…If You Lived in WILLIAMSBURG in COLONIAL DAYS by Barbara Brenner is an informational book which describes the everyday life of colonists living in Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. This story is set up in a Question and Answer format, beginning with an introduction. While this book could be read straight through, it has a table of contents at the beginning listing the highlighted questions in the book, so that if a child wanted the answer to a question without having to read the entire book, they could easily find the answer. Each page has a question about colonial life in Williamsburg at the top, and a page or two of description answering the question and describing life in the colony. The questions are very accessible, and can help children relate to the colonists, by asking questions like “Did girls and boys learn the same things?” to help them see the differences between today’s experiences and the children of Colonial Williamsburg. The book also asks questions highlighting important facts and vocabulary, such as:
“Who shopped in Market Square? Housewives came to buy groceries. Slaves came to shop for their masters. Sometimes, a few Pamunkey Indians would show up with pottery to sell… Occasionally black people were brought to Market Square for a terricle reason - to be sold at auction as if they were horses or cows. Inagine how you would have felt, seeing your father or moher bought by a stranger. You would have known that you were likely to be separated from your family, perhaps forever.”
Curriculum Connections:
This book can be used to support Virginia Studies SOL VS.4e, as it helps to describe colonial life in Virginia. By showing some of the colonial norms, such as the clothes the colonists wore, where they lived, and the types of food they grew and ate, students can begin to see the differences between life then and life now.
Additional Resources:
Library Thinkquest provides a variety of online games and activities for children to explore Colonial times further.
The Colonial Williamsburg website provides games, activities, as well as information for parents and teachers about visiting Williamsburg.
PBS provides a lesson idea that helps students “translate” Colonial English to Modern Day English to help them understand the differences between the two languages.
General Information:
Book: …If You Lived in WILLIAMSBURG in COLONIAL DAYS
Author: Barbara Brenner
Illustrator: Jenny Williams
Grade Range: 4-6
Pages: 80
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
Publication Date: October 1, 2000
ISBN-13: 978-0590929226
Virginia by Erik Bruun and illustrated by Rick Peterson is a must read if you are teaching Virginia History.
The narrator of the story is a young boy teaching the history of Virginia to his peers. It includes all the basic facts covering the early settlement, who lived here past and present, the regions, capital, Civil War, and so much more. There is a ton of information here and it is presented in a way that will keep your student’s attention. The book is a bit long to read straight through, since it provides so much information. I believe it would be best to read parts of it while teaching a unit on Virginia. The book also provides interesting facts in a question/answer format at the bottom of each page. For example, “Where was Jackson buried?” “Who had the fastest feet in Richmond?” “What is the state bird of Virginia?”
Curriculum Connections
Virginia is a great book to use when teaching a unit on Virginia studies or when looking for facts about different States. Virginia is part of a series called “State Shapes” This series will add to your units when teaching the States in US history. Virginia can be used in connection with VA SOL of Virginia Studies and US 1.6.
Additional Resources
Book: Virginia
Author: Erik Bruun
Illustrator: Rick Peterson
Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
Publication Date: 2000
Pages: 45
Grade Range: 3-6
ISBN: 1-57912-103-9
Jamestowne: Struggle for Survival, written and illustrated by Marcia Sewall, is an excellent resource that details the trials and tribulations experienced by the first settlers of Jamestowne. The book is told through the journal entries of one of the settlers, and is enhanced with actual quotations of history known explorers, such as Christopher Newport and Captain John Smith. Used as an anticipatory reading, this book serves as an effective precursor to explaining concepts of democracy, how the United States came into development, the necessity of the American Revolution, and the establishment of the Constitution.
Curriculum Connections
Jamestown: Struggle for Survival serves as an excellent and useful resource to help teach, reinforce, and emphasize the VA History learning objectives in accordance with the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL’s). Students will begin developing knowledge of the first permanent English settlement in America (VS.3) by explaining the reasons for English colonization (VS.3a), describing how geography influenced the decision to settle at Jamestown (VS.3b), and identifying the importance of the charters of the Virginia Company of London in establishing the Jamestown settlement (VS.3c).
Additional Resources
- Historic Jamestowne has a page dedicated to lesson plans and activities for all grade levels, from kindergarten - high school, that look at the ways in which our current government mirrors its roots with the establishment of Jamestown.
- Jamestown 400th Commemoration Commission devotes an amazing page to educators, offering resources and lesson plans for all grades - they provide useful ideas and activities focusing on how the Constitution and principles of democracy evolving from the founding of Jamestown.
- Super Smart Games offers online games for students to access either at home or at school in which they are the Captain of Jamestown Colony and need to make vital decisions on food, health, wealth, and morale in order to make the first colony run smoothly - these games are fun for students to play, and helps them think how best resources can be best utilized.
Book: Jamestown: Struggle for Survival
Author & Illustrator: Marcia Sewall
Publisher: Antheneum
Publication Date: April 2001
Pages: 40pp
Grade Range: 3rd - 5th Grade
ISBN-13: 978-0689818141
Patricia Polacco’s Pink and Say is the beautifully written story of two soldiers, Pinkus Aylee and Sheldon Russell Curtis, who fought for the Union Army during the Civil War. The boys met when Pinkus (Pink) encountered Sheldon (Say), who was injured, and brought him home with him to recover. Polacco dedicated the book “To the memory of Pinkus Aylee” and explains at the end that her great-great-grandfather was Sheldon Russell Curtis himself. This information adds a nice personal touch to an already-phenomenal book.
The book begins with Say lying injured in a field. Pink finds him, and insists upon bringing him home so he might recover. The next time Say wakes up, he meets Pink’s mother, who feeds him oat porridge and asks, “Do your momma know what a beautiful baby boy she has?” Say stays with the family for several weeks while he recovers, and Pink and Say become fast friends. The morning the boys plan to leave to return to their regiments, Pink’s house is attacked by thieves and Pink’s mother, who he calls Moe Moe Bay, is killed. Pink is insistent upon returning to fight, however, and as the boys are returning to the war, they are captured by Confederate Troops. Pink, who is African American, is separated from Say, who survives the experience. The book ends by showing Say as a grandfather who tells his grandchildren the story of his childhood friend.
Curriculum Connections
Pink and Say could be used to compliment any history SOL focused on the Civil War. It’s a longer picture book with ample text, but the illustrations are also beautiful and appropriate for all ages. The story might have more meaning to an upper elementary or middle schooler and could prompt conversation about civics or slavery, but could also be enjoyed by a younger student on a less intense level. The book is very much about the story itself, and while it provides some background information about the war, it would probably be better suited as a lesson introduction or as a springboard for some sort of Civil War writing assignment.
Additional Resources
- This site, put together by the National Park Service, provides lots of basic information about the Civil War and includes a 20-question challenge quiz, as well. The wealth of information it provides makes this site a good choice for an Internet scavenger hunt about the Civil War.
- This Webquest allows students to research the Underground Railroad and has them create a Powerpoint presentation based on their findings. A Civil War Webquest like this one would be a great way to delve deeper into the history of the War and incorporate technology into the classroom, as well.
- When Pink and Say are captured, they are taken to Andersonville. Today, Andersonville is a National Historic Site and its website provides students with information about its location and long history. There are sections of the site for both teachers and students, and pictures are also provided, so readers can imagine what Pink and Say went through after they were captured.
General Information
Book: Pink and Say
Author: Patricia Polacco
Illustrator: Patricia Polacco
Publisher: Philomel Books
Publication Date: 1994
Pages: 48
Grade Range: 2-6
ISBN: 0399226710
The Colony of Virginia written by Brooke Coleman & photos by CORBIS-Bettmann and The Bridgeman Art Library, introduces important events and people from the settlement of Virginia, and gives information on how it is still an important part of the government today.
The Colony of Virginia gives readers information about events starting with the colonists and why they came to America to Virginia uniting with the other colonies to become the United States. It talks about Jamestown and how the colonist built a fort out of logs, and “The walls surrounding the tiny settlement formed a triangle to protect the colonists from attacks by nearby Indians.” The Colony of Virginiaalso gives readers some insight on Captain John Smith and the hardships the settlers faced. “Despite John Smith’s efforts to build houses and trade with the Indians for food, times were difficult for the colonists.” It also talks about tobacco being an important crop for the settlers, when women and African Americans were brought over, and rebelling against the rulers of England in the Revolutionary War. It ends with how “Virginia is still an important part of our nation’s government since it is so near the capital of the United States, Washington, D.C.”
Curriculum Connections
The Colony of Virginia is a great resource when you are studying the history of Virginia. It incorporates why the settlers came to Virginia, why they chose Jamestown, the hardships they faced, key people, women and slaves, and why the colonies went to war. It is connected to VA SOL Social Studies Virginia Studies VS 3, 4, &5.
Additional Resources
- Discovering Jamestown has a great lesson plan where students role-play as a member of English society as a reporter asks them questions.
- The Jamestown Colony is a sheet that they can read about Jamestown and then it has a worksheet to go along with the questions.
- National Geographic Kids has an interactive adventure on Jamestown that students are able to learn about Jamestown and Captain John Smith and play mini games on their site.
- If you are looking for a webquest try Colonization of Jamestown 1607.
General Information
Book: The Colony of Virginia
Author: Brooke Coleman
Illustrator: CORBIS-Bettmann & The Bridgeman Art Library
Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc
Publication Date: 2002
Pages: 24 pages
Grade Range: 3-5
ISBN: 9780823954841
If you are looking for a different kind of book to introduce the Civil War to your students, try The Blue and the Gray by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Ned Bittinger. The story revolves around two best friends whose houses lie on a battlefield from the Civil War. Readers follow the boy’s imaginations as the one boy’s father recounts the stories of the soldiers who fought on the battlefield that now remains as their back yard. After listening to his father’s story, the son explains: “It was the Civil War, the North against the South, the blue against the gray. White against black. White against white. Us against us, to tell it right. My dad says that’s the saddest kind of war there is, though every war is sad and most are bad.” Through the father’s story, these two best friends learn that friends just like them fought against each other in this devastating war. At the end of the book, as the boys look out at the old battleground, they realize that a place like this must be remembered: “And all those days…when we play football on the field and sled when there is snow. And we will know the way it was. And we’ll remember.”
Curriculum Connections
This would be a great book to use to introduce a unit on the Civil War, because it discusses how it was a fight between men of the same country: North against South, blue against gray, white men against black men. While the language is simple, The Blue and the Gray correlates well with Virginia SOLs for 4th and 5th grade. It could be used with any of the Virginia studies SOLs related to the Civil War (VS.7 and VS.8), as well as the US History SOL for the same subject: USI.9.
Additional Resources
- Listen to these Union and Confederate songs as a class and pretend that you are singing them with your fellow soldiers on the battlefield!
- Here is a great webquest where your students will learn what it was like to be a Union or Confederate soldier.
- The Civil War Preservation Trust is a wonderful website with a number of activities to use in a Civil War unit. Use their Reader’s Theater to better help your class understand what difficult decisions had to be made during the war.
General Information
Book: The Blue and the Gray
Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrator: Ned Bittinger
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: 1996
Pages: 30
Grade Range: 4-5
ISBN: 0590601970
Introduction:
Roanoke, by Jane Yolen, offers an interesting and fun way for students to look at the story of the lost colony of Roanoke.
Summary:
This book offers factual information about the lost colony of Roanoke. It begins with the settlement of the Roanoke colony and then focuses on John White and his journey back to England for more supplies for the colonists. It includes this factual, non-fictional information, however it is written as if a young girl were being a detective in this situation. She wants to learn more about the lost colony because she wants to try to figure out what happened to it. It opens…
“When I grow up I want to be a detective, just like my dad. He says I was born curious, and curiosity is the best tool a detective can have.”
Each page also has an insert of a piece of notebook paper, which are supposed to be the young girl’s notes, as well as sticky notes that have vocabulary and definitions on them. For example,
“Colony/colonists: a group of settlers in a new country, still subjects of their mother country”
At the end of the book, the young girl gives five examples of the most common theories of what happened to the lost colony. They also offer good questions that would be asked if students were trying to test the theories (these make for good discussion questions!)
Curriculum Connections:
This book is good for helping students understand the hardships and uncertainties of life during the early colonial period. It also presents a mysterious topic that may be interesting for them to further investigate.
Additional Resources:
- This is a link to a lesson plan for the lost colony of Roanoke. It is a multi-day lesson plan that involves working with interactive internet sources for a deeper understanding.
- JamesQuest is a website that includes a multitude of activities and tasks for students to work on that allow for a fun and deep rooted understanding of what life was like in the early colonial period.
- This is a link to a website of maps of the lost colony of Roanoke.
General Information:
Book: Roanoke: The Lost Colony
Author: Jane Yolen
Illustrator: Roger Roth
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing
Publication Date: 2003
Pages: 32
Grade Range: 3-5
ISBN#: 0689823215
George Washington’s Teeth is a fun book written by Deborah Chandra and Madeleine Comora and illustrated by Brock Cole. Chandra and Comora use poetry to explain the problems George Washington had with his teeth, they kept falling out! The book begins during the Revolutionary War when “British ships invaded every port in New York.” (pg.8) As George charges after the British soldiers, he feels something strange in his mouth, so he takes his handkerchief and spits out a tooth. He fears his men would laugh at him if they saw the holes in his mouth from where his teeth used to be, so he sends a note to his dentist requesting his help when he returns home from leave. The story goes on to explain how George Washington loses his teeth while he eats nuts, while he crosses the icy Delaware, during his cold winter stay at Valley Forge and even while he hid at Martha’s ball. He did not even grin when he was elected President because he was afraid people would make fun of him. This witty book reveals George Washington’s ingenuity because Washington ends up showing his dentist how to make false teeth. The dentist used hippo tusk to carve a set of fake teeth for George Washington and Washington grinned ear to ear.
Here are a few excerpts from the book.
- “George reached New York as British ships invaded every port. Preparing for a fierce attack, his soldiers built a fort.” (pg. 7)
- “Back at home George lost more teeth till he only had ten. “Oh Martha dear,” George cried, “I fear I’ll never eat again.”.” (pg. 11)
- “The dentist took strong hippo husk and carved a set to size- Each tooth secured with screws of gold that lit up George’s eyes.” (pg. 33)
Curriculum Connections:
George Washington’s Teeth is an easy-read with wonderful illustrations to help students in first grade learn some introductory information about the Revolutionary War and George Washington’s personal life . For first graders, students will demonstrate knowledge of the causes and results of the American Revolution by describing key events and the roles of key individuals in the American Revolution with emphasis on George Washington. (VA SOL USI.6)
Additional Resources
- This American History website offers a biography of important aspects of and people in George Washington’s life.
- This fun website for teachers and kids offers blank coloring pages of George Washington, The American Flag, the state of Virginia and other important symbols of Washington’s life.
- The George Washington Picture Gallery shows 18 pictures of events in Washington’s life with captions underneath each one that briefly explain the significance of the picture.
Book: George Washington’s Teeth
Author: Deborah Chandra and Madeleine Comora
Illustrator: Brock Cole
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication Date: February 2003
Pages: 40 Pages
Grade Range: First Grade
ISBN: 978-0374325343
What Lincoln Said written by Sarah L. Thomson and illustrated by James E. Ransome, is a great way to introduce younger children to this important historical figure. The text is kept simple and story-like and the illustrations are colorful and engaging.
The author uses Lincoln’s own famous words and expands on them to tell the story of his life. We learn how Lincoln grew from a hard working boy, “I could scarcely believe my eyes, he said. By honest work I had earned a dollar,” into a harder working lawyer, “Leave nothing for tomorrow that can be done today, he advised. Resolve to be honest at all events.” The author explains that Lincoln became president during a difficult time for our country. “Several southern states decide to break away from the country. They wanted to make a new nation where slavery would always be legal.” Lincoln opposes slavery and the civil war, “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.” However, he cannot stop war from breaking out. After two years of fighting Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation so that slaves would be “forever free.” At the end of the book the author provides more detailed information about Lincoln and slavery as well as a timeline of the events of his life.
Curriculum Connections
This book would be a nice companion when learning about Abraham Lincoln. It is suitable for the 1st through 3rd grade classroom. The concepts included in the book integrate well with lessons where students will describe the stories of American leaders and their contributions to our country (SOL 1.2).
Additional Resources
Author: Sara L. Thomson
Illustrator: James E. Ransome
Publisher: Collins
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 32
Grade Range: 1-3
ISBN: 978-0060848194
Abraham Lincoln by Amy L. Cohn and Suzy Schmidt illustrated by David A. Johnson is a great book for students to learn about the contributions Abraham Lincoln made. This book goes into great detail about his life. The introduction of the book is very creative which will help get students engaged from the start. The text on some of the pages is lengthy, but the pictures explain the text, which will help students with the reading. This book highlights the important features of Lincoln’s life, which is important for children. Another important feature of this book is the important date list in the back of the book. This can be a good reference for students if they just need to find out a specific date.
“See that tall, tall man in that black hat? Know who he is? That’s right he’s the man on the penny Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth president of the United States. Was he always that way, straight as an arrow, tall as a tree, serious as can be? Let’s go back. Let’s go back a ways, and see.”
Curriculum Connection
This book would be a great tool to introduce Abraham Lincoln to the class. This book provides all of his major contributions during his lifetime. (USI.9 d) (USII. 3 c). This book could also be used at a station with a worksheet to fill out about Abraham Lincoln. Also, if a student just needed a date of an important fact this book could be used as a reference. This book could also be used to challenge students in the younger grades.
Additional Resources
1. Learning Activitiesis a great resource for both students and teachers. This website can be used for students to complete different activities or online games. The teacher can use this website to find great activities about Abraham Lincoln. There are many different resources on this website for all ages of children.
2. Printable pages about Abraham Lincoln provides an excellent activity for young children. The activity involves placing vocabulary words about Abraham Lincoln in alphabetical order.
3. Enchanted Learningis a great resource for teachers to find activities for students to complete. Additionally, this website provides more background information on his life. There are a variety of resources for the students to complete.
General Information
Book: Abraham Lincoln
Authors: Amy L. Cohn and Suzy Schmidt
Illustrator: David A. Johnson
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: 2002
Pages: 1-40
Grade Range: 3-5
ISBN: 0590935666
