Katie+Barr


 * U.S. Government & Civics Books **

__** Fiction Books **__ Chall, Marsha Wilson. (2000). **Happy Birthday, America!** Harper Collins Publishers. 16 pages. Tempe Public Library.
 * Fiction (Realistic Fiction)
 * The story is about a little boy that is attending a family reunion that is going to be on the 4th of July. The story goes through spending time with family and neighbors to celebrate the birthday of America. It talks about traditions and fun things that the family does to celebrate the 4th of July. These things included a parade, a special Jell-o treat, and fireworks. It has U.S. symbols represented throughout the book, while it also displays diversity.
 * This book could be used as an opportunity to focus on students individuality and their identities. In preschool/Kindergarten, the focus could be on how they have a birthday, just like America does. This could be an opportunity to talk about dates (months, days, years, etc.) and how they celebrate. Later on in the continuation of this topic, this book could be used to focus more on actual national holidays, starting first in the U.S., and then moving beyond it to other countries and cultures. After that, it could be used as a connection to introduce how the other cultures/countries celebrate their holidays. The book can also act as a vessel to compare/contrast how individual families celebrate the same holidays.

Van Steenwyk, Elizabeth. (2008). **First Dog Fala**. Peachtree. 15 pages. Tempe Public Library.
 * Fiction (Realistic Fiction)
 * The book's historical background is Roosevelt’s presidency and involvement in U.S. history through the eye’s of his dog Fala. While Fala was real, and many of the events actually did happen, the story does have the dog "talking"/"thinking" and embellishing details, making it Fiction. The book displays important national symbols such as the white house and some monuments/memorials. The book goes through press events, elections, and playing with kids. It also has Fala exploring major U.S. cities.
 * Fala's adventure would be an opportunity for (older) students to discuss point of view, both within text, and within their daily lives. They could examine different historical events and how the perspective or point of view changed how that event affected the person or how the person felt about that event. The book could also be used as a fun introduction into a closer study on Roosevelt's history. Alongside that, students could explore what the campaigning process is like for not only president, but for public office in general. This could lead into a hands on election experience in the classroom. As the book discussed many U.S. cities, it could additionally be used to explore and introduce a geography lesson on major U.S. cities.

__** Nonfiction Books **__ Scheunemann, Pam. (2006). **Cool Coins**. ADBO Publishing Company. 32 pages. Tempe Public Library
 * Nonfiction (Informational)
 * The book’s focus is on educating children on how money is made, what it means/stands for, and how to collect coins. The book starts out with a brief history of coins and why/when they were created. Then the layout and elements of a coin are explained in detail. A detailed step-by-step process on how coins are made follows. The book then breaks down the collecting process into multiple different categories, such as: how to get started, collecting U.S. coins, do your homework, adding to your collection, and caring for your collection.
 * This book could be used to connect to many math standards throughout the early childhood grade levels. At the earliest age, money and coins can be used simply to count (not by value) and to relate to one to one correspondence. As the grades progress, the book can be used to introduce the value of coins and money in general. The shapes of coins/bills could also be talked about (geometry) alongside this book. This book could also have global connections and could be used to talk about how different countries have different currencies.

Serres, Alain. (2009). **I Have the Right to Be a Child**. Groundwood Books. 20 pages. Tempe Public Library. Swanson, June. (1990). **I Pledge Allegiance**. Carolrhoda Books. 40 pages. Tempe Public Library. King Jr., Martin Luther. (2012). **I Have A Dream**. Schwartz & Wade Books. 17 pages. Tempe Public Library. Christelow, Eileen. (2003). **Vote!** Clarion Books. 47 pages. Tempe Public Library. Greene, Carol. (1991). **George Washington: First President of the United States**. Children’s Press Chicago. 44 pages. Tempe Public Library. Venezia, Mike. (2004). **George Washington**. Children’s Press. 32 pages. Tempe Public Library. Brewer, Paul & Krull, Kathleen. (2010). **Lincoln Tells a Joke: How Laughter Saved the President (and the Country)**. Harcourt Children’s Books. 16 pages. Tempe Public Library.
 * Nonfiction (Other subject areas)
 * The story focuses on what it means to have rights as a young child. It talks about things that all young children have, such as hands, feet, and noses, and also lists rights. The book then talks about differences that we have, such as gender, skin color, location, “rich or poor”, and immigration versus natural born citizen. The books talks about how all children, and all people are entitled to rights no matter their other differences. It talks about how all children should have the right to go to school, feel safe, breathe clean air, and have friends.
 * For the youngest children, this book can be used to talk about body parts and needs that all children have. This can also be used to help children express and understand their sense of self. You could also use it to talk about how to express needs (communication skills). As the children get older, the book can be used to talk about what "rights" are what and what rights in the U.S. are given to all citizens. This could lead to talking about citizenship. At the very oldest end of the spectrum, this book could be used to have a discussion about differences and diversity in the classroom.
 * Nonfiction (History)
 * The book gives the history behind the Pledge of Allegiance. It starts out in the 1880s with the Industrial Revolution. It then goes into explaining the magazine The Youths Compromise and how it came about. The book goes back to when Columbus discovered America and Columbus Day. Then it talks about how in August 1892 Francis Bellamy, a writer from the magazine, decided to write something to honor the flag. The story talks about how children then began to learn and write the pledge to honor their country. The process for it becoming the national pledge is then shared. The more complicated and challenging vocabulary words are described throughout.
 * The basics of this book can be used to help teach the youngest children the pledge. It can also be used to teach about important major historical events in the United States of America. This book could also be used for older kids to talk about dates and create timelines of major events relating to the Pledge of Allegiance. This book could also be used to talk about cause and affect, as well as how major U.S. symbols developed over time/how their importance was established. As a writing project, this book could also model how to develop and idea/be inspired; something students could try and replicate in a creative writing process. In the younger grades, as a writing project, the class could work together to write and create a pledge of their own, modeled of the Pledge of Allegiance.
 * The book is an excerpt from Dr. King’s “I Have a Dram” speech. It adds illustrations and context to each line of the speech. At the end of the book it also has Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” and explains how MLK Jr. based his speech off of that, and gave it at the Lincoln Memorial. It can be used to cover, in a kid friendly way, the important speech that made Martin Luther King Jr. an important part of U.S. history.
 * This book could be used as part of a unit that covers the civil rights movement. On a basic level, that would be talking about who Martin Luther King Jr. was and what he stood for. Later on, in second and third grade, it can be used to talk about the movement as a whole, it could be incorporated into a broader study of the importance that the speech played in the civil rights movement as a whole. This book could also be used in writing and/or speaking and listening. The topic of focus could potentially be persuasive speaking. This would be a topic/lesson for older ages, most likely third grade only in the early childhood years. Students could be tasked to use Dr. King's speech as a model for writing an "I Have a Dream" speech of their own, asking them to both integrate their writing skills, and then again their speaking skills when sharing their speech with the class.
 * Nonfiction (History)
 * The book explains in kid-friendly lingo the process and importance of voting. It starts out by talking about when and why people need to vote. Next it talks about the importance of every single vote, and that every person who casts a ballot is important. Next it goes into candidates, and the importance of knowing them and what they stand for. It then talks about the campaigning process, donations, and funding for the candidates. Next is the voting, results, and swearing in processes. The story closes with talking about how elected officials are held accountable for what they said they would do because if not, they will have consequences in the next election. The end of the book has a glossary that defines words in a kid-friendly way, and it also has a timeline for the history of voting in America.
 * This book covers what the purpose of voting is and what the process includes. Integrating this book into many other content areas would be very easy. One content area that all grades could talk about with this book would be math. Students could count votes and compare the number each category/candidate received using math vocabulary such as "less than", "greater than", and "equal to". This book could also be used to talk about campaigning and advertising in the real world. This could be used to model a class election or campaign for something. Students could be tasked to write (ELA standards) a persuasive piece about a candidate, product, or activity that they think the class should vote for. In the younger grades, this could be done verbally (Speaking/Listening standards) or with sentence frames (Writing standards).
 * Nonfiction (Informational)
 * This biography of Washington’s life begins with his childhood and young adult life before his involvement in the revolution. It then transitions into discussing him as a farmer and a solider. His involvement in America’s fight for freedom is then covered, and his major contributions to the Revolution listed. Washington’s presidency and his contributions to the nation are covered in more detail, but still in child friendly lingo. Then, the book closes with his advice, warnings, and opinions on where he thought the nation should go. A list of important dates makes up the last page of the book.
 * The book can be used beyond the historical coverage of George Washington's life. It talked about the different places that Washington lived, so it could be used to talk about geography of the colonies. In the younger grades, it could be as simple as mapping and located each place he lived, but as the students got older they could give directions and use directional terms (North, South, East, West) to describe his geographical journey. The book could also be used to work on dates and timeline events. In the younger ages, they could simply put events in the order that happened. As the students get older and have learned dates, they could create timelines and use their knowledge of dates to sequence their events.
 * Nonfiction (Biography)
 * This book is a biography focused on George Washington’s contributions to the United States. It starts with his involvement in the American Revolution and then his continual involvement in the developing country in his role as president. It is illustrated with both period paintings and political cartoons. The book uses kid-friendly lingo to describe important impacts that Washington had on both the Revolution and America. It also uses humor throughout by utilizing political cartoons and varied punctuation.
 * This would be the perfect book for a focus study on the American Revolution and the development of the colonies. In the younger grades talking about the Revolution would potentially be too complex, so using the book to talk about major events in the development of the U.S.. As the students get older, the book could be used in a study focusing on the major events and people in the American Revolution. This book could also be used to talk to children about different kinds of texts. The use of political cartoons could show children a different way of expressing opinion about a situation. Students in third grade could create (write and illustrate their own political cartoons about a topic of their choice).
 * Nonfiction (Biography)
 * This books offers a different format of biography to young children. It was comical pictures and uses different types of text throughout the story. It starts off with Lincoln’s hard childhood, but talks about how he was always positive and was known for telling jokes. It then talks about how he lost some of his elections, but again dealt with the situation with humor. It talks about it marriage and the Civil war/how he handled being president at that difficult time. The book focuses on Lincoln’s ability to handle tough situations with a laugh.
 * This book could be used to talk about different text genre's and types of book. As a different kind of biography, it would allow children time to be exposed to the concept that you can write almost anything. A writing concept/prompt that could go along with this is writing their own biography, or a biography that they would like to come to true (what they want to do). In the younger years, this could be as simple as illustrating that, and in grades 2-3, students could be tasked with actually writing a biography.
 * Nonfiction (Biography)

Fisher, Aileen. (1987). **My First Presidents’ Day Book**. Children’s Press. 31 pages. Tempe Public Library.
 * The book focuses on both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s lives. It starts with important American symbols such as the White House and the Lincoln Memorial and then moves into important events for each president. It starts with Washington and the Revolution and key details about him and his term as president. It then moves into Lincoln’s term and the turmoil that the country was in while he was serving his term.
 * Utilizing this book to use for comparing and contrasting would be a great way to try and get students to think critically at a young age. While compare/contrast is usually a focus in math for a younger age, this book provides an opportunity to do it with people and historical events. Even in Kindergarten, using a tool such as a T Chart or Venn Diagram to try and get students to find similarities and differences would be a possibility. At the basic level, this could simple be comparing physical and very surface level characteristics, but as the students got older they could be tasked to think critically and compare/contrast the influence of the roles that both Washington and Lincoln played.
 * Nonfiction (History)

Catrow, David. (2002). **We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States**. Dial Books for Young Readers. 12 pages. Crockett Elementary School Library. Sampson, Michael & Martin, Bill Jr. (2002) **I pledge allegiance**. Candlewick Press. 17 pages. Crockett Elementary School Library. Kishel, Ann-Marie. (2007). **U.S. Symbols**. Lerner Publications Company. 22 pages. Crockett Elementary School Library. Know, Barbara. (2004). **George Washington**. Pebble Books. 24 pages. Crockett Elementary School Library.
 * The story starts with a forward and a glossary that defines the larger words in the Preamble in kid-friendly terms. The rest of the story is the preamble with illustrations that makes the concepts relatable and understandable to young kids.
 * This book could be used as a vocabulary lesson to introduce kids from all ages to the difficult vocabulary in the Preamble. With the youngest age, the words would be too complex, but talking about the overall meaning would be possible if it was directly connected to their lives (like this book does so beautifully). As the students got older, going into the specifics of what specific words mean, and how they have possibly changed over time could be covered. This could also lead to a lesson for older kids about how words/meanings change over time. This books could also be used to format a writing project around. Students could use the book/the Preamble to as a guide on how to write an introduction.
 * Nonfiction (History)
 * The book goes through the Pledge of Allegiance and gives context and history to each line or phrase from it. It gives short history lessons about the country and why certain ideas on important to the U.S.. It explains some of the more complicated terms in the pledge to a young child in easy to understand terms.
 * This book could be used to introduce the youngest children in school to new vocabulary and the concept of having pride in a country. This could also lead into a discussion about where we live (city, state, country, world, etc.). For older children, this book could also be used to build vocabulary, but also to help them define words for themselves, which would help to make the pledge relevant to them. With older students, the ideas behind the pledge could be explored in more depth, as could the idea of being a citizen of the U.S., and the rights and responsibilities that come along with that. This book would also be great to use in speaking/listening actives, encouraging students to verbalize opinions, and engage in conversations.
 * Nonfiction (History)
 * This book starts out explaining what a symbol is and why they are important to have. It then goes to talk about different symbols, including the pledge, national anthem, bald eagles, coins, presidents, and then many more. It brings the concept together by ending with talking about how these symbols bring us all together. It also has a glossary in the back of the book to define words in a kind friendly way.
 * The first and most important integration of this book would be talking about symbols. Both in a history/patriotic concept, and not. This could be used to tie over into math, and how there are symbols that we use to represent actions and meaning (+, -, =, etc.). This would also be a great opportunity with any age group to do a vocabulary lesson that applies to multiple subject areas. This book can also be used to talk about U.S. culture. Talking about different cultures, and introducing the idea of a melting pot to students would be great for those students who are starting to notice difference between them and their classmates. This would perhaps be a great opportunity to talk about how even though a lot of them have differences, they also have a lot of similarities (living in the U.S.).
 * Nonfiction (History)
 * The book opens with a table of contents. It starts off by talking about Washington’s early life. It then moves into his contributions in the Revolutionary War and into his presidency. It closes out the informational part of the book with information about what he did/said when he was no long president. At the end of the book, there is a glossary, a list of potential other books to read, internet sites that contain more information, and a word list.
 * For young children, because this book is a biography, it could be used to talk about major events in their life. You could talk about their histories and have them talk or illustrate important events in their lives, like the book does for Washington. As the students get older, because this book has a table of contents, page numbers/headings, and other parts of the books, this would be a great book to use in Kindergarten and first grade to talk about parts of the book and reading mechanics. For the oldest kids in early childhood grades, this book could be used to enhance research skills. Because this book has a lot of information on Washington's life, it could be used as an introductory text to biographies.autobiographies. It could also be used as a guide to asking these students to write their own autobiographies, or a biography on someone else using all of the parts of the book that this one has.
 * Nonfiction (History)

__** Teacher Resource Books **__ Barr, Catherine & Gillespie, John. (2007). **Best Books for Children: Supplement to the 8th Edition.** Libraries Unlimited. 445 pages. Tempe Public Library. Gross, Ernie. (1990). **This Day In American History**. Neal-Shaumann Publishers. 477 pages. Tempe Public Library. Benfield, Cynthia Mayer & Liggett, Twila C. (1994) **Guide to Children’s Books: The Best 101 Titles**. Carol Publishing Group. 248 pages. Tempe Public Library.
 * Teacher Resource Book
 * This book is divided into categories and subject areas for grades Pre-K through 6th. It includes subject areas such as biography and history/geography. It provides books relevant to the subjects, the author/illustrator, a very brief synopsis, and the likely price of the book.
 * This book provides lots of ideas of texts/books to be used throughout the curriculum. This book could be used to support lessons in many different areas, including geography, culture, and historical events. In addition to those subject areas, this book gives ideas that could help incorporate food and community into lessons in multiple subject areas.
 * Anthology
 * Teacher Resource Book
 * The text provides historical American events for every day of the school year. This book could be sued throughout a unit to add some American history into every school day and making history/social studies relevant and present to all students.
 * This text is organized by date, which means that it could be used to help students timeline and understand the concept of dates of the past. It would also be a great resource to build a connection from history to students by sharing important things that happened on their birthdays or other important days in their lives. This book also would help to build the importance of everyday events; because even if a person or event seemed insignificant at the time, they can later have a huge impact on society.
 * Nonfiction (Informational)
 * Teacher Resource Book
 * This text is broken into categories ad subject areas in the table of contents. It then lists books that are relevant to those topics. The book also gives detailed descriptions and possible uses for each of the books. Author, illustrator, and publishing information are paired with each description, as well as a picture of the front cover of each book. Possible subject/topic area crossover options are also listed when applicable.
 * This teacher resource book provides suggested titles of texts/books to be used in many different subject areas; it provides descriptions and suggested uses for the titles it recommends. This includes texts across all subject areas, meaning it could be utilized in all areas of the curriculum.
 * Nonfiction (Informational).
 * The World Book of America’s Presidents**. (2001). World Book, Inc. 290 pages. Tempe Public Library.
 * Teacher Resource Book
 * The book has the U.S. presidents in order by term, accompanied by their portraits. It gives information on each president’s childhood, political paths, important presidential events, and other significant information on either the president themselves or the country at the time.
 * This text could be used to help sequence events as well as working on timelines and dates. This book can also act a wealth of knowledge on each individual president, and could therefore be used on a study of an individual or a group. It could also be used for comparing/contrasting purposes when looking at multiple presidents at once. The book also has portraits of each president, and could be used in an art context.
 * Nonfiction (History/Information)
 * The American Years**. (1990). Charles Scribner’s Sons. 655 pages. Tempe Public Library.
 * Teacher Resource Book
 * A chronological summary of important dates and events in American History. Gives details and further reading suggestions for all monumental people, changes, etc.
 * This book could be used to bring geography and the movement of people across America. It could also be used to connect how culture/society is different in geographical locations, and how that affects different groups of people.
 * Nonfiction (History/Information)