Charlotte Mason Form 2

Living Books and Supplies for Grades 4-6

Form 2 roughly corresponds with grades 4-6 of the U.S. school system. Students ages in Form 2 can range from 9 to 12, or, sometimes, even up to age 13.

Charlotte Mason Your Way Form 2 GuideFor more information about Form 2, or to plan your own custom curriculum, see the CM Your Way Form Guide for Form 2.

Or, for more information about Forms in general, see Understanding Forms in a Charlotte Mason Education.

Living Books for Your Form 2 Student (Grades 4-6)

Please use the religious texts applicable to your family’s faith and denomination. 

If you are not a religious family, see World Religions & Philosophies below.

Christianity

Judaism

The King James study Bible
KJV – Deluxe Gift Bible
The New American Bible: The Leading Catholic Resource
The Catholic Study Bible

Paterson Smyth Commentaries

The Book of Genesis
Moses and The Exodus
Joshua and The Judges
St. Matthew
JPS TANAKH -The Holy Scriptures
The Jewish Study Bible
The Family Book of Midrash
The Little Midrash Says
My Grandmother’s Stories

For Your Bar or Bat Mitzvah Student
(Form 2A Upper)

The Wonder of Becoming You
Today I Am a Woman: Stories of Bat Mitzvah around the World
Bar Mitzvah: A Jewish Boy’s Coming of Age
Make Your Own Bar/Bat Mitzvah: A Personal Approach to Creating a Meaningful Rite of Passage

World Religions & Philosophies

If you are not a religious family, feel free to replace with books about world religions or spiritual stories. Elements such as character building, virtues, and morality are woven into many other subjects, especially Literature, History, and Citizenship. You can also wait and add in world religions at a later date.

The Story of Religion
The Kids Book of World Religions
Wisdom Tales from Around the World
Peace Tales
Buddha
Buddha Stories
Mother Teresa
Muhammad
The Dalai Lama
The Fantastic Adventures of Krishna
The Legend of Saint Nicholas
Rumi
Rumi’s Fables

Literature for Your Form 2 Student (Grade 4-6)

Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
A Little Princess
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Old Yeller
The Swiss Family Robinson
Little Men
The Complete Jungle Book
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories
Treasure Island
Little Women
The Jungle Book
Robinson Crusoe
The Princess and the Goblin

Mythology for Your Form 2 Student (Grade 4-6)

Greek Mythology

The Golden Fleece – An the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles
Greek Myths

Iliad & Odyssey Retellings

Black Ships Before Troy – The Story of ‘The Iliad’
The Wanderings of Odysseus – The Story of the Odyssey

Norse Mythology

The Children of Odin – The Book of Northern Myths
Tales of Norse Mythology
Tales of Asgard by Keary
Tales of the Norse Warrior Gods – The Heroes of Asgard
In the Days of Giants

Arthurian Legend

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
King Arthur and His Knights
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table
The King Arthur Trilogy

Poetry for Your Form 2 Student

Lays of Ancient Rome
Favorite Poems Old and New
100 Great Poems for Boys
100 Great Poems for Girls

Cats by T.S. Eliot – I love reading these poems with my kids! We also listen to the music and see a show if possible!

Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats
Cats (1999)
“Poetry for Young People” Series
Animal Poems
William Blake
Edna St. Vincent Millay
The Seasons
William Carlos Williams
“Poetry for Young People” Series
Rudyard Kiplin
Langston Hughes
Maya Angelou
Carl Sandburg
“Poetry for Kids” Series
Robert Frost
Walt Whitman
Emily Dickinson
Carl Sandburg

Additional Living Books for Free Reading

A Christmas Carol
Captains Courageous
Little Britches
Tales of Ancient Egypt
The Book of Three
Around the World in 80 Days
Gone-Away Lake
Matilda
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Enchanted Castle
Ballet Shoes
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Sherlock Holmes
The Aeneid for boys and girls
The Phoenix and the Carpet
Black Beauty
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Stories of Don Quixote
The Arabian Nights
The Twenty-One Balloons
Call It Courage
Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Swallows and Amazons
The Book of Pirates
Where the Red Fern Grows

Living History Books for Your Form 2 Student (Grades 4-6)

Form 2 History includes American History, British History, and Ancient History.
See the Form 2 Guide for more detailed info

I am providing several options for American History:

American History Option #1

Use one of the 4 books listed below as your main History Spine:

Spine Option #1: America First by Lawton Evans. 

This is a wonderfully narrative book and does not require any previous knowledge. 

Be sure to purchase the AMERICA FIRST UPDATED EDITION.

Spine Option #2: A First Book in American History by Edward Eggleston 

This book gets the job done but is not as narrative as America First. 

Spine Option #3: The Story of the Thirteen Colonies and The Great Republic by H.A. Guerber 

This book is a bit harder than either of the previous books and is also an option for Form 3.

Spine Option #4: If you’d rather start with Native American history, I recommend The Book of Indians by Holling C. Holling. 

American History Option #2

The Steve Sheinkin American History Series
This option includes easier, but more modern books.

Don’t be put off with the style look of these books by Steve Sheinkin – they pack a good deal of information in a very engaging style!

Unfortunately, this series leaves out certain periods in American history (most notably early American history), so you will need to supplement with other books if you wish to cover those time periods. You can fill in the gaps with biographies.

Note: The Notorious Benedict Arnold and Bomb are best suited for older students in Form 2A Upper (Year 6). 

These books are also recommended for Form 3 students.

History Option #3:
The Betsy Maestro American History series

The Betsy Maestro American History series are picture books with simple historical info told in a fairly straight-forward way. Some books are out-of-print, but most can be found at your local library.

History Option #4:
American History through Biographies & Events

These books are good examples of books you could use instead of or in addition to the spines listed above.

Books for Early American History

Books for the American Revolution

Books for American History 1790 – 1850

Books for the American Civil War Era

Options for British History

Any of the books listed here can be used as a History Spine for a second history stream focused on British History.

Charlotte used Our Island Story by H.E. Marshall for her Form 1 students, but I think it works wonderfully for Form 2 as well, especially since it is used as a second history stream. 

It is beautifully narrative and a wonderful way to learn British history.

Charlotte used A History of England by H.O. Arnold-Forster for Form 2 students.

It is much harder and assumes that the student has some prior knowledge of British history. 

I think this book works better for a Form 3 student.

The British Empire by Gerald Johnson is a much more brief look at British history. 

It is not as narrative as An Island Story, but it is much easier than the Arnold-Forster book. 

Unfortunately, this book is also out-of-print and difficult to find.

Options for Ancient History

Any of the books listed here can be used as a History Spine for a third history stream focused on Ancient History.

Or you could use Story of the World (Volume 1) by Susan Wise Baur as an easier and more condensed option for ancient history.

Historical Fiction

These books are good examples of books you could use for History Tales / Historical Fiction.

Other Books & Things I Love for Form 2 Students

These are good examples of books you can use as reference books, supplements, or books just for fun!

Living Geography Books for Your Form 2 Student (Grades 4-6)

Regional Geography
Regional Geography
Regional Geography
Map Skills

Other Books I Love for Form 2 Geography

Supplies and Other Fun Stuff for You and Your Student

Globe

Wall Maps

Placemats

Puzzles

Wooden Puzzle Maps

Citizenship Books for Your Form 2 Student (Grades 4-6)

Plutarch’s Lives: Roman
Plutarch’s Lives: Greek
American Government

Living Science Books for Your Form 2 Student (Grades 4-6)

Any of the books listed here can be used as a Science book for Form 2

BFSU
Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding

Nature Lore Books for Your Form 2 Student (Grades 4-6)

Science Experiment Books for Form 2

Any of the books listed here can be used for Science Experiments

Other Books I Love for Form 2 Student (Grades 4-6)

Books you can use for special studies or just for fun!

Science Supplies for You and Your Form 2 Student (Grades 4-6)

Supplies and fun things for you and your student!

More options coming soon…

Handicraft Books for Your Form 2 Student (Grades 4-6)

Rooted Childhood
Rooted Childhood

Rooted Childhood is a lovely monthly download designed by a fellow CM mom. It features handicrafts, poems, songs, and recipes to share with your child. Use the coupon code CMPLENARY10 to get 10% off!

Handicraft Supplies for You and Your Form 2 Student

N.C. Wyeth

N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945) was an American artist who was known for his illustrations in many children’s books published by Scribner’s.

Great Illustrations of N. C. Wyeth
King Arthur: Illustrated by N. C. Wyeth
The Last of the Mohicans: Illustrated by N. C. Wyeth
Pilgrims: Illustrated by N. C. Wyeth

Johannes Vermeer

Vermeer (1632-1675) was a Dutch artist of the Baroque period. He is known for his domestic scenes of middle-class life.

Johannes Vermeer

Have fun singing together! Many children’s songs are based on folk songs. Here are some music suggestions that my kids loved when they were little. I have so many fond memories of singing these songs together!

Also see the “For Parents” tab under this subject for more resources.

For specific Folk Song recommendations, see the Folk Songs Rotation Page for the Wildwood Curriculum or their page listing Folk Songs by Historical Era.

Physical Education Books for Your Form 2 Student (Grades 4-6)

P.E. Supplies for You and Your Student

These are all items that my children have used for exercise fun.

I recommend the Composer Study Companion Series by RaeAnna Goss. The Bach Issue listed below is a free sample, but she has many other composers available.

See the example for Bach below for how you might add a picture book as a biography for a composer. 

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Composer Study Companion Series by RaeAnna Goss – the Bach issue is a free sample

Also see the Composer Study tab on the Kindergarten Page for more fun ideas!

More options coming soon…

My first choice for Forms 2 and 3 is Lively Latin. Start with Book 1, then move on to Book 2. Both books should last 2+ years each. It comes with an audio option and an online option. And it’s fun!

Another option for Form 2 Latin is Minimus. 

Book 1 Teacher’s Guide

Book 1 Audio CD

Book 1 Student Workbook

Book 2 Teacher’s Guide

Book 2 Audio CD

Book 2 Student Workbook

Also available at Rainbow Resource here