Annotative Bibliography
* I apologises, my citations when copied into blogger are split between several lines, they were originally double spaced and in the proper format
* I apologises, my citations when copied into blogger are split between several lines, they were originally double spaced and in the proper format
A popular young adult novel that I would read to my classes is Chains. I would begin each class throughout the unit by reading about five minutes of the book. This story is at the reading level of high school students and would be very advanced for most of my students, thus I would do a read-aloud. The book could spark great discussion about the system of slavery and what conditions were for soldiers during The American Revolution. I would like students to understand what life was life for slaves and the concept of Tory’s verses Revolutionaries.
Brenner, B. (1994). If you were there in 1776. New York , NY
Readers.
Readers.
An interesting children’s resource, this book is probably at a fifth through sixth grade reading level that could easily be read independently by all of my students. I would have students read the chapter entitled “Rebels’ for homework one evening. I like that the font is big and the margins give plenty of room for the text as to not make the reading look overwhelming, which would make for an excellent homework reading assignment. I would assign a reading guide with comprehension questions to go along with the reading as well. The information and content that I would like students to gain is the concept of rebellion, who the rebels were, who Tory’s were, and Thomas Paine and his work Common Sense.
Bobrick, B. (2004). Fight for freedom: The American Revolutionary War. New York , NY
Books For Young Readers.
Books For Young Readers.
This source is written at an upper elementary level and could be read independently by my seventh grade students. I picture this being a series of homework assignments. Each page features a different topic on The American Revolution and the next page has a picture that goes with the topic. I love how the images provide a visual representation of the text information. The section on Flags of Liberty and the Battle of Trenton, I would assign to students for a homework assignment. I would also use the maps of battles that are very intricately drawn that would be easy for middle school students to read. The information that I would like students to understand is the Battle of Trenton and the story of the popular legend of Betsy Ross creating the nations flag.
Collier, C. , & Collier, J.L. (1998). The American Revolution: 1763-1783. New York , NY
Books.
Books.
This story is an expository text geared at young adults in middle school grades. The text features in this text are not that friendly as there are no sub-headings throughout fairly long and in depth chapters. For my accelerated class, I would have them read chapter three called Taxes and Tea independently. For my integrated and other classes, I would probably read portions of the chapter as a read-aloud. I am very found of several of the political cartoons and images of men being tarred and feathered as students are usually captivated by gory and unusual images. The major themes covered in this book are the causes and effects of the American Revolution and I will focus mostly on chapter three which focuses on the cause of unjust taxes on the colonists.
Deem, J.M. (2006). America’s wars through primary sources: Primary source accounts of the
Revolutionary War.Berkley Heights , NJ
Revolutionary War.
Although this expository source was created for upper elementary through middle school students, it is very difficult for students to read and comprehend because it does not have friendly text features to break up different events that happened in history. The book does provide many quotations from famous people during The American Revolution time period as well as excellent websites and links that can provide a teacher with more resources and primary source accounts. Many relevant sources and political cartoons are included within this book that I can recreate in DBQ’s or other handouts. Due to the weird configuration of text features, I would not have students read this text and would modify the text so that it would be easier for students to read. The content in the story that I would like students to gain from these primary sources are the role African Americans played in The American Revolution, first hand accounts of battles, and peoples reaction to The Declaration of Independence which could be used for the Newspaper Article my students will create. The documents would be spread out throughout the unit.
Fradin, D.B. (2005). Let it begin here: Lexington and Concord
New YorkNY
New York
I was intrigued by the very detailed and friendly illustrations which caught my attention to this children’s picture book. The book is indented for children ages seven to eleven or about third to sixth grade. As part of my lesson plan on battles of The American Revolution, I would do a read-aloud with students and have them take brief notes on important dates, locations, people, and other information. The major concepts that I would like students to learn from this story is the famous story of Paul Revere’s famous ride, the location of the battles, and the idea that these battles were some of the first battles that led to an eight year war for independence.
Freedman, R. (2000). Give me liberty. New York , NY : Holiday House.
This book is written at the upper elementary levels and could be given to read to my integrated social studies class as it would be considered at a fourth through sixth grade reading level. Several of my students in my classes read below grade level so this book would be a great way for students to read independently about The Declaration of Independence. This story is split up by chapter on different events that led up to the signing of The Declaration of Independence. Major themes included in the book included: taxation without representation, reasons why the Colonists rebelled against the British, and the outcome of the Declaration. I also really like that the book features a detailed time line of events of the colonial period through the American Revolution era. This section would have for an excellent study guide for students.
Herbert. J. (2002). The American Revolution for kids. Chicago , IL : Chicago
Although this story is considered a children’s book, its readability caters to approximately the fifth-eighth grade levels and I feel that most of my students would have a fairly easy time reading and comprehending meaning from this expository text. This story would allow my students to examine the life of a solider as they would read chapter five independently. The story has many text features such as bolded headings throughout the chapter, informational boxes that have more information, and many pictures with captions. I like that the book offers students activities which they can replicate such as making a fringed hunting shirt. Another aspect that I liked about chapter five was that it includes information on African Americans fighting in the Revolutionary War which is culturally relevant to my students. After reading this chapter, students would write a letter home from the front lines, taking the role of the soldier. The major themes of this book include: coming together for a common cause.
The American World of DIC. (2010). Liberty’s Kids. Retrieved from http://www.libertyskids.com/.
An outstanding web source for The American Revolution is the Liberty Liberty
Maestro, B., & M. (2009). A new nation: The United States, 1783-1815. New York , NY
Collins Publishers.
Collins Publishers.
At the end of my unit on The American Revolution, I would read an elementary level picture story book to my students about the new nation which discusses some of the new challenges that early Americans faced such as creating a national monetary system. The pictures will really help my visual students grasp major concepts included in the book. The book will help students facilitate a discussion on issues faced by a new nation and the hardships of war. I would stop reading prior to the section on the Louisiana Purchase and consider reading the rest of the story in our next unit on American expansion. The major content included in this story that I would like students to understand is the difficulties and challenges that had to be overcome to create The United States.
Zeinert, K. (1996). Those remarkable women of the American Revolution. Brookfield , CT
Millbrook Press.
Millbrook Press.
One of the classes that I teach is an all girl’s accelerated class. When I first saw this source I instantly thought of that class. The book is at middle school level and I would probably read portions of the book aloud during class and assign students different pages to read on famous women of The American Revolution. I would like students to understand what life was life for women during colonial days and important women who helped fight for freedom. I would have my students compare the role of women during The American Revolution with the role women play today in The War in Iraq and Afghanistan
