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Here is a hodge-podge of American history resources not included in Sonlight's American history levels. We used many of them before we used Sonlight, and we added some to our American history studies with Sonlight.
Colonial AmericaWeb SitesColonial Williamsburg. Included are a virtual tour of historic Williamsburg, information on visiting, and lesson plans. Plimoth-on-Web, the web site of Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts, likewise does a great job both for potential visitors to the living history museum and armchair visitors. Mayflower Web Pages is a site dedicated to the original arrivals on the Mayflower and includes lists of passengers, articles related to girls and women on the Mayflower, common myths about the Mayflower, and primary source documents (The Mayflower Compact, wills and estate inventories of Pilgrims, the treaty with Massasoit, and more). BooksNonfictionJamestown: New World Adventure by James E. Knight tells the story of the Jamestown settlement in 1607. A good read, suited to early elementary and up. The Double Life of Pocahontas by Jean Fritz tells the real story, sans Disneyfication. If You Sailed on the Mayflower by Ann McGovern, If You Lived in Colonial Times by Ann McGovern, and If You Grew Up with George Washington by Ruth Belov Gross all share the question-and-answer format and easy reading level. Good information, perfect for younger elementary-aged kids. Who's That Stepping on Plymouth Rock? by Jean Fritz is a history of the famous rock and its legends.Eating the Plates by Lucille Recht Penner. Really fun read! Interesting information on the Pilgrims, organized around their diet and manners. Includes recipes appropriate to modern kitchens, so you can make a whole meal like what the Pilgrims might have eaten. If You Were There in 1776 by Barbara Brenner focuses not on politics but on daily life. I like this one a lot; it covers such topics as What's for Dinner, Arts and Crafts, Farmers, Enslaved People, the Indians, the War. Colonial Life by Bobbie Kalman. Young John Quincy by Cheryl Harness. Picture book biography. Where Was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May; Will You Sign Here, John Hancock?; What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?; Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams?; And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? ; all by Jean Fritz. (Some, but not all, of thesee are included in Sonlight 3.) These are not to be missed! Brief books with pictures, suitable for young readers but packed with excellent history for all ages--I learned as much from these as from any other books on the period. Memorable, entertaining, and historically accurate. Need I say more? Activity BooksAmerican Kids in History: Colonial Days by David C. King, subtitled Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes. Because you can't read all the time... Colonial Kids by Laurie Carlson. More projects and activities, with some interesting information mixed in. This seems better for younger kids than the above Colonial Days, but just as good for the older child. Felicity's Craft Book (American Girls Collection). Like all the American Girl products, this is a very well done book of crafts from colonial times. Also available: Felicity's Cookbook; Felicity's Theater Kit. FictionMeet Felicity;
Felicity Learns a
Lesson; Felicity
Saves the Day;Felicity's
Surprise; Happy
Birthday, Felicity!; and Changes for Felicity,
all by Valerie Tripp. From the American Girl series, set in 1774 in Williamsburg,
Virginia.
Early
Thunder by Jean Fritz. This is best for older readers. The
Winter of Red Snow (Dear America series) by Kristiana Gregory. Of the Dear
Ameerica books I have read, this is my favorite. George
Washington's Socks by Elvira Woodruff. Modern children time travel to
Washington's time. The
Printer's Apprentice by Stephen Krensky. NonfictionDaily Life in a Covered Wagon by Paul Erickson If You Traveled West on a Covered Wagon, by Ellen Levine, in question-and-answer format.
Activity BooksA Pioneer Sampler by Barbara Greenwood. This is an activity guide that follows the day of a fictional pioneer family in 1840. It's a terrific book, with lovely illustrations, good information, and fun activities. Highly recommended! Westward Ho: An Activity Guide to the Wild West by Laurie Carlson. Activities and recipes in the Carlson style. Going West! Journey on a Wagon Train to Settle a Frontier Town. This is part of the Kaleidoscope Kids activity book series, and I like them very much. The activities are varied and fun--not too hard--and they are not all hands-on. We enjoyed the discussion questions; there are a lot of "what do you think you would do?" questions to involve children. FictionLittle House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder We spent the better part of a year immersed in the Ingalls' world, reading aloud one book after the other. There are now hundreds of related products available to enhance your study. Across
the Wide and Lonesome Prairie (Dear America series) by Kristiana Gregory One
of the better fictional diaries in the Dear America series, about a girl
traveling on the Oregon Trail. Dear Levi by Elvira Woodruff. Fictional letters home from a boy traveling the Oregon Trail. Josefina's TimeThis is a list of resources we used to augment a sort of unit we did surrounding the Josefina series of American Girl books when Aimée was around 9. Josefina is a girl of New Mexico territory in 1824; we also looked at some Texas history at the same time. We added a few of these books again when we did American history with Sonlight. Fiction:...And Now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold Nonfiction:Alamo! by George Sullivan The Santa Fe Trail by David Lavender "The Santa Fe Trail" Cobblestone magazine, Vol. 11, No. 5 May 1990 "New Mexico: Celebrating 400 Years of History" Cobblestone, Vol. 19, No. 5 May 1998 Susannah of the Alamo by John Jakes. Picture book about a young girl who was present at the Alamo. Try your library. Make Way for Sam Houston by Jean Fritz. The biography of Houston and the history of Texas to 1846. Civil WarFiction:When Will This Cruel War Be Over? (The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson) by Barry Denenberg The Borning Room by Paul Fleischman Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco. This is a beautiful picture book. A tear jerker worth reading for all ages. Bull
Run by Paul Fleischman. Very well written. Tells the story of the first
battle of Bull Run from a variety of fictional perspectives. A Picture of Freedom (the Diary of Clotee, A Slave Girl) (Dear America series) by Patricia C. McKissack I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly (The Diary of Patsy, A Freed Girl) (Dear America series) by Joyce Hansen Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This used to be included in Sonlight 7; I had Aimée read it. NonfictionGettysburg by MacKinley Kantor. We read this before visiting the battlefield in Pennsylvania. It gives a thorough overview of the battle--quite a lot of detail, so I'd save it for those who are really interested. A Picture Book of Sojourner Truth by David A. Adler If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War by Kay Moore Harriet Beecher Stowe and the Beecher Preachers by Jean Fritz. A biography of Harriet Beecher Stowe. Aimée read this after reading Uncle Tom's Cabin. Turn of the CenturyThis includes resources we used related to the period following the Civil War and up to World War I. You Want Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton? by Jean Fritz Fair Weather by Richard Peck. Aimée really enjoyed this fictional look at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. Funny! If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island by Ellen Levine. Question and answer format, good for maybe grades 3-6, but my 13 year old learned plenty. Gold Rush Fever: A Story of the Klondike, 1898 by Barbara Greenwood. Following a fictional boy who accompanies his brother to the Klondike in the Gold Rush. The story is broken up by hands-on activities, short biographical sketches of real stampeders, primary sources, and illustrations. The fictional story is a little tense at times--my sensitive son didn't love this book, but we stuck with it because it was a topic we knew nothing about. Story of the Titanic illustrated by Steve Noon. Oversized book with excellent illustrations. Fun "I Spy" type clues in the margins. A good overview for all ages. Polar the Titanic Bear by Daisy Corning Stone Spedden. True story of a Steiff bear, beginning when he is made in Germany, shipped to FAO Schwarz in New York, and given to a young boy. The story, told by the bear, follows the bear and the boy and his wealthy family on their world travels, including their adventure on the Titanic (all are rescued). Actual photographs of the family (bear included), period post cards, and nice illustrations give a good feel for a bygone era.
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