The Arrow Over The Door by Joseph Bruchac is the story Abenaki Indians from Canada meeting the Quakers in New York during the Revolutionary War. 

Global perspectives:

Haiti - Toussaint L'Ouverture (Haitian Revolution 1791-1804) - Click on his name for a post I wrote about him.

What the World Eats and Material World are great resources for global perspective- these are already on the AO list. 

Lastly, Emily from The Parallel Narrative started a website and has some great recommendations. I hope she keeps adding books in.

Please comment if you have any additional living books to add to this time period!