Simple, lively lessons for learning the addition tables, three-digit addition and subtraction, beginning multiplication tables, and a gentle introduction to division. See full description
Book 2 is also available in a bundle with manipulatives, supplies, and a gridded math notebook.
You and your child are sure to enjoy these simple, lively lessons that will help him gain a firm footing in addition, subtraction, and multiplication through 1,000.
In Book 2, your student will solidify and learn the addition tables up to 10 + 10 and the multiplication tables up to 6 x 10. Addition and subtraction with three-digit numbers, including carrying and borrowing, will also be introduced with step-by-step, interactive lessons that encourage your child to work confidently with larger numbers, as well as with money.
For grade 2 you will need The Charlotte Mason Elementary Arithmetic Series, Book 2, and a Math Notebook for your child (3/4″ or 1/2″ grid recommended). Add the optional Book 2 Kit for a helpful collection of objects and Number Sentence Cards corresponding to the lessons.
Number Sentence Cards are a homeschool math teacher’s best friend. Each card contains a handful of equations. If you need to step away from the math lesson for a few minutes, hand your student a card or two. He will be able to continue the lesson smoothly on his own by working those equations—using the manipulatives if he needs to—and writing the answers on his personal whiteboard.
Charlotte Mason’s Approach to Elementary Arithmetic
Charlotte Mason’s beginning math lessons seem to be tailor made for an early elementary child.
Lessons are mainly oral and are carefully graduated, with your child answering small word problems within his understanding (no reading required). He works out the problems in a hands-on way using a variety of common, everyday objects. This straightforward but interesting teaching guides your child to make discoveries on his own.
A grid notebook is used as the student’s math notebook, in which he records the math concepts he has discovered. Writing is used sparingly, so the effort of handwriting does not overshadow the math concept being grasped.
Progression of the lessons is adjusted to the pace that fits your child best, so you can go slowly enough to build understanding and comfort in the math concepts but not so slowly that the child becomes bored.
Short, lively lessons reinforce a habit of concentrated attention while not overtaxing the child’s ability to sit still. Each day’s work goes no longer than 20 minutes, with 15 minutes focused on the newest math concept and the remaining 5 for review.
Book 2 Features
The lessons in The Charlotte Mason Elementary Arithmetic Series, Book 2, follow Charlotte Mason’s philosophy and methods for teaching math as outlined above. In Book 2 you will find
Day-by-day lessons, so you can guide your student with confidence;
Straightforward instructions, so you (or any other teacher) can open and go with no prep time;
An extra 50 pages of review containing hundreds of engaging bonus questions, so you can easily linger on any concept needed;
End-of-term exams that can be customized according to where your child is in the lessons;
Helpful teaching tips, so you can be sure you’re teaching math in a Charlotte Mason way;
Regular reminders to have a Number Sentence Card or two on hand, so the lesson can continue even if you need to step away for a moment;
A beautiful and durable hard cover that will stand up well to many years of enjoyable math lessons;
A full year of math for students in grade 2 or excellent review lessons for older students who need to solidify their grasp of the addition and multiplication tables;
A non-consumable resource that will make a wonderful addition to your home library and can be used with all of your children.
Book 2 is a beautiful addition to The Charlotte Mason Elementary Arithmetic Series and an exciting way to strengthen your relationship with your child as you continue to climb together in the mountainous land of mathematics, just as Charlotte Mason described it. And with lessons like these, you can be sure that every step taken will be on firm ground.
Arithmetic Concepts in Book 2
In The Charlotte Mason Elementary Arithmetic Series, Book 2, your child will gain a solid understanding of these arithmetic concepts.
The idea and operation of addition
The idea and operation of subtraction
Addition and subtraction tables up to 20 (10 + 10)
Addition and subtraction with money
Addition and subtraction in interesting story problems
Addition and subtraction with pure number
Longer sums with three or four sets of figures
Addition and subtraction of numbers within 1000
The idea and operation of multiplication
Simple multiplication to show the idea of “times”
The symbol “x”
Construction of multiplication tables up to 6 x 10
Mastery of multiplication tables up to 6 x 10
Multiplication by 10s, 100s, 1000s
The idea and operation of division
The symbol “÷”
Multiplication and division with money
Multiplication and division in interesting story problems
8 reviews for The Charlotte Mason Elementary Arithmetic Series: Book 2
Rated 5 out of 5
Kristin Hatton –
I was looking forward to this book being available for purchase as I was already using much of the Charlotte Mason method in my teaching of Math. The book has been a perfect help to me as the teacher. I’m really enjoying how seamlessly it flows from one part of math to the learning of another. I can see my son improving before my eyes. This book which follows the Charlotte Mason method does usually require the teachers full attention during the short lessons but I’ve only found that a benefit as the child I’m using the book with struggles with attention and working with the teacher helps to keep him engaged.
Rated 5 out of 5
Crystal –
When I attended the Conference this past week I was not looking for a change in our Math. I had what I thought was working well for my family and honestly was blown away by the fact that here I was, new Math book in hand ready to Change. I have been using this book for 2 days now. JUST 2 and am already seeing how my children are LOOKING FORWARD to math lessons. I am now going to be buying book 1. I can see the comprehension on my kids faces with this method. And OH how I wish it had been available in this easy to use form 11yrs ago. Needless to say I am looking forward to the release of book 3 and above. Thank you so much for changing this seasoned homeschool moms mind and showing me Math a better way.
Rated 5 out of 5
Crystal –
It makes a difference because all the principles that are learned are done so in a natural and tangible way. Each principle builds upon the next and the books guide the parent through the lessons. It makes a difference, for me, that there is no separate manual for the parent, or another one for tests. Everything in the book is all encompassing and I don’t feel like there are gaps in the way we approach math. My kids would roll their eyes when we would pull out our box of math u see manipulatives. It was like walking up to a wall, every.single.time.
They look forward to math now and I have noticed that they are not only fully understanding what they learn, even if it is at a snail’s pace, but they are also mastering the habit of perfect attention.
If they get something wrong, they don’t feel upset, we move on to the next word problem, and they work even harder to get it right. Before, I hate to admit, I would take my red pen…. and cross out the incorrect problem and have them redo it. I didn’t know any better. I feel awful thinking about it. I think the biggest difference is that they see math through the world we live in, and not just through the eyes of a child who is chained to rainbow colored, plastic cubes.
Also, the tests. They disliked tests. I could see the anxiousness in their face when I would pull them out at the end of “section 4,” etc.
You have term exams at the back of each book and they don’t feel anything like the paper ones I would pull out once a week, and scribble all over with my red ink.
Rated 5 out of 5
Jill Cain –
My son went from dreading math and struggling through it to looking forward to it. Math is now his favorite subject and he begs to do math first every day. The way this series teaches is very natural and simple yet extremely effective. It has been a dream for both student and teacher.
This math curriculum is my favorite curriculum I have ever used for elementary grades. I wish it had been available with my previous five kiddos.
Also…
I LOVE the hardback version! Being a book lover, I appreciate the size of the book and the formatting and layout of the entire book. It is very appealing. Absolutely worth the price!
Rated 5 out of 5
Jadie –
I really love this math book. My daughter hated math because she said it was so confusing, now she is actually adding multiple three digit numbers without me even having to constantly direct her! It’s truly such a blessing. I love how addition with carrying is explained, it makes everything so clear and it made all the difference in the world for my daughter.
Thank you for making Charlotte Mason math more accessible!
Rated 5 out of 5
Cynthia Wood –
I wholeheartedly agree with all the previous reviewers. In my homeschool journey I began with Abeka, then switched to Saxon (which I still like for the older grades). In our early years these books left my older two kids in tears and me in complete frustration almost every day. It took me too long to realize that they just weren’t grasping the basic tables—no matter how many times we wrote them out (cringe!). Therefore everything else in math was that much more difficult for them. Then I found the CM Elementary Book 2, which changed everything. My second child balked at first because going back to master adding 2’s was “baby stuff.” However, it didn’t take long before we were moving through the tables and she began to feel more challenged, yet not in a way that made her fight me or refuse to continue. She actually looks forward to math now. This book has helped her master the +- tables, and I feel more confident moving forward. Plus, I LOVE the short lesson times. It’s perfect for younger children because the lesson is over by the time they feel the need to wander off to find a lost toy or get a snack.
I will definitely be purchasing Book 3 for her, and Book 1 for her little sister. I wish I knew about CM and these books when my oldest was in her grammar school years.
Rated 4 out of 5
Angelia Mercer –
I don’t know if it is fair to take a star for this, but I wasn’t quite as happy with book two because we found it had too much review. We skipped the first half of the book entirely – it is a review the addition and subtraction tables. My child was going to revolt! We had just gone through all that in book 1 until he knew it cold. There’s a large section in the back of the book that is review, so for the size of the book the number of fresh lessons was a bit of a disappointment for me. It is however an excellent way to present math concepts, and it continues to be very easy to progress with short lessons. The addition and subtraction facts are taught so well (even without the extensive review) that the multiplication table is all but learned before you even get there, and I suspected division will be a breeze as well. Can’t wait to get to fractions!
valerierohde –
Thank you for your honest review and feedback, Angelia. You are correct there is plenty of review material from Book 1 included to get your child up to speed again if you’ve taken a summer break between school years, to ensure a solid foundation for students who may need the additional practice, and it sounds like you did exactly what we recommend as far as how we highly encourage you to move on at your child’s pace. This is very encouraging to hear that your child is thriving with their math thus far!
Rated 5 out of 5
Andrea Anderson –
H is eight and started with book 2, he loves the mental math and really enjoys the problems in the book of adding money, it’s amazing to watch him figure out how to carry pennies over to dimes and dimes to dollars. He likes the gridded math pages and is writing neater in them than lined paper. It’s a beautiful book. The Story problems are relatable to him and he asks to do this math book. He lives the orange ribbon book mark and opens it up and gets started. I do as mush or as little as he wants for the day. Its his choice, and he is learning very quickly even when one day he does 2 problems and the next he does 12. If he’s engaged he learns, if he is forced and regulated he doesn’t like it.
Kristin Hatton –
I was looking forward to this book being available for purchase as I was already using much of the Charlotte Mason method in my teaching of Math. The book has been a perfect help to me as the teacher. I’m really enjoying how seamlessly it flows from one part of math to the learning of another. I can see my son improving before my eyes. This book which follows the Charlotte Mason method does usually require the teachers full attention during the short lessons but I’ve only found that a benefit as the child I’m using the book with struggles with attention and working with the teacher helps to keep him engaged.
Crystal –
When I attended the Conference this past week I was not looking for a change in our Math. I had what I thought was working well for my family and honestly was blown away by the fact that here I was, new Math book in hand ready to Change. I have been using this book for 2 days now. JUST 2 and am already seeing how my children are LOOKING FORWARD to math lessons. I am now going to be buying book 1. I can see the comprehension on my kids faces with this method. And OH how I wish it had been available in this easy to use form 11yrs ago. Needless to say I am looking forward to the release of book 3 and above. Thank you so much for changing this seasoned homeschool moms mind and showing me Math a better way.
Crystal –
It makes a difference because all the principles that are learned are done so in a natural and tangible way. Each principle builds upon the next and the books guide the parent through the lessons. It makes a difference, for me, that there is no separate manual for the parent, or another one for tests. Everything in the book is all encompassing and I don’t feel like there are gaps in the way we approach math. My kids would roll their eyes when we would pull out our box of math u see manipulatives. It was like walking up to a wall, every.single.time.
They look forward to math now and I have noticed that they are not only fully understanding what they learn, even if it is at a snail’s pace, but they are also mastering the habit of perfect attention.
If they get something wrong, they don’t feel upset, we move on to the next word problem, and they work even harder to get it right. Before, I hate to admit, I would take my red pen…. and cross out the incorrect problem and have them redo it. I didn’t know any better. I feel awful thinking about it. I think the biggest difference is that they see math through the world we live in, and not just through the eyes of a child who is chained to rainbow colored, plastic cubes.
Also, the tests. They disliked tests. I could see the anxiousness in their face when I would pull them out at the end of “section 4,” etc.
You have term exams at the back of each book and they don’t feel anything like the paper ones I would pull out once a week, and scribble all over with my red ink.
Jill Cain –
My son went from dreading math and struggling through it to looking forward to it. Math is now his favorite subject and he begs to do math first every day. The way this series teaches is very natural and simple yet extremely effective. It has been a dream for both student and teacher.
This math curriculum is my favorite curriculum I have ever used for elementary grades. I wish it had been available with my previous five kiddos.
Also…
I LOVE the hardback version! Being a book lover, I appreciate the size of the book and the formatting and layout of the entire book. It is very appealing. Absolutely worth the price!
Jadie –
I really love this math book. My daughter hated math because she said it was so confusing, now she is actually adding multiple three digit numbers without me even having to constantly direct her! It’s truly such a blessing. I love how addition with carrying is explained, it makes everything so clear and it made all the difference in the world for my daughter.
Thank you for making Charlotte Mason math more accessible!
Cynthia Wood –
I wholeheartedly agree with all the previous reviewers. In my homeschool journey I began with Abeka, then switched to Saxon (which I still like for the older grades). In our early years these books left my older two kids in tears and me in complete frustration almost every day. It took me too long to realize that they just weren’t grasping the basic tables—no matter how many times we wrote them out (cringe!). Therefore everything else in math was that much more difficult for them. Then I found the CM Elementary Book 2, which changed everything. My second child balked at first because going back to master adding 2’s was “baby stuff.” However, it didn’t take long before we were moving through the tables and she began to feel more challenged, yet not in a way that made her fight me or refuse to continue. She actually looks forward to math now. This book has helped her master the +- tables, and I feel more confident moving forward. Plus, I LOVE the short lesson times. It’s perfect for younger children because the lesson is over by the time they feel the need to wander off to find a lost toy or get a snack.
I will definitely be purchasing Book 3 for her, and Book 1 for her little sister. I wish I knew about CM and these books when my oldest was in her grammar school years.
Angelia Mercer –
I don’t know if it is fair to take a star for this, but I wasn’t quite as happy with book two because we found it had too much review. We skipped the first half of the book entirely – it is a review the addition and subtraction tables. My child was going to revolt! We had just gone through all that in book 1 until he knew it cold. There’s a large section in the back of the book that is review, so for the size of the book the number of fresh lessons was a bit of a disappointment for me. It is however an excellent way to present math concepts, and it continues to be very easy to progress with short lessons. The addition and subtraction facts are taught so well (even without the extensive review) that the multiplication table is all but learned before you even get there, and I suspected division will be a breeze as well. Can’t wait to get to fractions!
valerierohde –
Thank you for your honest review and feedback, Angelia. You are correct there is plenty of review material from Book 1 included to get your child up to speed again if you’ve taken a summer break between school years, to ensure a solid foundation for students who may need the additional practice, and it sounds like you did exactly what we recommend as far as how we highly encourage you to move on at your child’s pace. This is very encouraging to hear that your child is thriving with their math thus far!
Andrea Anderson –
H is eight and started with book 2, he loves the mental math and really enjoys the problems in the book of adding money, it’s amazing to watch him figure out how to carry pennies over to dimes and dimes to dollars. He likes the gridded math pages and is writing neater in them than lined paper. It’s a beautiful book. The Story problems are relatable to him and he asks to do this math book. He lives the orange ribbon book mark and opens it up and gets started. I do as mush or as little as he wants for the day. Its his choice, and he is learning very quickly even when one day he does 2 problems and the next he does 12. If he’s engaged he learns, if he is forced and regulated he doesn’t like it.