Q:I teach a third grade class of twenty students. I am trying to integrate American history through non-fiction trade books or historical fiction. It is very hard to find books at this level that the children can read themselves. I feel that children at this age need to start hearing about our nation's heritage, especially through the eyes of (or words of) other children. Thank you, Linda Sabo
A: We think you've got the right idea, Linda. Making history approachable to children at young ages by introducing events as stories rich with trivia, personal experiences, and the kind of lessons they can apply to their own lives. Seeing history from a young vantage point is an additional way to help them relate and own the past that belongs to them.
Jean Marzollo's rhythms and rhymes support very young children in learning about the advent of Columbus, In 1492 , and about the revolutionary war, In 1776 .(both from Scholastic for ages 5-8). The facts are presented with prose so lyrical, you may find children repeating verses of history as they jump rope or skip on the plaground. These books are a great jumping off point for early grade students to role play and dramatize scenes. These two books can be the basis of a child's first simplified time line. Parallel the historical time line by creating time lines of each students' lives so they can relate to the concept of chronology as a sequence of events. Use Bernard Grun's Timetables of History (Dale Seymour, $19.95; all ages) to show the "horizontal linkage of people and events".
Personal history opens doors to understanding in Marissa Moss' In America (Dial, $14.99; ages 5-9) as a young boy learns of the immigration of his Lithuanian grandfather. The story unfolds through caring dialogue, as Walter's grandfather reveals, through his personal experiences, the meaning of freedom, the fear of coming to a new country, the courage of risk taking, and the importance of remembering heritage. As the small boy listens, he applies his grandfather's learnings to his own life and crosses the street for the first time by himself, moving through fear to independence because of his grandfather's story. Involve students in interviewing their parents/grandparents about their families' geographical origins. Demonstrate this information in a tactile, three-dimensional way by using the Buckminster Fuller Projection Dymaxion Globe (Dale Seymour, $7.95; ages 7 and up) which shows world population, distribution, and average temperatures through the world.
Ann Turner's Katie's Trunk (Macmillan; ages 7-10) weaves fiction and history into the story of a young Tory girl who feels the tension growing as the rebels arm themselves at the start of the American Revolution. When former friends enter her house ready to thieve and destroy, Katie angrily and foolishly rushes into danger. She's saved by a young man whose allegiance to goodness is stronger than to his cause. The story reveals facts and issues in an equal balance, making for discussion at a variety of levels. Students in upper elementary school can unite writing and current events by projecting themselves into a modern problematic setting (e.g- Bosnia or South Africa) by writing fiction that portrays a hero/heroine who, like Katie, struggles to gain identity and integrity against the backdrop of strife. Newspapers, periodicals, and TV reports will provide useful background information for these pieces as students understand how research contributes to writing fiction.
Pink and Say (Philomel; ages 9 and up) is the story of Pink, a young black soldier who rescues Say, a young wounded white soldier from a Civil War battlefield and the two form a friendship that even war end. Through the eyes of two young boys, the book reveals historical facts and universal truths of integrity, brotherhood, and the horrors of war, and the loss of childhood. Polacco believed herself only five people away from Abraham Lincoln as her Great-great grandfather Say had touched him and the touch was passed down to her. This fact can direct students into an art-research project in which they explore belongings and clothing of five different generations, choosing one era to depict. The powerful feelings of the book open doors to many discussion and writing opportunities, for example, how students have been helped or helped by someone else.
Renown photojournalist Russell Freedman has written two books that will speak to children through engaging text and pictures that are filled with the words, pictures, and viewpoints of children. Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and The Crusade Against Child Labor (Clarion; ages 9-12) tells of one man's battle to change child labor laws and and Immigrant Kids (new in paperback Puffin Books; ages 8-12) captures of images of newly arrived children at work, play and learning. Children can extend their appreciation of these books by collecting photographs of their peers to document their own lives at school, These photojournals can be combined with items representing our contemporary lifestyles (a.g. a compact disc, videocassette, computer chip) to create a time capsule for future generations at your school.
Kate Waters publishes a third photojournalist vision of history in The Mysterious Horseman: An Adventure in Prairietown 1836, by Kate Waters (Scholastic; ages 7-11). In pictures we view the life of young Andrew who does his jobs around his rural home and then goes into town to help at the inn in town. Within the structure of story we view implements, customs, habits, and emotions of a young boy growing up on the prairie in the 19th century. This book provides a structure for studying history. Students can expand their understanding of other eras by using this profile as a model for organizing Information they encounter in other historical writings. For instance, while reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's series, students might create a map of her westward journey, research popular songs and books, as well as discovering and cooking pioneer foods.
Two multicultural novels help older children view history from differing vantage points. Michael Dorris' Guests (Hyperion; ages 9-12) has a Native American view of the first Thanksgiving as the Indian hero, Moss, teetering on the brink of manhood and struggling with his own issues of becoming, is reticent to welcome strangers to his feast day. Gary Paulsen's NightJohn (Delacorte; ages 10-12) tells the story of twelve year old Sarny, a slave who wants desperately to learn to read and the adult who'd face dismemberment in order to teach her. Encourage students to write diary entries from the perspective of either Moss, or Sarny. Other students can respond from the viewpoints of Moss' father, or NightJohn. Taking on the personae of these characters will not only develop your young writers' voices, but will also immerse them in history from a first-hand point of view.
My First Book of Biographies:Great Men and Women Every Child Should Know by Jean Marzollo (Scholastic; ages 6-9) Thirty-seven one page biographies introduce children to well-known people of fame.
Herstory: Women Who Changed the World by Ruth Ashby and Deborah Ohrn (Viking, $19.95; ages 10 and up) offers 120 biographical sketches of women from all fields and all eras.
Paul Fleischman, Bull Run (HarperTrophy; ages 10-13) A novel which visions the first great battle of the Civil War from the viewpoint of sixteen different characters.
The Incredible Journey of Lewis and Clark, Rhoda Blumberg (Beech Tree, Morrow Books) A retelling of the expedition filled with humanism, adventure, and hundreds of illustrations.
Franklin Institute Science Museum, The Ben Franklin Book of Easy Incredible Experiments: Activities, Projects, and Science Fun (John Wiley) Link science and history by hands on experiments that invoke the interests, approaches, and observations of the great American inventor.
Three Cooperative Learning books by Mary Strohl and Susan Schneck, Colonial America and Native Americans are for Grades 1-4 and Explorers: Grades 3-6 (Scholastic) invoke hands-on participation, cooperation, and cross curriculum learning in studying history.