American Revolution

My Brother Sam is Dead

By James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

Summary:

My Brother Sam is Dead is a powerful, heart wrenching, and thought provoking look at the American Revolution.  Tim Meeker faces some difficult choices when his brother Sam joins the Rebels.  Tim's father, and most people who live in their town are loyal to the King.  The brutal truth of war and it's effect on families is explored as Tim struggles to decide what side of the war he belongs on.  

Teaching Tips:

1) At the end of the book, James and Christopher Collier include a "How much of this book is true" section.  Upon completion of this book, students should read this section to understand fact from fiction.

2) Discuss with your students why this book has been so controversial.  Ask them what elements in the book would cause people to ban it.  

3) Students can keep a question journal as they read the story.  As Tim struggles to decide his role in the war, and which side he is loyal to, students can write questions that they have regarding the events of the story.  These would be great discussion points to have as a class.  

Additional Resources:

My Brother Sam is Dead Teaching Aides

Quizes, presentations, and various other activities that would be beneficial to a book study.

Scholastic Resources

Resources to aid in the teaching of the novel.

Web English Teacher Lesson Plans

Lesson plans created by English Teachers.

Alcatraz Prison-1935

Al Capone Does My Shirts
Gennifer Choldenko

Summary:

     It is 1935, and Moose Flanigan and his family move from Santa Monica to Alcatraz Island when Moose's father is hired as an electrician and a security guard.  His sister, Natalie, has a severe form of Autism and is slated to attend a special school is San Francisco.  After only two days, Natalie is kicked out of her special school.  

     Now, Moose must balance watching Natalie, trying to make friends in his new school, and dealing with an overly zealous Warden's daughter who is constantly scheming plots that involve the dangerous criminals of Alcatraz Island.  

Teaching Tips:

1) This book really was a diamond in the rough for me.  I went into it expecting a story about criminals and Alcatraz and instead found a beautiful tale of a family.  I found myself fascinated with how Autistic children were treated in 1935.  This book would is a great piece of literature for students who have had experience with classmates who have Autism.  

2) The author's note at the end of the story provides great insight by Gennifer Choldenko.  Students should enjoy hearing about what aspects of the story are fact, and which parts are fiction.  

3) If students enjoy this story, there are two more books in the series that they might be interested in reading; Al Capone Shines My Shoes, and Al Capone Does My Homework.  

Additional Resources:

Pearl Harbor

I Survived: The Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941
Lauren Tarshis

Summary:

Danny and his mom move from New York to Hawaii.  The decision to move comes after Danny's best friend is in a horrible accident and the fact that Danny is running with a bad crowd.  Deciding to ditch Hawaii and leave his mom a note, Danny's world is turned upside down one morning when Japanese planes appear in the distance, followed by the sounds of explosions.  Danny runs towards the explosions in search of his mother.  

Teaching Tips:

 1) This is a great book for reluctant readers!  It is fast paced, action packed, and the main protagonist is a kid that students can relate to.  

 2) Lauren Tarshis provides great resources at the end of the book.  These include; a note from the author, facts about The Bombing of Pearl Harbor, a timeline, and resources that students can explore to find out more information.

 3) If students enjoy this book, point out the other historical fiction books written by Lauren Tarshis.  All of my students have enjoyed these books, especially my reluctant reader boys!

Additional Resources:

Additional I Survived Books by Lauren Tarshis



Prehistoric Times

The Kin 
Suth's Story

By Peter Dickinson 

Summary

     Recommended for grades 4-6.  Set 200,000 years ago, The Kin follows Suth, a young boy.  A devastating raid has killed most members of his tribe, including his parents.  Suth and his tribe are set to make a perilous track across a harsh desert, until his companion, Nori, receives a vision.  

     Suth and Nori decide to return to the place where four other orphans were abandoned and left to die.  The six children must now search for food, water, and shelter.  The plot thickens when Suth and his companions are captured by the inbred Monkey Kin.  

     This is the first of four books in The Kin series.  

  

Teaching Tips:

 1) Read the "Before You Start" section of the book prior to starting the story.  Since this book is set 200,000 years ago, Peter Dickinson had to make up most of the story.  While based on facts that are available, an argument can be made that this is borderline fantasy/historical fiction.  Make sure your students know this and do not take the book as historical fact.  

 2) The Oldtales between chapters are stories that Suth's people have made up to explain how things came to be.  You can compare this to mythology and folk tales that have been shared in the past.  

Additional Resources:

Books 2-4 in The Kin series:

Civil War

Iron Thunder

By: Avi

Summary:

     Thirteen year old Tom Carroll must find a job after his father is killed fighting for the Union in the Civil War.  Living in Brooklyn, New York, Tom finds work at a shipyard working on a top secret iron ship.  

     The ship, the Monitor is designed for one purpose...to destroy the Confederate's iron-clad ship the Merrimack.  Despite doubts that people have regarding if the ship will float or not, Tom is enjoying his new job and finds the work fascinating...until he is approached by a Confederate Spy.  

     The 'Copperhead' propositions Tom with the lure of food and money.  All Tom has to do is provide the details of the Monitor to the spy.  What will Tom do?  How will the Monitor fare in battle?  Your reader, and hopefully you, will have to read to find out!

Teaching Tips:

 1) This is a great book for fourth-grade on up.  The text is easy to read, the plot is fast paced and exciting, and the characters are memorable.  

 2) It may be advantageous to have your students read the author's note in the back of the book first.  It provides some great insight into Avi's craft without revealing any major plot points.   

 3) The discussion guide, located at the end of the book, can be utilized during or after reading with students.  These questions are a great resource to check for comprehension and critical thinking.  

Additional Resources

Social Studies for Kids

Student friendly site that provides photos, definitions, and additional resources about the Monitor and Merrimack.  

Encyclopedia Britannica

Great resource for detailed information about the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack.  

Dust Bowl

Out of the Dust
Karen Hesse

Summary:

     Billie Joe must deal with personal loss and tragedy as she and her father try to survive the Oklahoma Dust Bowl.  Told in first person free verse poetry, this story is both page turning and extremely eye opening.  

     After the heart wrenching loss of her pregnant mother, Billie Joe and her father face two seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  First, they must attempt to deal with the void that was cast upon their mother's death.  Second, Billie Joe and her dad must try to survive the Dust Bowl and it ravages their land and crops.  

Teaching Tips:

 1) Wow!  Simply Wow!  This book is an amazing verse-novel for fourth-graders and above.  This is a powerful book to place in the hands of reluctant readers, verse-novel lovers, and historical fiction fans. 

 2)  The Dust Bowl is not the most widely discussed historical event in Social Studies classrooms.  As such, Out of the Dust is a great resource for students to learn about this man made natural disaster.  This book would make a great text set with picture books, novels, and informational text regarding The Dust Bowl.   

3) At the end of the book is a section entitled "After Words".  The contents include: 

About the Author

Behind the Scenes: Writing Out of the Dust

Q and A with Karen Hesse

Photographing the Great Depression 

Billie Jo's World, Make Your Own Applesauce 

Extracts from Karen Hesse's Newbery Medal Speech 

Additional Resources: 

Surviving The Dust Bowl

History Channel Video through YouTube.  This video discusses includes videos, photos, and first hand testimony of survivors of The Dust Bowl.  

Scholastic Storia Teacher Guide

Extensive activities and lessons to use before, during, and after reading the story.   

Library of Congress Lesson Plan

Another great resource.  Use this as a 1-2 week lesson plan or a resource to share additional information with your students.  

Samurai

The Samurai's Tale

By: Erik Christian Haugaard

Summary:

     The Samurai's Tale follows the life of Taro as he transforms from a young boy playing with wooden swords to a powerful Samurai.  Taro's parents are killed by Lord Takeda at the beginning of the story.  

     Instead of killing Taro, as is customarily done of your enemies children, Takeda spares Taro and allows him to become a servant of Lord Akiyama.  Written as a memoir, Taro reflects on his early days as a cook, stable boy, messenger, and finally, Samurai.  

     This story does an amazing job of discussing Samurai life, customs of Ancient Japan, and political intrigue that occurred at the time.  

Teaching Tips:

 1) I would recommend this story for grades six and above.  The content is not difficult to understand, nor is the vocabulary.  Rather, the names of the characters and their role in the story is what most students will struggle with.  

 2) Haugaard provides a character list at the beginning of the story.  This list provides main characters' names and a description of who they are.  Print this off for your students, or (type up a new copy)....they are going to need it.  This was by far the most confusing part of the story for me.  Fathers and sons share similar first names, and there is constant political happenings that are influencing the plot of the story.  

 3) This is a great book for any student who would be interested in Samurai.  Taro's journey from an orphan servant to one of the most trustworthy Samurais serving Lord Akiyama is fascinating and page turning.  

Other Samurai Titles by Erik Christian Haugaard: