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
- Several Games and activities dealing with Virginia. These have been designed to reinforce information taught to fourth graders in preparation for the VA SOL.
- Virginia Studies Lesson plans, with interactive quiz
- Lesson plan of Virginia Regions
- Early Maps of Virginia
- Virginia State song lyrics with biography of songwriter
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