Additional Resources for Social
Studies
http://www.whatwasthere.com/ This side, using Google maps, allows one to see the way a place used to look. What a great way to add authenticity to a topic of study. https://www.hstry.co/ This site will work on an ipad or Chrome book. It’s a way to create a multimedia timeline. |
New Titles!![]() Schubert, Leda. Listen: How Pete Seeger Got America Singing. Illus. Raul Colon. New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2017.
Pete Seeger was a prolific songwriter who, over several decades, drew a wide variety of audiences, championed many causes, and rallied others to the fight. He was suspected and reviled by many because of his political stance, but he pressed on and allowed his music to make a wide impact on American society. Woven into this rhythmic, free verse story of Seeger’s life, are many of his song titles, off-set in blue font. The illustrations are hazy, textured, emotion filled pieces that complement the text. A concluding author’s note relates more of his legacy, and is followed by a timeline, endnotes, and sources. Seeger’s life would play as an excellent example of music history, but it teaches about the civil rights movement of the 1960’s and ‘70’s. Winter, Jeanette. Malala: A Brave Girl From Pakistan/ Iqbal: A Brave Boy From Pakistan. Beach Lane Books, 2014. This two-in-books-in-one title gives the reader a picture of two children living in Pakistan under dangerous rule. Iqbal becomes a slave in a carpet factory to repay his parents $12 loan. Over time he learns the law requiring this slavery has been repealed. He spreads the word in his village, country, and in America. Returning home, he is shot and killed after threats by factory owners. Malala defies Taliban law to go to school, and speaks out in Pakistan for other girls to do the same. She, too, is shot, but survives to speak globally about educational rights for girls. She’s won many awards and continues to use her voice. Winter begins each story with a short biographical note of each child and more information about their life. The illustrations are classic Winter pieces, full of emotion, expression, and action that will appeal to children. ![]() Levy, Debbie. I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark. Illus. Elizabeth Baddeley. Simon and Schuster, 2016.
Growing up Jewish in New York in the 1940's, Ruth, and her mother, had different ideas -- that girls could, and should be able to do anything. Ruth was small and serious, but very outspoken, excelled at school and college, but when she was finally admitted to law school, she was the only woman out of 500 students. She tied for first in her class, then had difficulty getting a job. But through hard work and perseverance she was able to argue many cases successfully, even through at the Supreme Court in the 1970's, that changed discriminatory practices for women and all minorities. Eventually, President Clinton appointed her the first Jewish woman as a Justice on the Supreme Court. She is currently the oldest, and still one of the most outspoken, member of the Supreme Court. This powerful story is paired with thought provoking, yet entertaining, illustrations in period colors. The book finishes with additional information about her life and Supreme Court Cases, selected bibliography, and quotation sources. ![]() Kanefield, Teri. The Girl from the Tar Paper School: Barbara Rose Johns and the Advent of the Civil rights Movement. Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2014. Barbara Johns, an African American high school student in Virginia in 1951, was appalled at the conditions of the make shift classrooms in their segregated school. Acting well beyond her years, she organized a peaceful walk out, demonstration, and boycott among her senior class to demand new facilities. They were ridiculed by the local school board, government, and police force. The NAACP agreed to take on the case, only if the students changed their demands to full integration. They agreed, and their case contributed to the 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education. The story begins with Barbara’s senior year, and flashes back to her early years, and then beyond. Remarkably, she grew up to become a school librarian! The book is filled with captioned photos, sidebars, quotations, and primary sources. The large font and strong voice makes for a swift read. The concluding author’s note is enlightening, and the timeline, endnotes, and extensive bibliography complete the book. Schatz, Kate. Rad American Women A-Z. Illus. Miriam Klein Stahl. City Slights Boos, 2915. This is a collectjve biography of 26 women, described as “rebels, trailblazers, and visionaries who shaped our history…and our future” (cover copy). They represent diverse fields, ethnicities, ages, and geographic locations. Beginning with Angela Davis, and ending with Zora Neale Hurston, each biographee’s personality, challenges, and accomplishments are described in engaging text and accompanied by a simple black and white block cut illustration. The book concludes with an end note, a list of “26 Things that you can do to be rad!” (unp.)., and a list of resources. McCarney, Rosemary with Plan International. Dear Malala, We Stand With You. Crown Books, 2014. There have been several books written by, and about, Malala Yousafzai, but this picture book version is unique. It begins with a short biography of Malala and her 2012 shooting by the Taliban for being outspoken about education for girls, and her life in England now. The bulk of the book is a series of exquisite photographs of girls around the world and brief text describing their desire for an education, despite the many social, political, and economic restraints placed on them. The title ends with ways for the reader to help further Malala’s cause. |