Cycle 2 Foundations Resources - Family Style Schooling (2024)

I can't believe we're heading into our third round of Cycle 2 of Classical Conversations. Sadly it will be our last, as my youngest only has two years of foundations left! I've loved gathering Cycle 2 resources in my home library to supplement our study throughout the year. None of these books are required to complete a successful year studying with Classical Conversations, and many of them you can find at your local library. I just love collecting books as we find great resources along the way, and we loving having the resources at our fingertips when curiosity arises.

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Cycle 2 may be my favorite cycle because it was my first exposure to CC memory work. I love the world history, the European geography, and the medieval writing. It is such a rich year of study, and I can't wait to dive back into some of these books again!

History:

In Cycle 2, the focus is on world history - Pre-Reformation to Modern.

• Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
• Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World History

• The Story of the World (Vol 2): The Middle Ages: From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Renaissance - and Audio
• The Story of the World (Vol. 3): Early Modern Times and Audio
• 100 Events that Changed the World
• Children's World Cookbook

• Monks and Mystics: Chronicles of the Medieval Church
• Courage and Conviction: Chronicles of the Reformation Church
• The Industrial Revolution for Kids
• World War I for Kids
• World War II for Kids
• World War II: Fighting For Freedom

Readers:

• Historical Fiction
  • The Ballad of the White Horse
  • The Hawk that Dare not Hunt by Day
  • Adam of the Road
  • Castle Diary
  • The Door in the Wall(a Challenge A reader)
  • Crispin: The Cross of Lead (a Challenge A reader)
  • The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow
  • Number the Stars (a Challenge A reader)
  • Wings Like a Dove: The Courage of Queen Jeanne D'Albret

• Great Biographies from the Time Period:
  • Corrie ten Boom: Keeper of the Angel's Den (The Hiding Place is read in Challenge B, but this is a great introductory reader)
  • George Muller: The Guardian of Bristol's Orphans
  • C.S. Lewis: Master Storyteller
  • Brother Andrew: God's Secret Agent
  • Jacob DeShazer: Forgive Your Enemies
  • The Story of Eli Whitney
  • Who was Leonardo da Vinci?

• Other British Literature that would be fun to introduce:
  • The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (a Challenge A reader)
  • The Magician's Nephew (a Challenge A reader)
  • Jane Eyre (Treasure of IllustratedClassics) (the full version is read in Challenge II)
  • Alice in Wonderland (a Challenge II reader)
  • Gulliver's Travels (Treasure of Illustrated Classics) ( the full version is read in Challenge II)
  • The Secret Garden (a Challenge A reader)
  • The Princess and the Goblin
  • Any Shakespeare introductions -
    • How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare
    • Tales from Shakespeare

Science:

The focus for Science in Cycle 2 is Ecology, Astronomy, and Physical Science.

• Everything You Need to Know about Science Homework
• Discover Science and Nature
• The Kingfisher Illustrated Nature Encyclopedia
• The Ecology Book
• The New Astronomy Book

• There's No Place Like Space
• Energy (DK See for Yourself)
• Who was Isaac Newton?
• Isaac Newton: Inventor, Scientist, and Teacher (Sower Series)

Latin:

Cycle 2's focus in Latin is on Conjugation Endings.

• Check out my Present Stem worksheets, and Perfect Stem worksheets for your foundations student. I'll print a bunch of sheets and spiral them so that we can have weeks of conjugating fun!
• If you want more, check out my Verb Charts...but these are targeted more for the Challenge age students, but would be awesome if moms wanted to dig deeper.
• We still love the First Thousand Words in Latin:

• Fairy Tales in Latin: Fabulae Mirabiles(I love this one...it's really a fun way to play with reading Latin)

• 501 Latin Verbs (this is a fun resource to find the endings your memorizing, and to realize that there is much more to Verbs than what we learn in Foundations!)

  See Also

  Cycle 2 Reading Plans & Loop Schedules : Half a Hundred Acre Wood

English:

The focus for the English memory work is pronouns, adverbs, and conjunctions.

• Schoolhouse Rock DVDs (I love the songs...so much fun!)
• I don't own any of these books, but I just found Ruth Heller and her books look fabulous! I want them all. Her name will be on my hunting book list:
  • Merry Go Round: A Book About Nouns
  • Mine! Mine! Mine! A Book About Pronouns
  • Up, Up and Away! A Book about Adverbs
  • Fantastic! Wow! and Unreal! A Book about Interjections and Conjunctions

Math

• Pull the Tabs Times Tables Book
• Everything you need to know about Math homework
• Understanding Math
• Classical Conversations Math Trivium Table

GEOGRAPHY:

• Classical Conversations Geography Trivium Table
• Compact World Atlas(the Atlas used in Challenge A)
• The Kingfisher Geography Encyclopedia
• Mapping the World with Art

SCRIPTURE:

Ephesians 6(KJV)

• Ross King has developed full songs for our CC scripture memory work. They are awesome.

GREAT ARTISTS:

• Rembrandt (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists)
• Claude Monet(Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists)
• Monet Paints a Day
• Edgar Degas(Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists)
• Classical Conversations Acts & Facts Great Artists Cycle 2
• The Annotated Mona Lisa (a Challenge II resource)

ORCHESTRA AND COMPOSERS:

• Story of the Orchestra : Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, the Music and the Composers Who Wrote the Music!
• Ludwig Beethoven and the Chiming Tower Bells
• The Young Brahms
• SQUILT Vol 2: Classical Era(features Beethoven)
• SQUILT Vol 3: Romantic Era(features Brahms)
• Classical Music for Dummies (a Challenge II text book)

So there's my crazy list of what Cycle 2 resources are on my bookshelf.

What are some of your favorite Cycle 2 resources?

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