Annotated Children's Book & Resource List

In our class we are creating Thematic Units. My group chose the theme of the Underground Railroad. To go along with out Thematic Units we were assigned to create an annotated bibliography of children's book and and resources to enhance the study of social studies through literacy.

Annotated Bibliography over the Theme of the Underground Railroad:

Boekhoff, P. M. & Kallen, S. A. (2005). The underground railroad. Farmington Hills, MI: Kidhaven Press.

The Underground Railroad by Boekhoff and Kallen is an expository nonfictional text that explains what slavery was in general terms, and then focuses on slavery in the southern states of the U.S. There are actual quotes from individuals who were former slaves during the time. It is a very educational book. It discusses the pain that the slaves went through and the ill treatment they received. The book continues and discusses the topic of the individuals who were a part of the Underground Railroad, the secret codes the slaves used, why it was so dangerous and where they were headed. This is not a storybook, but would be great for students to used as an information text and support for a research assignment.

Brill, M. T. (1993). Allen jay and the underground railroad. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books, Inc.

This book written by Marlene Targ Brill is a general nonfiction text. The story is taken from The Autobiography of Allen Jay. It is about the young Quaker boy Allen Jay and the story of how he helped a man move from Jay’s safe house to his grandfathers- both houses were part of the Underground Railroad. Allen Jay found out how dangerous, scary, and important it was to help the out slaves. On the trip from one house to another, the book provides a glimpse into how slaves were treated by their owners. This book would be a great beginning book, and is easy enough for lower ability level students to read.

National Geographic Society. (1996). Underground railroad—History of slavery, pictures, and information.Retrieved from http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/99/railroad/index.html

This website is full of useful resources for teachers and students to use. There is an interactive “journey” that students can go on making decisions, just as a slave might have to. Students must make decision to stay or go and to trust or distrust. There are other resources such as maps to show some of the “routes to freedom,” timelines, portraits of important people during the time, fun facts for kids, and even ideas for teachers to do in the classroom. Overall, this is an excellent resource.

Sawyer, K. K. (1997). The underground railroad: In american history. Springfield, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc.

This book is general non-fiction and describes what the underground railroad was and the people, places, and things that are connected to it. The book has seven chapters, include some of them titled “The Escape,” “Living in Slavery,” “The Fugitives,” “Famous Conductors,” and “The Promise Land” (Sawyer, 1997, 3). Some of the book is written in a story format and some is very textbook like and informational. Would be good as a group reading assignment or for high ability leveled readers.

Stanchak, J. (2000). Civil war. New York, NY: A Dorling Kindersley Book.

This book is a nonfiction book. It is very similar to a children’s encyclopedia. The book is filled with photos and discusses the war from the reasons it started, to battles during the war, the Underground Railroad, important people, and how the U.S. finally came back together as one nation. This would be a great book to have in a classroom library for students to read and discover further knowledge on their own. Good resource but not meant for group reading.

Stein, R. C. (1981). The story of the underground railroad. Chicago, IL: Children’s Press.

This source is an excellent story to read to children. The beginning tells the story of the term “Underground Railroad” came to be. Terms associated with this time are explained, such as “conductors.” Furthermore, the book continues to touch upon the different jobs that were held in the Underground Railroad and the dangers associated with them. The books briefly covers important individuals and groups such as Harriet Tubman, Levi Coffin, President Lincoln, Fredrick Douglass, James Fairfield, Tice Davids, and the Quakers.

Stein, R. C. (1997) Cornerstones of freedom: The underground railroad. New York: Children’s Press.

This source is informational text that starts with a brief look into the life of Harriet Tubman and her escape from her master. The story of Tice Davids is also part of this book, which explains how the term “Underground Railroad” came about. There is a brief history of how slavery began, the mistreatment of slaves, and the laws associated with the topic. Important terms covered are conductors and abolitionists. Important people discussed are Dred Scot, Levi Coffin, Harriet Tubman, Tice Davids, Fredrick Douglass, John Fairfield, and President Lincoln. This book also includes a glossary, a timeline, and an index.

White, A. T. (1972). North to liberty: The story of the underground railroad. Champaign, IL: Garrard Publishing Company.

This source is a great source to read to the students. It is quite lengthy but seem to be interesting enough to catch their attention. It is not a story; it is a general nonfiction text that gives insight into the story of the Underground Railroad. There are eleven chapters, not all of which have to be read- simply pick and choose since it is not an ongoing story. Chapters include 1) ”Freedom: On the mind of Every Slave,” 2) “A Knock at the Door,” 3) “Out of the Enemy’s Sight,” 4) “Garrison Unfurls the Banner,” 5) “Braver than Brave,” 6) “When Conscience Calls,” 7) “Safe in Canada,” 8) “A Monstrous Law,” 9) “Lawyers Against Liars,” 10) “The People Confront the Government” and 11) “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” (White, 1972).

Current Events- Kids should know the world around them

Kids should know the world around them. So why not create an assignment that makes them learn about just that- their world. This activity is a Photo Activity. In this activity students are to find a photo a look at it answering question so that they can better understand the story behind it. In my class we were to do just that. For my picture, I chose to go online to CNN.com, but for a classroom I feel that a collection of local newspapers would be a great resource. Those papers are better used in a classroom than as wrapping paper anyway.

After students locate a picture- present them a list of questions to answer. These questions are to help them investigate deep into the meaning of the photo. They absolutely may go beyond these basic questions.

Here is a list of questions you may wish to ask:

1. What do you see? (factual items)
2. What can you infer?
3. What is the real "story"?
4. How does this story relate to your life?
5. What else do you want to know about the picture that the description/article doesn't tell you?

Here is an example of the assignment as I completed it.

Click here to see the picture I used for my assignment.

1. A Dog lying next to a grave in what looks to be a massive cemetery.
2. The dog was probably owned by the person's grave he is laying by. Something must have caused all of these people to die.
3. The story, "After the death toll from devastating flooding in Brazil continues to rise, a single picture derives home the sense of loss. Leao, a medium-sized brown mutt, lies next to the grave of her owner... who died in the catastrophic landslides caused by heave rain... At least 655 deaths were reported in a mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro state, northeast of the city of Rio" (CNN Wire Staff, 2011).
4. Death in general relates to all life (though I personally have not had to deal with it much in my life.) Also the loyalty of the dog relates to my life. I have a German Shepherd and she means a lot to me.
5. I am just curious if this flooding is common in this area. I also want to know were the people warned about the flooding or was it a flash flood? How did the dog know that her owner was buried at that exact spot. And lastly, how did the dog manage to survive?

Artifact Shoebox Activity

What's a great way to get students really involved and interested in a lesson? Connect them to it personally! For the shoebox activity I am about to describe, we were posed the question, "If you were put into a situation where you could only take personal items that fit into a shoebox, what would you choose?"

Ground rules for this activity were set:

1. All family members (including pets) are considered safe and will be leaving along side of you.
2. Anything extremely vaulable (such asmoney) and irreplaceable items (for example a family heirloom) can be represented by a different object.
3. Food, clothing, and other necessary matierals will already be taken care of.
4. It shoebox must be a regular sized shoebox- no Boot Boxes!

So what would you bring? This is what our class brought:

This lesson not only helps to build community in the classroom but it helps them to see what their peers value. The classroom community is build, supported, and strengthened in this lesson because children can find connections between themselves and their peers. "Oh! Johnny thought his all time favorite baseball card was important too!" or "Jackie brought a picture of her family- I didn't even think of that. I would definitely bring a picture of my family."

Furthermore this lesson shows that artifacts can tell a lot about people. This activity can be the introduction to any history lesson. By looking at artifacts brought in, students can see that a information about a person or group of people can be preserved. Furthermore, as we found out in my class (surprised that no one brought anything technological) a lot of important information does not make it's way to becoming an artifact and can be lost.