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:

                                          

    

   

Surviving the Holocaust

Yellow Star

By: Jennifer Roy

Summary:

 Syvia is four and a half years old when she and her family are forced to move into the Lodz Ghetto.  Set in 1939 and spanning the entirety of World War II, this emotionally gripping tale captures the reader from page one.  Syvia tries to make sense of what is happening to her, her friends, and her family as they try to survive the Ghetto.   Author Jennifer Roy delivers a masterpiece that transports the reader to a much darker time in history, while at the same time delivering a message of hope, inspiration, and the power of the human spirit. 

Yellow Star is written in prose and would be a great book for reluctant readers, history buffs, and students interested in World War II. 

Teaching Tips: 

1) "Before assigning Yellow Star, teachers should notify parents/guardians that the Holocaust can be very upsetting/unsettling. Yellow Star has a happy ending, but students still may need to process their feelings.  Enlist the school counselor to be available.  For the more sensitive students, remind them that there are many good people all over the world working to make the world a safer, peaceful place." (Tip from Jennifer Roy)

2) Point out to students that even though the story is written in prose and contains less words than other novels, authors who write in prose choose their words very carefully.  Authors must make sure that their words are impactful and meaningful.  Encourage students to slow down as they read Yellow Star. 

 3) Allow students time to reflect.  This novel is emotional, and students may have questions for you.  Support them emotionally when they need it and academically when they wish to learn more about this topic. 

Additional Resources:

-Jennifer Roy's Website-Contains information about the author, her books, tips for teaching Yellow Star, and links for students. 

-Teaching Books-This website contains audio pronunciation with Jennifer Roy, information about the author, book readings, lesson plans, and author interviews

-Light From the Yellow Star-The Yellow Star Foundation is a 501-3c, not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping educate young people about the Holocaust using Dr. Robert Fisch's book, Light From the Yellow Star - A Lesson of Love from the Holocaust.  This website contains resources for teaching the Holocaust, information about Dr. Fisch's book, and links to other Holocaust websites. 

 



The Book Thief -World War II Germany

The Book Thief

By: Markus Zusak

Summary:

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 9 Up–Zusak has created a work that deserves the attention of sophisticated teen and adult readers. Death himself narrates the World War II-era story of Liesel Meminger from the time she is taken, at age nine, to live in Molching, Germany, with a foster family in a working-class neighborhood of tough kids, acid-tongued mothers, and loving fathers who earn their living by the work of their hands. The child arrives having just stolen her first book–although she has not yet learned how to read–and her foster father uses it, The Gravediggers Handbook, to lull her to sleep when shes roused by regular nightmares about her younger brothers death. Across the ensuing years of the late 1930s and into the 1940s, Liesel collects more stolen books as well as a peculiar set of friends: the boy Rudy, the Jewish refugee Max, the mayors reclusive wife (who has a whole library from which she allows Liesel to steal), and especially her foster parents. Zusak not only creates a mesmerizing and original story but also writes with poetic syntax, causing readers to deliberate over phrases and lines, even as the action impels them forward. Death is not a sentimental storyteller, but he does attend to an array of satisfying details, giving Liesels story all the nuances of chance, folly, and fulfilled expectation that it deserves. An extraordinary narrative.–Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA 

Teaching Tips:

 1) Students may need some background knowledge before reading this book.  Knowing that Death is the narrator and understanding the format of this book would be helpful before they begin reading.  

 2) This book would be a great resource as part of a multi-level text set.  Pairing it with other fiction or non-fiction books about the Holocaust and World War II would be extremely beneficial.  

3) As students read, they are bound to have an emotional reaction to the text.  Have them keep a journal or log on their thoughts and feelings as they progress through the book.  

Additional Resources:

Markus Zusak's Website

TeachingBooks.Net Website

Book Thief Movie Trailer

World War II from the Perspective of a Hiroshima Bombing Survivor

Barefoot Gen: Writing the Truth

By: Keiji Nakazawa

Summary:

     Told from the perspective of a child who survived the bombing of Hiroshima, Barefoot Gen is the autobiographical story of Keiji Nakazawa.  Nakazawa tells a powerful and heart wrenching tale of what he and his family had to endure during World War II.  Barefoot Gen is written as a graphic novel.  

     What makes this story so powerful and emotionally compelling is how Nakazawa explores the social and political climate of Japan in the months and days leading up to the Hiroshima bombing.  Nakazawa and his family become ostracized when their father publicly opposes the war.  In addition to being called 'traitors to the emperor' by their neighbors, the family has very little food, the mother is pregnant, and the oldest son decides to join the Navy to defend the families honor.  

     Barefoot Gen is an exceptionally well written story that is a must read.  I would recommend this graphic novel for High School students.

Teaching Tips:

 1)  Have students compare and contrast the Nakoaka family with other families in Japan.  Specifically, what is the Nakoaka's family perspective on the war and how does it contrast to what the majority of Japanese believed at the time.  

 2)  As students read the story, they will have many questions about WWII, Japanese culture, and events in the story.  Have them keep a journal that they can write questions in as they read.  Students can then use this journal to research on their own.    

 3)  Barefoot Gen is a ten book series.  If you have students who enjoy the first book, find a way to obtain the other nine books in the series.  

Additional Resources:

Young Adult Literature Resources

Wikipedia Page-Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki