American History

 

OK, so I for real just finished reading 1776 and started reading John Adams even though I posted them last July. I love reading on my phone, but I only downloaded the sample of Adams so I'm not looking forward to switching to the actual heavy, awkward book. This is the time of year when I really get into teaching about the American Revolution so I also rented the musical 1776 and watched it along with the PBS classic about the French and Indian War called The War That Made America. I really want to be reading The Traitor's Wife and Sophia's War during April vacation, but I may have to save them for the summer. Ah, summer!

1776 and John Adams

                                                                                 

So, I LOVE teaching social studies, and the fifth grade curriculum is really fun. We start with reviewing maps and globes, then a quick overview of the early natives to settle in the Americas, then European exploration of the New World in the 16th and 17th centuries, development of the colonies, and finally the American Revolution and Birth of a New Nation. David McCullough's books provide a wealth of background information to help bring this time in history alive for me. I am fascinated reading about the personalities and inner thoughts of the early settlers and leaders in America.

First I started reading 1776 on my phone, and then I used a gift card I had to purchase hard copies of 1776 and John Adams. Reading these books gives me lots of juicy details to share with the kids, and makes me feel like I'm doing professional development at the same time!

My America / Dear America / My Name is America

In an attempt to jumpstart my job enthusiasm by investing myself in the curriculum, I decided to brush up on some Revolutionary War historical fiction during our winter break. I brought home three selections from our school library.

1. Five Smooth Stones: Hope's Revolutionary War Diary by Kristiana Gregory LEXILE 640


2. The Winter of Red Snow: The Revolutionary War Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart by Kristiana Gregory LEXILE 870


3. The Journal of William Thomas Emerson: A Revolutionary War Patriot by Barry Denenberg LEXILE 950

Stones is the account of nine-year-old Hope living in Philadelphia spanning from January 15 to December 27, 1776. It is a is a quick, easy read with historical references to George Washington, General William Howe, King George, Thomas Paine's Common Sense, Patriots, Tories, Quakers, the Continental Congress, Declaration of Independence, Valley Forge, as well as colonial schools and chores. The five smooth stones refer to the Bible story of David and Goliath and serve as a metaphor for the uneven struggle between the intrepid Patriots and the powerful English army.

In Red Snow, "Eleven-year-old Abigail presents a diary account of life in Valley Forge from December 1777 to July 1778 as General Washington prepares his troops to fight the British." This book offers a more graphic description of the hardships suffered by the colonists and the soldiers and delves deeper into the character of General Washington and Mrs. Washington as well as the hearts and souls of the working class Patriots like Abigail's family and friends. As I told my own children, "Imagine the horror of marching through snow for miles with bloody feet as the ill-equipped Continental soldiers did?" It's also difficult to imagine how the average person survived in colonial times without central heating and other comforts that we take for granted today.

Will's Journal highlights the conflict between the colonists and the British soldiers in pre-Revolutionary War Boston. I can't describe it better than this review from the School Library Journal:

This first-person account of a 12-year-old boy makes the world of Boston in 1774 come alive. William Thomas Emerson, an orphan, has found work with the kind proprietor of a tavern. In his journal, the boy describes the practical and moral difficulties that citizens of that city encountered on the eve of the Revolution. He writes of food shortages, patriots, traitors, and deserters, and describes daily life, public punishment, and medical treatments. Denenberg engages readers with a bit of intrigue, but it is the integrity and humanity of ordinary people that make this book inspirational. An epilogue summarizes the lives of the characters introduced and includes historical reproductions and a brief account of the actual events that followed the year covered in the journal. Quality historical fiction that should attract a wide audience.
Ann M. Burlingame, North Regional Library, Raleigh, NC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.