4.+Literature+List


 * Literature List for the Five Regions of the United States **




 * Jaymy Vargas’ Literature List: **

1. People of Florida by Bob Knotts In-depth study on the culture, climate, history, plants and animals that the Sunshine State has to offer.

2. Georgia by Rich Smith The book is in a scrapbook format and is filled with current facts and data.

3. West Virginia by Allan Carpenter  Presents the history, famous citizens and places to visit.

4. North Carolina by Allan Carpenter  Shows the history of the states, explorers, people who have lived there, and industrial development of recent years.

5. With a Whoop and a Holler: A Bushel of Lore from Way down South by Nancy Van Laan This book tells stories and folktales from the southeastern states.


 * Kelly Gillis’ Literacy List **

//1. New York, New York!: The Big Apple from A to Z. //By Laura Krauss Melmed

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Students learn what important monuments, landmarks, and other places that are in New York from this alphabetical, informational book.

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> 2. My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">By Lee Bennett Hopkins

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is a wonderful and creative book of 50 poems, grouped by geographical region. You can read about the coasts of the Northeast, the cornfields of the Plains States, and the redwood forests of the Pacific Coast, as well as much more.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">//3. 35 Best Books for Teaching U.S. Regions: Using Fiction to Help Students Explore the Geography, History, and Cultures of the Seven U.S. Regions-and Link Literature to Social Studies.// By Jane Kurtz

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This book is actually a guide for finding great fiction books to use to teach the different U.S. regions. It also has activity ideas and internet sites.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Megan Deal’s Literature List” **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">1. Go, Go America by Dan Yaccarino

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This book explores each of the 50 states in a fun and engaging way. The theme is a family on a road trip, driving to each of the states to learn more about them. It takes you on a journey to discover interesting things about the states. Each of the pages has cute cartoon pictures relating to the state, fun facts, and pictures of the family as they take their journey across America.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> 2. River Stories: Growing Up on the Wisconsin by Delores Chamberlain

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is a biography of a man and his family who grew up and lived along the Wisconsin River in the 1950s and 1960s. The book describes the rough times Dace Chamberlain and his family went through living along the river and how he taught his family to survive given the harsh conditions.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> 3. Farm on Nippersink Creek (Series: American Storytelling) by Jim May

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is an audio book voiced by Jim May who grew up along Nippersink Creek in Illinois. He shares stories of events that occurred during his childhood, some during difficult times in the life of a family living along the Creek.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">4. The Midwest (Series: Regions of the United States) by Judson and Elizabeth Curry

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This book takes children on a journey to explore the Midwest region of the United States. It describes the history of the Midwest, landscape, landmarks, resources, and everyday life of the people who live there. It includes real-life photos and interesting facts.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Danica Wiley’s Literature List: **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">1. Dessert Trip by Barbara A. Steiner

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This book is about is about a little girl and her mother’s backpacking trip through the desert canyons. It talks about the plant life they find there and the experiences they have while being outdoors, sleeping under the stars in the desert.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. Desserts by Gail Gibbons

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This book describes the climate, geography, plants, animals, and insects you would find in the dessert. There are maps showing where dessert areas are found in the United States as well as other places around the world.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">3. Meet the Wild Southwest by Susan J. Tweet

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This book is a reference book for everything you need to know about the southwest. It focuses on the wild side, detailing about black widows and other creepy crawlies, good hunters, reptiles, and birds.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">4. Spring across America by Seymour Simon

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This book takes you on a trip across all the regions of the United States and shows you the springtime. It is good for students to compare and contrast the differences of the regions.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Megan Boss’ Literature List **

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">1. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> by John Boyne

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This book is the story of a boy named Bruno and his encounters with another boy in a Nazi concentration camp. They are both nine years old and become friends. It is not a book for young children as it is very emotional, but it is a fantastic read and look into the lives of people in concentration camps during the Nazi Regime in Germany. It is historical fiction. I highly recommend it for use in older grades; people need to understand exactly what happened in that terrible time.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. Timeline of World History __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> by Usborne

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This very interesting nonfiction book shows all different parts of the world and what was happening in them from 10,000 BC to the present day. It is an amazing read filled with plenty of facts, pictures, and interesting language to keep children interested in what they’re reading. The best part is that every page is a certain date, and it is divided into columns: Southern and Western Europe, Northern and Eastern Europe, Africa to India, The Far East, and The Americas. Readers can see what was happening across the world at the same time. I loved it for this the most, the ability to compare the parts of the world!

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">3. Lift-the-Flap Picture Atlas __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> by Usborne

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">As you can tell, I’m a fan of Usborne’s work. This amazing atlas shows all the different parts of the world in //style//. The pages are entirely animated in a cartoon style of drawing which appeals to kids greatly. The pictures are colorful, the font is large, but the best part is the flaps! Readers can lift the flaps placed across the pages to reveal more information about that particular area. The pages are set up as maps of different parts of the world. It is fascinating and will grab kids’ interests immediately!