# Helping Your Child Learn History 

# U.S. Department of Education

Rod Paige

## Secretary 

**Office of Intergovernmental**

**and Interagency Affairs**

Laurie M. Rich

## Assistant Secretary

John McGrath

*Senior Director for Community Services,*

*Partnerships and Recognition Programs*

First published in May 1993.

Revised in June 2004.

This booklet is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in
whole or

in part for educational purposes is granted. While permission to reprint
this publication

is not necessary, the citation should be:

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Intergovernmental and
Interagency Affairs, *Helping Your Child Learn History*,

Washington, D.C., 2004.

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Listing of materials and resources in this book should not be construed
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# 

# Helping Your Child Learn History

with activities for children in preschool through grade 5

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs

with generous support from The History Channel

**Foreword**

Imagine that you wake up one morning to find out you have no memory!
You're not able to remember who you are or what happened in your life
yesterday or the day before that. You're unable to recognize your
children, and you can't communicate with neighbors and other people
because you no longer know how to greet them, and you can't understand
what they are saying. You don't remember what the words "elections,"
"wars," or "movies" mean.

Just as having no personal memory deprives us of a sense of our own
identity, having no *historical* memory deprives us of a sense of our
national identity and, in the words of Mrs. Lynne V. Cheney, noted
author and wife of the vice president of the United States, of "a
perspective on human existence." Knowledge of U. S. history enables us
to understand our nation's traditions, its conflicts, and its central
ideas, values and organizing principles. Knowledge of world history
enables us to understand other cultures. In addition, without historical
memory, we miss a great source of enjoyment that comes from piecing
together the story of the past---our own, our nation's and the world's.
Our historical memory is enriched by our understanding of geography,
which lets us better see the physical context of cultures and
environments around the world and across time.

Through the *No Child Left Behind Act of 2001*, President George W. Bush
has made clear his commitment to the goals of raising standards of
achievement for all children and of providing all children with highly
qualified teachers and with instruction that is based on scientific
research. *Helping Your Child Learn History* is part of the president's
efforts to provide families with the latest research and practical
information that can help them to support their children's learning at
home.

By showing interest in their children's education, families can spark
enthusiasm in them and lead them to a very important
understanding---that learning can be enjoyable as well as rewarding and
is well worth the effort required.

We hope that you find this booklet a valuable tool for developing and
reinforcing your child's interest in and knowledge of history---and that
you and your family may increase your appreciation for why such
knowledge is important.

**Contents**

**Introduction** 1

> History Habits 1
>
> Enjoying History With Your Child 3
>
> How to Use This Booklet 4

**Some Basics** 5

> What Is History? 5
>
> A New Look at the Study of History 7
>
> Geography: An Important Tool for Learning and Understanding History 8

**Activities 10**

> **History as Story** 11
>
> Listen My Children 12
>
> What's the Story? 14
>
> History Lives 16
>
> Cooking Up History 17
>
> Rub Against History 20
>
> Our Heroes! 22
>
> Learning How to Learn 23
>
> All About Our Town 25
>
> In the Right Direction 27
>
> What's News? 29
>
> History on the Go 31
>
> **History as Time** 33
>
> School Days 35
>
> Put Time in a Bottle 37
>
> Quill Pens & Berry Ink 39
>
> Time Marches On 41
>
> The Past Anew 43
>
> Weave a Web 44
>
> Time to Celebrate 46
>
> It's in the Cards 48

**Working With Teachers and Schools 50**

**Bibliography 55**

**Resources** 56

> Federal Sources of Information 56
>
> Web Sites 57
>
> Publications for Parents 58
>
> Books for Children 59
>
> Children's Magazines 70

**Acknowledgments** 72

"A system of education that fails to nurture memory of the past denies
its students a great deal: the satisfactions of mature thought, an
attachment to abiding concerns,a perspective on human existence."

*--- Mrs. Lynne V. Cheney*

*Author and Wife of U.S.*

## Vice President Dick Cheney 

## **Introduction**

Children are born into history. They have no memory of it, yet they find
themselves in the middle of a story that began before they became one of
its characters. Children also want to have a place in history---their
first historical questions are: "Where did I come from?" and "Was I
always here?" These two questions contain the two main meanings of
*history*: It's the *story* of people and events, and it's the record of
times *past*. And because it's to us that they address these questions,
we are in the best position to help prepare our children to achieve the
lifelong task of finding their place in history by helping them learn
what shaped the world into which they were born. Without information
about their history, children don't "get" a lot of what they hear and
see around them.

Although parents can be a positive force in helping their children
develop an interest in history, they also can undermine their children's
attitudes by saying things such as: "History is boring," or "I hated
history class when I was in school." Although you can't *make* your
child like history, you can encourage her1 to do so, and you can take
steps to ensure that she learns to appreciate its value.

To begin, you can develop some of the following "history habits" that
show your child that history is important not only as a school subject
but in everyday life.

# History Habits 

Habits are activities that we do on a regular basis. We *acquire* habits
by choosing to make them a part of our life. It's worth the time and
effort to develop good habits because they enhance our well-being. The
following history habits can enrich your life experiences and those of
your child.

**Share family history with your child**, particularly your own memories
of the people and places of your childhood. Encourage your parents and
other relatives to talk with your child about family history.

**Read with your child about people and events** that have made a
difference in the world and discuss the readings together. (The list of
publications in the Resources section at the end of this booklet can
serve as a starting point for choosing materials.)

**Help your child know that the people who make history are real people
just like her**, and that they have ideas and dreams, work hard and
experience failure and success. Introduce your child to local community
leaders in person if possible and to national and world leaders (both
current and those of the past) by means of newspapers, books, TV and the
Internet.

**Watch TV programs about important historical topics** with your family
and encourage discussion about the program as you watch. Check out
library books on the same topic and learn more about it. See if the
books and TV programs agree on significant issues and discuss any
differences.

1\. Please note: In this booklet, we refer to a child as "she" in some
places and "he" in others. We do this to make the booklet easier to
read. Please understand, however, that every point that we make is the
same for boys and girls.

**Make globes, maps and encyclopedias (both print and online versions)
available** to your child and find ways to use them often. You can use a
reference to Africa in your child's favorite story as an opportunity to
point out the continent on a globe. You can use the red, white and green
stripes on a box of spaghetti to help her find Italy on a map and to
learn more about its culture by looking it up in the encyclopedia.

**Check out from your library or buy a collection of great speeches**
and other written documents to read with your child from time to time.
As you read, pause frequently and try to restate the key points in these
documents in language that your child can understand.

### Enjoying History With Your Child 

As a parent, you can help your child *want* to learn in a way no one
else can. That desire to learn is a key to your child's success, and, of
course, enjoyment is an important motivator for learning. As you choose
activities to do with your child, remember that helping her to learn
history doesn't mean that you can't have a good time. In fact, you can
teach your child a lot through play. Here are some things to do to make
history both fun and productive for you and your child:

**1. Use conversation to give your child confidence to learn.**

Encouraging your child to talk with you about a topic, no matter how off
the mark he may seem, lets him know that you take his ideas seriously
and value his efforts to learn. The ability to have conversations with
your child profoundly affects what and how he learns.

**2. Let your child know it's OK to ask you questions**.

If you can't answer all of her questions, that's all right---no one has
all the answers. Some of the best answers you can give are, "Good
question. How can we find the answer?" and "Let's find out together."
Together, you and your child can propose possible answers and then check
them by using reference books and the Internet, or by asking someone who
is likely to know the correct answers.

**3. Make the most of everyday opportunities.**

Take advantage of visits from grandparents to encourage storytelling
about their lives---What was school like for them? What was happening in
the country and the world? What games or songs did they like? What were
the fads of the day? Who are their heroes? On holidays, talk with your
child about why the holiday is observed, who (or what) it honors and how
and whether it's observed in places other than the United States. At
ball games, talk about the flag and the national anthem and what they
mean to the country.

**4. Recognize that children have their own ideas and interests.**

By letting your child choose some activities that he wants to do, you
let him know that his ideas and interests have value. You can further
reinforce this interest by asking your child to teach you what he
learns.

### How to Use This Booklet 

The major portion of this booklet is made up of activities that you can
use with your child to strengthen his history knowledge and build strong
positive attitudes toward history. And you don't have to be a historian
or have a college degree to do them. Your time and interest and the
pleasure that you share with your child as part of working together are
what matter most. What's far more important than being able to give your
child a detailed explanation for the concepts underlying each activity
is having the willingness to do the activity with him---to read, to ask
questions, to search---and to make the learning enjoyable.

In addition to activities, the booklet also includes:

-   Some information about the basics of history;

-   Practical suggestions for how to work with teachers and schools to
    help your child succeed in school; and

-   A list of resources, such as federal sources of history, helpful Web
    sites and lists of books for you and for your child.

#### Some Basics

### What Is History?

"Once upon a time . . . " That opening for many favorite children's
tales captures the two main meanings of *history*---it's the *story* of
people and events, and it's the record of *times past*. To better
understand what history is, let's look closer at each of these two
meanings.

### The Story in History

Unlike studying science, we study history without being able to directly
observe events---they simply are no longer in our presence. "Doing"
history is a way of bringing the past to life, in the best tradition of
the storyteller. We do this by weaving together various pieces of
information to create a story that gives shape to an event.

There are many possible stories about the same event, and there are good
storytellers and less good storytellers. Very rarely does one story say
it all or any one storyteller "get it right." A good student of history,
therefore, tries to determine the true story by looking to see if a
storyteller has backed up her story with solid evidence and facts.

The history with which we are most familiar is political history---the
story of war and peace, important leaders and changes of government. But
history is more than that. *Anything* that has a past has a history,
including ideas, such as the idea of freedom, and cultural activities,
such as music, art or architecture.

### Time in History

Time in history is a kind of relationship. We can look at several events
that all happened at the same time and that together tell a story about
a particular part of the past. Or we can look at the development of an
idea over time and learn how and why it changed. We can consider the
relationship between the past and the present, or the future and the
past (which is today!). The present is the result of choices that people
made and the beliefs they held in the past.

As they prepare to study history, children first need basic knowledge
about time and its relationship to change. They need to learn the
measures of time, such as year, decade, generation and century. And they
need to learn and think about sequences of events as they occurred in
time. They need to be able to ask, "About when did that happen?" and to
know how to find the answer.

The main focus of history is the relationship between continuity and
change. It's important, therefore, that our children understand the
difference between them. For example, the population of the United
States has changed greatly over time with each wave of immigration. As
new groups of immigrants entered American society, they brought along
ideas, beliefs and traditions from their native lands. These new
cultures and traditions were woven into existing American culture,
contributing to its pattern of diversity and making our democratic
system of government even stronger. That system continues to evolve to
better realize its original purpose of safeguarding our basic human
rights of freedom and equal opportunity.

### A New Look at the Study of History

Studying history is more than memorizing names and dates. Although it's
important for citizens to know about great people and events, the
enjoyment of history is often found in a "story well told." Here are
some suggestions to make the study of history more enjoyable:

**Original sources make history come alive**. Reading the actual words
that changed the course of history and stories that focus on the details
of time and place helps children know that history is about real people
in real places who made real choices that had some real consequences,
and that these people could have made different choices.

**Less can mean more**. An old proverb tells us that, "A well-formed
mind is better than a well-stuffed mind." Trying to learn the entire
history of the world is not only impossible, it discourages children and
reduces their enthusiasm for history. In-depth study of a few important
events gives them a chance to understand the many sides of a story. They
can always add new facts.

**History is hands-on work**. Learning history is best done in the same
way that we learn to use a new language, or to play basketball: we *do
it* as well as read about it.

"Doing history" means asking questions about events, people and places;
searching our towns for signs of its history; talking with others about
current events and issues; and writing our own stories about the past.

**Children do well to ask "So what?"** Much that we take for granted is
not so obvious to children. We need to clarify for them the reasons we
ask them to remember certain things. They need to know why it's
important to get the facts right. Encouraging children to ask, "So
what?" can help them understand what's worth knowing---and why---and so
help build critical thinking skills. Being able to think critically
prepares children to

-   judge the value of historical evidence;

-   judge claims about what is true or good;

-   be curious enough to look further into an event or topic;

-   be skeptical enough to look for more than one account of an event or
    life; and

-   be aware that how we look at and think about things are often shaped
    by our own biases and opinions.

Geography: An Important Tool for Learning and Understanding History

Geography affects history---just look at the dramatic changes in world
geography over recent years. Governments change, and new countries are
born. Many countries no longer have the same names they did even five
years ago. Climate changes bring about events such as droughts and
floods that cause massive loss of life and migrations of people from one
place to another in search of safety. Environmental changes can change
the entire history of a community or region.

As with history, children have a natural interest in geography. Watch a
group of children playing in the sand. One child makes streets for his
cars, while a second child builds houses along the street. A third
scoops out a hole and uses the dirt to make a hill, then pours water in
the hole to make a lake, using sticks for bridges. The children name the
streets, and they may even use a watering can to make rain that washes
away a house. They may not realize it, but these children are learning
some core features of geography---how people interact with the Earth,
how climate affects land, and how places relate to each other through
the movement of things from one place to another. When we turn to maps
or globes as we talk with our children about vacation plans, events
happening around the world or historical events, we teach them a great
deal about geography. Not only can such activities help our children
learn how to use key reference tools, but over time, they help them form
their own mental maps of the world, which allows children to better
organize and understand information about other people, places, times
and events.

**Activities**

The activities in this section are arranged into two groups that reflect
the meanings of history as story and time. Each group is preceded by a
review of three elements of story and time from the perspective of
history. The review is meant to give you information that can support
your conversations with your child as you do the activities.

For each activity, you'll see a grade span---from preschool through
grade 5---that suggests when children might be ready to try it. Of
course, children don't always become interested in or learn the same
things at the same time. And they don't suddenly stop enjoying one thing
and start enjoying another just because they are a little older. You're
the best judge of which activity your child is ready to try. For
example, you may find that an activity listed for children in grades 1
or 2 works well with your preschooler. On the other hand, you might
discover that the same activity may not interest your child until he is
in grade 3 or 4.

In a box at the end of each activity, you'll find questions to ask your
child about some part of the activity. These questions help your child
develop the critical thinking skills he'll need to participate well in
society, learn history and learn from history.

When you choose or begin an activity, keep in mind that the reason for
doing it is to help your child learn something about history. Whatever
the specific purpose of the activity, make sure that it's clear to your
child. The information in the introduction and the questions for each
activity can help you do this. After you complete each activity, discuss
with your child what they learned. For example, making bread is one
thing, recognizing bread's historical meaning is another. An added
bonus: achieving a goal you set together at the beginning of an activity
gives your child the pleasure of a completed project.

The materials you need for these activities are found around most homes.
Before starting the activities, give your child a notebook---a history
log---in which he can record his own ideas and opinions about each
activity. If your child can't yet write, encourage him to draw pictures
of what he sees, or tell you what to write for him. In addition, you may
want to keep a camera nearby so that your child can include photographs
in his history log. You may also wish to have him decorate and label a
shoebox to use for keeping history-related items and project materials.

Finally, feel free to make changes in any activity---shorten or lengthen
it---to suit your child's interests and attention span.

We hope that you and your child enjoy the activities and that they
inspire you to think of additional activities of your own. Let's get
started!

### History as Story

The essential elements of history as story are records, narration and
evidence.

# Records

History is a permanent *written* record of the past. In more recent
times, history is also recorded on film, video, audiotape and through
digital technology. You might tell your child that the time before we
had any way to record events is called *prehistory*. It was in
prehistorical times that dinosaurs walked the Earth. She should also
know that before written languages were invented, humans told stories as
a way to preserve their identity and important events in their lives.
Over time, however, the stories changed as details were forgotten or
altered to fit a new situation. Written languages allowed people to keep
more accurate records of who they were and what they did so this
information could be passed down from generation to generation.

# Narration

Narration is storytelling, a way that people interpret events. History,
with its facts and evidence, is also an *interpretation* of the past.
George Washington, in his *Farewell Address* in 1796, said: "Though in
reviewing the incidents of my administration I am unconscious of
intentional error, I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects not to
think it probable that I may have committed many errors." Your child
needs to be aware that events can have more than one cause and can
produce more than one effect, or outcome, and that there is more than
one way to look at the relationship between cause and effect.

# Evidence

All good histories are based on evidence. Your child needs to learn the
importance of evidence, and she needs the critical thinking skills to
evaluate historical accounts and to determine whether the they are based
on solid evidence or rely too heavily on personal interpretation and
opinion.

### Listen My Children 

# Preschool--Grade 1 

A great way for young children to develop an interest in history is for
parents to make books with history themes a part of their reading-aloud
routines.

# What You Need 

Picture and read-aloud books about historical people, places and events

or with historical settings. For possible titles, see the list of books
under the Books for Children heading of the **Resources** section at the
end of this booklet.

# What to Do 

-   Talk with your child about the book you're going to read to her.
    Have her look at the pictures and notice costumes, types of
    transportation, houses and other things that show that the book
    isn't about modern times. Talk with her about history---the story of
    past times.

> ---As you read, stop occasionally and ask your child to talk about a
> character or what is happening in the book. Encourage her to ask you
> questions if she doesn't understand something. Explain words she may
> not know and point to objects that she may not recognize and tell her
> what they are.

---Show enthusiasm about reading. Read the book with expression. Make it
more interesting by talking as the characters would talk, making sound
effects and using facial expressions and gestures.

-   Help your child develop a "library habit." Begin making weekly trips
    to the library when she is very young. See that she gets her own
    library card as soon as possible. Many libraries issue cards to
    children as soon as they can print their names (you'll also have to
    sign for your child). Regularly choose books with history themes to
    check out and read at home with her. And, when she is old enough,
    encourage her to continue this habit.

-   After reading a book with a historical theme, encourage your child
    to make up a play for the family based on the book. If possible,
    allow her to wear a costume or use props that are mentioned in the
    story.

**Let's Talk About It**

As you read a book to your child, stop occasionally to ask questions
such as the following:

How do you know this character lived long ago? How is this school
different from our schools today? Do you know what game these children
are playing? Why did the boy decide to join the Army? Can boys that
young join the Army today?

**What's the Story?**

**Preschool--Grade 5**

Good history is a story well told. Through storytelling, children are
introduced to what's involved in writing the stories that make history.
They begin to understand that different people may tell the same story
in different ways.

# What You Need

Family members and friends

A book of fairy tales or folk tales

# What to Do

-   Gather your child and other family members in a circle and have a
    storytelling session. Choose a person that you all know well---a
    relative, friend or neighbor. Begin a group story about that person,
    explaining that nobody can interrupt the story. Say, for example,
    "Remember the time that Uncle Jack decided to help us by fixing that
    leaky faucet in our kitchen?" Then go clockwise around and have each
    person add to the story. Set a time limit, say three times around
    the circle so that you must end the story somewhere. Talk about the
    story. Are there any disagreements about what really happened and
    what was just opinion---or just added on for fun? If so, how can you
    settle any differences of opinion about what "really happened"?

-   Read aloud a fairy tale or folk tale. You might choose, for example,
    *Little Red Riding Hood or The Story of Johnny Appleseed* (for more
    titles, check the **Resources** section at the end of this booklet).
    Talk with your child about how the story begins and ends, who the
    characters are and what they feel and what happens in the story. Ask
    him how a "made-up" story is different from the story you told about
    the real person you know.

-   Pick a moment in history, for example the fall of the Berlin Wall,
    the storming of the Bastille in France, the assassination of
    President Abraham Lincoln or a current event in the news. Take your
    child to your local library and ask the children's librarian to help
    you choose books and other materials about the event that are
    age-appropriate for your child. Read the book aloud with a young
    child; for an older child, have him read it aloud to you or read it
    on his own and then talk with him about the book.

##### Let's Talk About It

Ask your child:

If you were a TV reporter when the event you read about happened, what
would you tell your audience about it? What else would you include?
Where would you get your information? How would you check its accuracy?

### History Lives

# Preschool--Grade 5 

At living history museums children can see people doing the work of
blacksmiths, tin workers, shoemakers, weavers and others. They can see
how things used to be made and learn how work and daily life have
changed over time.

# What You Need 

Visitor brochures and museum maps

Sketch pad and pencils, or camera

# What to Do 

-   Plan a visit to a living history museum with your child. Write or
    call the museum ahead of time to obtain information brochures and a
    map. Well-known living history museums are located in Williamsburg,
    Va., and Old Sturbridge Village, Mass., but smaller museums can be
    found in many other places across the country. If you can't visit a
    museum, travel there by reading books or conducting "virtual" tours
    on the Internet.

> ---Talk with your child about the information in the brochures and
> what he can expect to see at the museum. Make sure that he understands
> that what he will see is life the way it was once actually lived---not
> make-believe.

---Help your child sketch something in the museum and put it in his
history log. Tell him that drawings were the way events were visually
recorded before there were cameras.

---Use your camera to make a modern record of history and create a
scrapbook with the photographs of what you saw.

---When you get home, ask your child what his favorite object or
activity is and why. Talk with your child about what it would have been
like to live in that historical place in that period of time. Your
family might pretend to be living in the historical place. Try spending
an evening "long ago," without using electrical lights and other
appliances such as TVs and microwave ovens. How is life without those
luxuries different from your life today?

##### Let's Talk About It

Ask your child:

How were days spent in the period of time you experienced? What kind of
dress was common, or special? What kinds of food did people usually eat,
and did they eat alone or in groups? What kind of work would you have
chosen to do as an adult? If a living history museum were made of life
today, what would people of the future see and learn there? Would you
rather live long ago or now? Why?

#### Cooking Up History

# Kindergarten--Grade 5 

Every culture has its version of bread. Children enjoy making this
Native American fry bread. (Check the **Bibliography** and **Resources**
sections of this booklet for books that contain other recipes from
history.)

# What You Need

2 1/2 cups all-purpose or wheat flour

1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon dried skimmed milk powder

3/4 cup warm water

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Oil for frying

Mixing bowls and spoons, spatula

Large skillet

Cloth towels

Baking sheet

Paper towels

# What to Do 

-   Talk with your child about Native American peoples---that they lived
    in what is now the United States for thousands of years before
    non-native peoples came here, and that many tribes still live
    throughout the United States.

-   Read a book with your child about Native American life, both long
    ago and today, either fiction or nonfiction. With an older child,
    search the Internet for Native tribes, such as Blackfeet, Chippewa
    and Navajo. Explore Web sites to learn about tribes' geographic
    locations, tribal activities and programs.

-   Have your child help you gather all of the ingredients listed above.
    For a younger child, talk about what you're doing as you complete
    each step in the recipe. Your older child can complete the steps as
    you read them aloud. **Reminder: You'll need to supervise your child
    closely, regardless of his age, as you work around a hot stove!**

-   Follow this recipe:

> ---In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.
> In a small bowl, stir together the dried milk, water and vegetable
> oil. Pour this liquid over the dry ingredients and stir until the
> dough is smooth (1 or 2 minutes). Add 1 tablespoon of flour if the
> dough is too soft.
>
> ---Knead the dough in the bowl with your hands about 30 seconds. Cover
> it with a cloth and let it sit 10 minutes.
>
> ---Line the baking sheet with paper towels to receive the finished
> loaves.
>
> ---Divide the dough into eight sections. Take one section and keep the
> rest covered in the bowl. Roll the dough into a ball and flatten with
> your hand. Then roll it into a very thin circle 8 to 10 inches across.
> The thinner the dough, the puffier the bread will be. Cover this
> circle with a cloth. Continue with the other seven sections of dough
> in the same way.
>
> ---In the large frying pan or skillet, pour vegetable oil to about 1
> inch deep. As you begin to roll the last piece of dough, turn on the
> heat under the skillet. When the oil is hot, slip in a circle of
> dough. Fry for about 1 minute or until the bottom is golden brown.
> Turn the dough over with tongs or a spatula. Fry the other side for 1
> minute.
>
> ---Put the fry bread on the baking sheet and continue with the other
> rounds of dough.
>
> ---Eat your fry bread while it's hot and crisp. Put honey on it if you
> like.

-   Help your child to use the Internet or reference books to find out
    more about the role of bread in human history.

**Let's Talk About It**

Ask your child:

How is this bread different from the breads you usually eat?

What place does bread have in our daily lives and in the lives of people
in other cultures?

### Rub Against History

# Grades 1--3 

Younger children find making rubbings great fun. Cornerstones and
plaques are interesting, and even coins will do.

# What You Need 

Tracing paper or other lightweight paper

Large crayons with the paper removed, fat lead pencil, colored pencils,
or artists' charcoal

Coins

# What to Do 

-   Use the list above to help your child make a kit to do rubbings.
    Choose paper that does not tear easily, but also is light enough so
    that the details of the rubbing will be visible.

-   Begin by having your child make a rubbing of a quarter or half
    dollar (large coins from other countries or commemorative coins can
    be interesting to use, too). Tape the coin to a surface to make it
    stable. Double the tape so that it sticks on both sides and place it
    on the bottom of the coin. Attach the coin to a piece of wood or to
    some surface that can't be harmed by the tape. Lay the paper on top
    of the coin, and have your child rub across it with a pencil, crayon
    or charcoal. Tell him not to rub too hard and to keep rubbing until
    the coin's marks show up on the paper. Talk with him about what the
    rubbing shows.

-   Take your child on a walk around the neighborhood. Look for objects
    that he can use for rubbings, such as dates in the sidewalk, words
    on cornerstones and plaques on buildings or interesting designs on
    bricks or other materials used on buildings. Once home, ask family
    members to view the rubbings and guess what each represents. Ask
    your child to tell the story behind the rubbings and why he chose to
    make them.

-   Consider taking your older child to cemeteries or memorial sites
    around town and make rubbings of old gravestones or markers. Talk
    with him about each rubbing. Tell him to look for designs and dates
    and ask him questions to make sure that he knows how old the objects
    are.

-   Encourage your child to cut out some of his rubbings and include
    them in his history log.

### Let's Talk About It

Ask your child:

What showed up in your rubbings? What did the date and designs
commemorate? Historical preservation groups in America have worked to
preserve old buildings and to install plaques on public historical
places. Do you think that this is important work? Why have humans left
their marks on the world from early cave drawings to today's monuments,
such as the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial? If you made a monument, what
would it be? Who or what would it help people to remember or honor?

### Our Heroes!

# Grades 3--5 

Heroes are everywhere. Sharing stories about them with children can help
them understand that heroes come from many different walks of life and
that their courageous acts occur in many different places and times.

# What You Need 

Family photographs; newspaper and pictures from books or the Internet of
both local and national figures who have been recognized for community
service, bravery or selfless acts

# What to Do 

-   Select a photo of someone in your family who has an admirable
    quality or who performed a courageous act. You might choose a
    grandparent who left everything behind to immigrate to the United
    States or your mother who sacrificed so that you could have a good
    education or your father who fought in a war or your brother who
    took a stand on a controversial issue. Sit with your child and tell
    him about the relative's life. Talk with him about the qualities of
    heroism that the relative showed---courage, self-discipline,
    responsibility, citizenship and so forth.

-   Show your child newspaper pictures of local people who have
    performed acts of courage or service to the community. Talk with him
    about what the people did and why they are considered heroes. In
    addition to individuals, choose groups of people who have been
    called heroes, such as firefighters and policemen.

-   Show your child pictures of historical figures who have been called
    heroes. Choose people whom you admire and feel comfortable talking
    about with your child. Choose groups as well, such as the
    abolitionists who opposed slavery before the Civil War or the people
    who participated in the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and
    1960s.

### Let's Talk About It

Ask your child:

What does it mean to be a hero? Is it easy and fun to be

a hero? What qualities do heroes seem to have? Who are your heroes? Why?
What would you like to tell one of

your heroes?

### Learning How to Learn

# Grades 3--5 

Local newspapers, phone books and other handy resources can serve as
guides to local history. Teaching children how to use them gives them a
great tool for finding many sources of information.

# What You Need 

Phone books, both yellow and white pages

Local newspapers

# What to Do 

-   Help your child make a list of her interests. Include the sports,
    hobbies, history topics, animals and music she likes.

-   With your child, look through your local newspapers for lists of
    things to do in the community. Look for parades, museum and art
    exhibits, music events, children's theater, history talks, guided
    walks through historical districts or tours of historical homes.
    Choose an event in which you can both participate.

-   Sit with your child and show her how to use the phone book to find
    information. For example, in the yellow pages, look for the heading
    "Museums." Talk with your child about the places that you find
    listed there---What different kinds of museums are listed? Are they
    nearby? Look especially for history museums.

> ---Brainstorm with your child about what other headings you might look
> under to find information about local history. Try, for example,
> "Historical Societies." (If your phone book has a special section of
> information about community services and points of interest, look
> there as well.)
>
> ---Call the historical museums and societies that you find. Ask about
> their programs for children, their hours and upcoming special events.
> Also ask where else you should go to learn about your town's history.
>
> ---Have your child listen to your phone conversation and model for her
> how to ask for information.

-   H Have your child begin a list in her history log of local
    historical sites. Tell her to include phone numbers, addresses,
    hours of operation and other useful information for future visits.

### Let's Talk About It

Ask your child:

If you were asked to be a tour guide for visitors to our town, what
would you show them? If you went to another town, how would you go about
finding out about its past?

### All About Our Town

# Grades 3--5 

A good place for children to begin to develop an interest in history is
to find out the history of where they live.

# What You Need 

Guides and histories of your town or city

# What to Do 

-   With your child, research the history of the town, city or area in
    which you live. Begin by asking your child what he already knows,
    then ask him to make some predictions about what you will find out
    regarding when your area was first settled, who the first settlers
    were, where they came from, and why they chose to settle in the
    area. Help him to record these predictions in his history log.

> ---Go with your child to the local library, or sit with him at a
> computer, and look for historical reference materials---local
> histories and guidebooks, articles in regional historical magazines,
> and so forth (your librarian can direct you to good sources of
> information). As you work, talk with your child about what you're
> finding.
>
> ---Afterwards, talk with your child about what you found out.

As part of this activity, focus your child's attention on your area's
geography as it played a part in its history. Was it settled because
it's on a waterway? Did it grow into a large town because of its
location? its climate? Did industry develop there because coal, oil or
copper deposits were nearby?

### Let's Talk About It

Ask your child:

What is the most surprising thing you learned about our town's history?
What's the most interesting old building that you found?

Were there any historical markers or monuments that you discovered in
our town? Who is your favorite person to talk to for stories about our
town's past?

### In the Right Direction

# Grades 3--5 

In order to talk and learn about places, and to locate themselves and
others in terms of place, children need to understand and be able to
name geographic directions.

# What You Need 

Maps of your state, a globe or atlas

Blank paper and crayons or colored pencils

# What to Do 

-   Sit with your younger child at a table or on the floor so that you
    can both see a map of your state. Point out where you live, explain
    the directional signs on the map: north, south, east and west.
    Mention several nearby towns or cities that your child has visited
    or knows about. Point to one of these and say, for example,
    "Granddad lives here, in Memphis. That's north of our town." Have
    your child use her finger to trace the line from your location to
    that place. Continue by pointing out places that are south, east and
    west of your location. When your child catches on to directions, ask
    her to point to places that are north, south, east and west of where
    she lives.

-   For your older child, make the map activity into a game. When you
    have made sure that she understands directions, pick a place on the
    map and give clues about its location, for example, "I'm looking at
    a city that is west of St. Louis and east of Kansas City." (You can
    also name rivers, lakes, mountains or other geographic features that
    can be seen on the map.) When your child gets the right answer, have
    her choose a place and give directional clues for you to use to find
    it.

-   As part of your child's study of national and world history, help
    her to use an atlas or globe to locate places mentioned in her
    textbook.

-   Help to make directional words a part of your child's vocabulary by
    using them yourself in daily conversation. Rather than saying,
    "We're turning right at the next corner," say, "We're turning east
    at the next corner." Encourage her to use the words as well.

-   Give your child blank paper and crayons or colored pencils and ask
    her to draw a map of your neighborhood showing important buildings
    and landmarks (churches, schools, malls, statues, rivers, hills and
    so on). Remind her to include an indicator of direction on the map.
    After she's finished, talk with her about what the map shows and
    have her give specific descriptions about the locations of various
    places on it.

### Let's Talk About It

Ask your child:

Why is it important to be able to read a map or use a globe? How can
knowing something about locations

help you in studying history?

### What's News?

# Grades 3--5 

What's new today really began in the past. Discussing the news is a way
to help children gain a historical perspective on the events of the
present.

# What You Need 

Newspapers

Weekly news magazine

A daily national TV news program

Atlas or globe

Highlighter

# What to Do 

This activity can be most useful to younger children if it's done from
time to time to get them used to the idea of "news." Older children
benefit from doing it more often, at least once a week if possible.

-   Look through the daily newspaper or a recent news magazine with your
    child. Ask her to decide what pictures or headlines have some
    connection to history. For example, a news story about the signing
    of a peace treaty might also show pictures of similar events, such
    as the signing of the Yalta treaty, from the past. A story about the
    current Russian leader might give a historical overview and show
    pictures of Lenin, Stalin and Khrushchev. A story on a Supreme Court
    ruling that affects school integration might have a headline that
    mentions the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Use a highlighter
    to mark these references.

> ---With your child, read the articles you've chosen. Make a list (or
> have her do it) of any references to events that did not happen today
> or yesterday, or to people who died some time ago.

---Talk with your child about what these past events and people have to
do with events happening today. Help her record these connections in her
history log.

-   Watch the evening news or a morning news program with your child.
    Help her to write as many references as possible to past history.
    Discuss the links she finds between these references and the news
    story you heard. In an atlas or on a globe, help her point out where
    the stories she watched took place.

-   During another session of TV viewing, help your child focus on how
    the information was communicated: did the newscaster use interviews,
    books, historical records, written historical accounts, literature,
    paintings, photographs? Did the newscaster report "facts"? Did she
    express opinions?

-   Help your child compare several accounts of a major news story from
    different news shows, newspapers and news magazines.

### Let's Talk About It

Ask your child:

Did you find anything "new" in the news? What "same old stories" did you
find? What's the difference between "fact" and "opinion"?

### History on the Go

# Grades 3--5 

Visiting the historical places that children read about in their history
books reinforces for them that history is about real people, places and
events.

# What You Need 

Your child's history book

Maps, guidebooks

# What to Do 

-   Find out what historical events your child is studying in school.
    Then check to see if a place related to those events is nearby and
    arrange to visit it with your child. If such a place isn't nearby,
    arrange for a "virtual" visit by looking for age-appropriate Web
    sites. See the list of helpful Web sites in the **Resources**
    section at the end of this booklet. Many of them contain links that
    provide "tours" of battlegrounds, homes, museums and other places of
    historical interest.

> ---Whether your visit is real or virtual, work with your child to
> prepare for it together. You might, for example, ask your local
> librarian to help you and your child find books, DVDs and videotapes
> about the history of the place you plan to visit or about the
> historical figures who lived there.
>
> ---Call the visitor information centers for the area and ask to be
> sent maps and specially prepared guidebooks (you can usually find such
> centers through Internet searches or by consulting travel books in
> your local library).
>
> ---Study maps or the area with your child. Talk with her about the
> best way to get from your home to the site. As you travel, have her
> follow the route on the map.
>
> ---Help your child make a list of questions to ask on your trip.
>
> ---Talk with her about the place you're visiting.
>
> ---After the visit, have your child make up a quiz for you, or a game,
> that is based on what she learned during the trip.

---Encourage your child to read more about the place you visited and the
people who were part of its history. Especially encourage your older
child to find historical documents that are associated with the site.
For example, if you visit the site of the Ohio Women's Rights Convention
in 1851, which is in Akron, Ohio, you might have him read---or read to
him---Sojourner Truth's address, known also as "And ain't I a Woman?"

-   Ask your child to identify any geographical features of the site you
    visited that played a part in the historical event she studied. If,
    for example, you visit a Civil War battlefield, you might point out
    its name and tell your child that the two sides in the war often
    gave battles different names. The Union side usually chose names
    that referred to a nearby body of water, such as a river, while the
    Confederate side named the battle by the nearest town. So, the
    battle called "Antietam" by the Union side (referring to a creek of
    that name) was called "Sharpsburg" by the Confederate side
    (referring to the Maryland town that was nearby).

### Let's Talk About It

Ask your child:

What was *historical* about the place you visited? What kinds of things
communicated the history of the place? Did the visit make you see our
town in a new way? Even though the place we visited was not in our

town, did it make you think of something historical from where we live?

### History as Time

The essential elements of history as time are chronology, empathy

and context.

# Chronology

Although our children need the opportunity to study historical events in
depth to get an understanding of them, they also need to know the time
*sequence* of those events as well as the names of the people and places
associated with them. When we are able to locate events in time, we are
better able to learn the *relationships* among them. What came first?
What was cause, and what was effect? Without a sense of chronological
order, events seem like a big jumble, and we can't understand what
happened in the past. It's important that children be able to identify
causes of events such as economic depressions and to understand the
effects of those events. These are skills that are crucial to critical
thinking and to being productive and informed citizens.

# Empathy

Empathy is the ability to imagine ourselves in the place of other people
and times. To accurately imagine ourselves in the place of people who
lived long ago, we must have an idea of what it was like "to be there."
This requires learning about both the world in which a person lived and
that person's reactions to the world. For example, in studying the
westward expansion across our country, children need to be aware of how
very difficult travel was in that time. They may ask why people didn't
just take airplanes to avoid the dangers they faced on the wagon trails.
When parents explain that people then couldn't fly because airplanes
hadn't yet been invented, children may ask why not. They need an
understanding of how technology develops and of the technology that was
available at the time of a historical event. Just knowing the physical
surroundings of a person at a point in time, however, doesn't allow
children to develop empathy. Stories and documents that tell us about
people's feelings and reactions to events in their lives allow us to
recognize the human feelings we share with people across space and time.
Helping children find and use original source documents from the past,
such as diaries, journals and speeches, gives them a way to learn to see
events through the eyes of people who were there.

# Context

Context is related to empathy. Context means "weave together," and
refers to the set of circumstances in several areas that surround an
event. To understand any historical period or event children should know
*how to weave* together politics (how a society was governed), sociology
(what groups of people formed the society), economics (how people worked
and what they produced), place (where the events happened) and religion,
literature, the arts and philosophy (what people valued and believed at
the time). When children try to understand the American Civil Rights
movement, for example, they will uncover a complex set of events. And
they will find that these events draw their meaning from their context.

History means having a grand old time with new stories. So, as you and
your child do the following activities, help him to think about the
relationship between history and time.

### School Days

**Kindergarten--Grade 3**

A good way to introduce children to history is to let them know how
school---a main focus of their lives---has changed over the years.

# What You Need 

Map of the United States

Crayons or colored pencils

# What to Do 

-   Talk with your child about what school was like when you were a
    child. Include how schools looked physically; the equipment teachers
    used; what subjects you studied; what choices you faced; and your
    favorite teachers and activities. If possible, show family
    photographs of yourself or other family members participating in
    school activities---playing a sport, cheerleading, giving a speech,
    winning an award, talking with classmates, working in a science lab
    and so forth. Have your child notice such things as clothing and
    hair styles, the way the school building or classroom looked, the
    equipment being used. Have her compare the school's characteristics
    with that of her own.

-   Join your child in exploring what school was like 50 or 100 years
    ago. Ask your librarian for help in looking this up, talk to older
    relatives and neighbors and use the Internet. Again, include
    photographs when possible.

> ---With your older child talk about some of the history of work in
> America and explain how it affects schooling. Tell her, for example,
> that many years ago, when America was a largely agricultural society,
> children were needed at home to help plant and harvest crops. Because
> of this, children often didn't go to school every day, or at all in
> the summer. In addition, the school year was more or less matched to
> the time of year that was less busy on farms---the late fall and
> winter months.
>
> ---Next explain that when America was switching from an agricultural
> to a manufacturing society, some children worked long days in
> factories, doing hard, dangerous jobs. Eventually, laws were passed to
> keep factories from using children to do dangerous work. Along with
> these child labor laws, other laws were passed that officially
> required children to go to school until a certain age.

-   Ask your child to imagine what school will be like in the future.
    Your younger child may want to use blocks to build a future
    schoolhouse, and your older child may want to draw or write about
    theirs.

### Let's Talk About It

Ask your child:

What has remained the same about school from the past to the present?
What has changed? If you could be the head of a school 20 years from
now, what would you keep and what would you change based on your current
school? How would you go about making these changes?

### Put Time in a Bottle

**Kindergarten--Grade 3**

Collecting things from their lifetimes and putting them in a time
capsule is a history lesson that children will never forget.

# What You Need 

Magazines or newspapers

Sealable container

Camera

Tape or other sealant

# What to Do 

-   Talk with your child about time capsules. Explain that when
    buildings such as schools, courthouses and churches are built,
    people often include a time capsule---a special container into which
    they place items that can tell about their lives and times to future

-   generations who open the container.

> ---Tell your child that you want to help him make his own personal
> time capsule. Talk with him about what he might want to put in it.
> Ask, for example, what things he might include to give people of the
> distant future a good idea of what he was like and what the time he
> lives in was like.
>
> ---Have him use a simple camera to take pictures of a few important
> objects in his life---a favorite CD, poster or pair of shoes; a
> baseball bat, football jersey or basketball; his computer, music
> player or cell phone. Have him locate and add magazine pictures of
> games and toys; cars, airplanes and other types of transportation;
> different kinds of sporting events; and clothes. Next have him locate
> examples of slang, ads for movies and TV shows, and selections from
> important speeches, poetry and stories or novels. Also help him find
> stories about current heroes and local, national and world events; and
> accounts of current issues and crises. Finally have him write a letter
> to someone in the future that describes life today.
>
> ---Call the family together and have your child do a "show and tell"
> of the items he's collected.
>
> ---Once everyone is satisfied with the collection, help your child
> label the items with his name and with any other information that will
> help those who find them understand how they are significant to the
> history of our time.
>
> ---Have him place the items in a container, seal the container and
> find a place to store it.
>
> ---Have him write in his history log a short description of what he
> has done and record the date. Encourage him to draw a map that shows
> the location of the time capsule and to use the correct directional
> words to label it.

-   Try to find news stories (your local newspaper, library or local
    historical society or museum can often direct you to such stories)
    about the opening of such a capsule in your area and what was in it.
    If possible, take your child to look at the contents of an opened
    time capsule---perhaps at your local historical society or museum.
    Also try to locate buildings in your area that contain unopened time
    capsules. Take your child to see the buildings and point out the
    cornerstones---the places in which most capsules are placed. Talk
    with him about the information on the cornerstone.

### Let's Talk About It

Ask your child:

What did the collection of items tell you about the period in which we
live? Did the items tend to be of a certain type?

### Quill Pens & Berry Ink

# Grades 1--3

History depends on writing, and writing has changed over time from
scratches on clay to digitalized codes and letters.

# What You Need 

For quill pen:

> feather, scissors, a paper clip

For berry ink:

> 1/2 cup of ripe berries (blueberries, cherries, blackberries,
> strawberries, or raspberries work well), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2
> teaspoon vinegar, food strainer, bowl, wooden spoon, small jar with
> tight-fitting lid

Paper

Paper towels

# What to Do 

-   Place the berries in the strainer and hold it over the bowl. Have
    your child use the wooden spoon to crush the berries against the
    strainer so that the juice drips into the bowl. When all the juice
    is out of the berries, throw the pulp away. Tell your child to add
    the salt and vinegar to the berry juice and stir it well. If the ink
    is too thick, have him add a teaspoon or two of water (not too much
    or he'll lose the color). Help him to pour the juice into a small
    jar and close it with a tight-fitting lid. (**Note**: Make only as
    much ink as you will use at one time, because it will dry up
    quickly.)

-   Have your child watch as you form the pen point by cutting the fat
    end of the feather on an angle, curving the cut slightly. (**Note: A
    good pair of scissors is safer than a knife. But play it safe, and
    always do the cutting yourself.**) Clean out the inside of the quill
    so that the ink will flow to the point. Use the end of a paper clip
    if needed. You may want to cut a center slit in the point; however,
    if you press too hard on the pen when you write, it may split.

-   Give the quill pen to your child and tell him to dip just the tip in
    the ink. Keep a paper towel handy to use as an ink blotter. Allow
    him to experiment by drawing lines and curves and by making designs
    and single letters. Show him how to hold the pen at different angles
    to get different effects.

> ---Have him practice signing his name, John Hancock style, with the
> early American letters shown below. Then have him write his signature
> in his history log.
>
> ---Have him write his name again, using a pen or pencil. Talk with him
> about how the signatures are alike and different.

### Let's Talk About It

Ask your child:

Why do we write? When do people in our family use writing? What written
things do you see every day? What are their different purposes? What
effect do different writing tools have on writing, for example quill
pens, ballpoint pens, typewriters and computers?

### Time Marches On

# Grades 2--5

The stories of history have beginnings, middles and ends that show
events and suggest causes and effects. Making personal timelines can
help children understand these elements. They allow children to use
events in their own lives to gain a sense of time, to understand the
sequence in which things happen and to see connections between causes
and effects.

# What You Need 

Large sheet of paper (butcher paper, for example)

Yardstick and ruler

Shelf paper

Colored pencils or crayons

Removable tape

# What to Do 

-   Sit with your younger child at a table. On a piece of paper, draw a
    vertical line. Explain that this is a time line. Use different
    colored pencils or crayons to make straight marks on the line in
    even intervals and label the marks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and so forth.
    Explain to your child that each mark is a year in his life.

> ---Beneath the first mark, write "I was born." Then point to another
> mark and ask your child what he remembers about that year in his life.
> Help him to choose one important event from that year, then think of a
> label to write. Continue with the remaining years, filling in events
> for those early years that he can't recall.
>
> ---Review the timeline. Allow your child to erase and change an event
> for a particular year if he remembers one that he thinks is more
> important. (Tell him that historians also rethink their choices when
> they study history.)

-   Have your older child make a timeline poster by placing a long piece
    of shelf paper on the floor. Have her use a yardstick to draw a line
    that is three feet long.

> ---Talk with your child about important dates in her life---the day
> she was born; her first day of kindergarten, of first grade; the day
> her best friend moved in next door; and so forth. Tell her to write
> the dates on the line. Invite her to add dates that are important for
> the whole family---the day her baby sister was born, the day her
> favorite uncle got married, the day the family moved to a new place,
> the day a grandparent died and so on. If appropriate photos are
> available, have her add them to the timeline.
>
> ---For a horizontal timeline, use removable tape to fasten the paper
> to the wall, making sure it's placed at a level that is easy for your
> child to see and continue working on. For a vertical timeline, hang
> the paper next to the doorway in your child's room.
>
> ---Display the finished timeline and ask your child to tell other
> family members and friends what it shows.
>
> ---Have your child expand her timeline by adding events that were
> happening in the world at the same time as each event of her life.
> Help her use the Internet or the library's collection of newspapers to
> find and record the headlines for each of her birthdays.

###### Let's Talk About It

Ask your child:

What is the most important event on the timeline? What effects did the
event have on your life? What are the connections between the events in
your life and world events?

###### The Past Anew

####### Grades 3--5

Reenactments of historical battles or periods, such as colonial times,
make our nation's history come alive---and get children involved.

# What You Need 

A library card

Local newspapers

Phone book

# What to Do 

-   Explain to your child what reenactments are---people dressing in the
    costumes of and acting out what life was like at some earlier time.
    With him, find out whether and where local reenactments are held by
    looking in your local newspaper or calling your local historical
    society, a state park or the National Park Service. If possible,
    choose a reenactment to visit. Prepare your child by taking him to a
    local museum or historical site that relates to the reenactment, by
    watching a TV program about the event or period or by searching for
    information about it on the Internet.

> ---Attend the reenactment and participate.
>
> ---Ask---and encourage your child to ask---the re-enactors questions
> about anything, from why they wear particular kinds of hats to the
> meanings of the event or period for the development or transformation
> of America.

### Let's Talk About It

Ask your child:

What was unusual or interesting about the reenactment? What role did
each

of the re-enactors play? If there was conflict, what was shown or said
about its causes and effects? What obstacles did the characters face?
How did they overcome them? What is the difference between the "real
thing" and a

performance of it? What did you learn from the performance?

### Weave a Web

# Grades 4--5

A history web is a way of connecting people and events.

# What You Need 

Large piece of paper or poster board (at least 31/2 ft. x 21/2 ft.)

Colored pencils, crayons or markers

# What to Do 

-   As you walk around your neighborhood with your child, point out
    interesting buildings, statues or other features. For example, you
    might pick a place in your community that has always seemed
    mysterious to you---an old ball field; a store, strange house or
    courthouse; a church, fountain, monument, clock or school building.
    Have your child study the place and write in her history log what
    she sees and hears. For example, have her look for plaques,
    engravings or other marks on buildings, such as dates and designs,
    or for unusual features, such as bleachers, windows or bell towers.

---Help her to find information about the place by asking a librarian
for resources, by searching the archives of the local newspaper, or by
using the Internet. Tell her to be on the lookout for events that
happened there, such as athletic records that might have been set or
visits by a famous person. Also have her look for things that changed
the place, such as the addition or removal of rooms, stairs or parking
lots.

-   Help your child locate people who have lived in your town a long
    time. Arrange for her to interview them using questions about the
    place she studied and the events surrounding it, and about any
    important events in the town's history that they remember.

-   Help her draw a web. Begin by placing the name of the place she
    studied in the middle (like the spider who weaves a "home"). Then
    have her draw several lines ("strands") from the middle to show the
    major events in the life of the place. To finish, have her connect
    the strands with cross lines to show other related events. When the
    web is complete, talk with your child about the relationships among
    the strands.

-   Have your child send her web to the editor of your local newspaper
    and ask to have it published. She can write about the web and ask
    readers to contribute more information to add to it. Tell her that
    this is exactly how "real" history is written!

-   Newspapers often include timelines of events. Point these out to
    your child and talk with him about what they show.

### Let's Talk About It

Ask your child:

When was the place you picked built? How is the place you picked
connected to other events in history?

### Time to Celebrate

# Grades 4--5

On quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies is written the phrase "E
pluribus unum," which is Latin for "Out of many, one." It is an
appropriate phrase to describe how our country has developed and the
many different people and groups who have made it so great.

# What You Need 

U.S. coins

Map of the world

Calendar

# What to Do 

-   Have your child look at U.S. coins for the phrase "E pluribus unum."
    Explain that the phrase means "Out of many, one," and that it refers
    to our country as *one* nation with *many* peoples and cultures.
    Explain that it isn't our families' ethnic heritages that bind us
    together as Americans, but shared democratic values.

-   With your child, talk about the following holidays that are
    celebrated in the United States. Look at a calendar and add other
    holidays, if you choose. Next to each holiday write (or have her
    write) when it's celebrated and what it celebrates.

New Year's Day January 1 New beginning

Martin Luther King

Jr.'s Birthday January 15 Birth of a leader

Presidents' Day Third Monday of February Originally, honored Presidents
Lincoln and Washington; currently honors all U.S. presidents

Memorial Day Last Monday of May War dead

Independence Day July 4 Adoption of the Declaration of Independence in
1776

Labor Day First Monday of September Working people

Columbus Day Second Monday of October Landing of Columbus in the Bahamas
in 1492

Veterans Day November 11 War veterans

Thanksgiving Day Fourth Thursday in November Day of thanks for divine
goodness

######## 

######## Christmas Day December 25 Birth of Christ

-   When you are talking about holidays, take the opportunity to read
    original source materials related to them. For example: on
    Presidents' Day, read one of the great presidential speeches such as
    President Lincoln's *Gettysburg Address* or President Kennedy's "Ask
    Not What Your Country Can Do for You" inaugural address; on Martin
    Luther King's Day read his "I Have a Dream" speech. Talk with your
    child about the meaning of each speech.

-   Encourage your child to find out about national holidays that are
    celebrated in other nations. Classmates, neighbors and relatives
    from other countries are good sources of information.

-   Invite your child to think and talk about other important holidays
    that she thinks our nation should celebrate. Are their any people
    she thinks deserve to have a holiday of their own? Any group of
    people? Any event that needs to be celebrated that isn't?

-   Discuss with your child your family's personal celebrations, and
    have her write in her history log about these special days.

### Let's Talk About It

Ask your child:

What kinds of accomplishments or events do we celebrate in America? What
similarities and differences did you find between American holidays and
holidays celebrated by people from other countries?

### It's in the Cards

# Grades 4--5

Many children don't like to study history in school because they are
asked to memorize so many dates and names. Parents can help---and make
learning more enjoyable---by using games to reinforce what their
children are learning in history class.

# What You Need 

Your child's history book

Index cards or sheets of heavy paper cut into cards

# What to Do 

-   Find out what events your child is currently studying in school. Use
    information from her textbook to make a set of cards. On one card,
    write the name of a historical figure; on a second card, write the
    events for which that figure is known in history; and on a third
    card, write the date(s) for the event. Do this for four or five
    figures from the time being studied.

> ---Use the cards to review with your child, helping her to name each
> figure and match it with the events and dates.
>
> ---When your child is comfortable with the cards, shuffle them and
> deal an equal number to your child and to yourself. Choose one of your
> cards and read it aloud. Say, for example, "Harriet Tubman." If your
> child has the event ("Underground Railroad") or date ("1863"---the
> year she freed more than 700 slaves in a raid), she must give you the
> card. If she has the card, she must give it to you, and you continue
> asking for cards. If she doesn't have the card, the turn goes to her,
> and she asks you for a card. Continue until one of you has no cards
> left.

-   Ask your child to think of other ways to use card games to learn
    more about history.

### Let's Talk About It

Ask your child:

Why is it important to know when things happened? Why could some things
not have happened any earlier than they did? What would happen to the
story of times past if our cards got all mixed up and out of order?

#### Working With Teachers and Schools

Research has shown that children at all grade levels do better in
school, feel more confident about themselves as learners and have higher
expectations for themselves when their parents are supportive of and
involved with their education^2^. Here are some ways that you can stay
involved in your child's school life and support his learning of
history:

**Become familiar with your child's school**. During your visit, look
for clues as to whether the school values history. For example, ask
yourself:

-   What do I see in my child's school and classroom to show that
    history is valued? For example, are maps, globes, atlases, and
    history-related student work visible?

-   Are newspapers, news magazines and other current events publications
    part of the history curriculum? Are videos, computer programs and
    collections of original source materials included in the study of
    history? Are textbooks and other resources up to date and accurate?

-   Does the school library contain a range of history-related
    materials, including biographies and historical fiction as well as
    information about local, state, national and world history, culture,
    societies and geography? If so, are they recent publications?

**Find out about the school's history curriculum**. Ask for a school
handbook. If none is available, meet with the school's principal and ask
questions such as the following:

2\. Ballen, J. and Oliver Moles, O. (1994). *Strong Families, Strong
Schools*. Washington, D.C.: U. S. Department of Education; Henderson, A.
T. and Berla, N. (eds.) (1994). *A New Generation of Evidence: The
Family Is Critical to Student Achievement*. Washington, D.C.: Center for
Law and Education.

-   What methods and materials does the school use for history
    instruction? Are these methods based on sound research evidence
    about what works best? Are the materials up to date? Can students do
    hands-on projects? Is the curriculum well coordinated across grades,
    from elementary school through middle school? Does the curriculum
    include both world history and American history?

-   Are the history teachers highly qualified? Do they meet state
    certification and subject-area knowledge requirements?

-   How much instructional time is spent on history?

-   How does the school measure student progress in history? What tests
    does it use? Do the tests assess what students are actually taught
    in their classes?

-   How do the students at the school score on state assessments of
    history?

-   Are activities available that parents can use at home to supplement
    and support instruction?

-   If you feel dissatisfied with the history curriculum, talk to your
    child's teacher first, and then to the principal, the head of the
    history curriculum division, the school superintendent and, finally,
    members of the school board. Also ask other parents for their
    opinions and suggestions.

-   If you have not seen it, ask to look at the *No Child Left Behind*
    report card for your school. These report cards show how your school
    compares to others in the district and indicate how well it is
    succeeding.

**Meet with your child's teacher**. Schedule an appointment and ask how
your child approaches history. Does she enjoy it? Does she participate
actively? Does she understand assignments and do them accurately? If the
teacher indicates that your child has problems, ask for specific things
that you can do to help her. In addition, you can do the following:

-   Attend parent-teacher conferences early in the school year. Listen
    to what the teacher says during these conferences and take notes.

-   Let the teacher know that you expect your child to gain a knowledge
    of history, and that you appreciate his efforts toward this goal.

-   Ask the teacher what his expectations are for the class and your
    child.

-   Agree on a system of communication with the teacher for the year,
    either by phone, e-mail or through letters.

-   Keep an open mind in discussing your child's education with the
    teacher; ask questions about anything you don't understand; and be
    frank with him about your concerns.

-   Compliment the teacher's efforts with your child. Let her know how
    much you appreciate her commitment to all the children she teaches.

**Visit your child's classroom**. In the classroom, look for the
following:

-   Do teachers display a thorough knowledge of their subjects? Do they
    relay this knowledge to students in ways that students can
    understand?

-   Do students discuss their ideas and offer explanations? Do they have
    opportunities to talk and work with each other as well as with the
    teacher? Are they encouraged to ask questions in class? Are they
    learning how to identify reliable sources of information and how to
    use them to find answers?

-   Does the instruction show students how to connect historical
    information they're learning to their personal experiences and to
    explore how past events affect their lives?

-   Are students regularly assigned history homework? Do assignments
    involve history projects, including posters or displays, debates,
    mock trials and role playing?

-   Does the class go on field trips that relate to history? For
    example, does the class visit historical sites, history museums,
    local historians or local elected officials?

-   Does the teacher expect---and help---*all* students to succeed? Does
    she encourage them to set high goals for themselves? Does she listen
    to their explanations and ideas?

-   Do classroom tests and assessments match national, state and local
    history standards? The *No Child Left Behind Act of 2001* (NCLB)
    requires annual assessments of students in grades 3--8 according to
    state-defined standards and the dissemination of the results to
    parents, teachers, principals and others. Curricula based on state
    standards should be taught in the classroom; thus assessment would
    be aligned with instruction. In addition to assessments required by
    NCLB, are teachers using many different ways to determine if
    children know and understand history, including asking open-ended
    questions that require thought and analysis? Do assessments match
    what has been taught? Are they used appropriately to plan
    instruction and evaluate student understanding?

**Find out if the school has a Web site**. School Web sites can provide
you with ready access to all kinds of information, including homework
assignments, class schedules, lesson plans and dates for school district
and state tests.

**Get actively involved**. Attend meetings of parent-teacher
organizations. If you're unable to attend, ask that the minutes of the
meetings be sent to you, or that they be made available on the school's
Web site. If your schedule permits, volunteer to help with the history
program. Teachers often send home lists of ways in which parents can get
involved, including the following:

-   Assisting with classroom projects;

-   Chaperoning field trips;

-   Offering to set up a history display in the school's front hallway
    or in your child's classroom;

-   Leading hands-on lessons (if you have a good history background
    yourself);

-   Helping in a computer laboratory or other area requiring adult
    supervision; and

-   Starting a drive to raise money for computers, books or field trips.

Even if you can't volunteer for work at the school, you can help your
child learn when you're at home. The key question is, "What can I do at
home, easily and every day, to reinforce and extend what the school is
teaching?" This is the involvement that every parent can and must
provide.

#### Bibliography

In addition to those listed below in the **Resources** section, the
following resources were used in preparing this booklet:

Ballen, J. and Oliver Moles, O. (1994). *Strong Families, Strong
Schools*. Washington, D.C.: U. S. Department of Education.

Bradley Commission on History in Schools. (1991). *Historical Literacy:
The Case for History in American Schools*. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Cheney, Lynne V. (1987). *American Memory: A Report on the Humanities in
the Nation's Public Schools*. Washington, D.C.: National Endowment for
the Humanities.

Gibbon, Peter H. (2002). *A Call to Heroism: Renewing America's Vision
of Greatness*. New York: Grove/Atlantic.

Henderson, A. T. and Berla, N. (eds.) (1994). *A New Generation of
Evidence: The Family Is Critical to Student Achievement*. Washington,
D.C.: Center for Law and Education.

Levstik, Linda. S., and Keith R. Barton. (2000). *Doing History:
Investigating with Children in Elementary and Middle Schools*. Mahway,
New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Vansledright, Bruce. (2002). *In Search of America's Past: Learning to
Read History in Elementary School*. New York: Teachers College Press.

Many of the activities are based on suggestions from the following
people and publications:

John Ahern; Claudia J. Hoone; Kathleen Hunter; Peter O'Donnell, Director
of Museum Education at Old Sturbridge Village; and Janice Ribar.

Caney, Steve. (1978). *Steve Caney's Kids' America*. New York: Workman
Publishing.

Henry, Edna. (1984). *Native American Cookbook*. New York: Julian
Messner.

Weitzman, David. (1975). *My Backyard History Book*. Boston: Little,
Brown & Co.

#### Resources

### Federal Sources of Information

**Educator's Reference Desk^SM^**

www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/res.cgi/Subjects/Social_Studies

# Federal Citizen Information Center, FirstGov for Kids

www.kids.gov

**Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE)**

www.ed.gov/free/index.html

# Library of Congress, American Memory

memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

# National Archives

www.archives.gov/

# National Park Service 

www.nps.gov

# National Register of Historic Places

www.cr.nps.gov/nr/

# National Trust for Historic Preservation

www.nationaltrust.org/

# No Child Left Behind 

www.nclb.gov/parents/index.html

Web Sites

The following Web sites are some of the many that contain great links
for both you and your child. Most provide you and your child with
information about how to search for specific information and with links
to other age-appropriate sites.

**Bringing History Home, a K--6 history curriculum**:

www.bringinghistoryhome.org

**Council for Excellence in Government, Take Your Kids to Vote**:
www.excelgov.org/displayContent.asp?Keyword=prptKidsVote

**Family Education Network**: fen.com

**Global Schoolnet, Global Schoolhouse**:
www.globalschoolnet.org/GSH/index.html

**Internet Public Library, Kids Space**: www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/

**Kids Web**: www.npac.syr.edu/textbook/kidsweb/SocialStudies/index.html

**KidSource**: www.kidsource.com/index.html

**Mapquest**: www.mapquest.com

**National Constitution Center**:
www.constitutioncenter.org/index_no_flash.shtml

**National Council for Geographic Education**: www.ncge.org

**National Council for History Education**: www.history.org/nche/

**National Council for the Social Studies**: www.ncss.org

**National Geographic Society**: www.nationalgeographic.com

**National History Day**: www.nationalhistoryday.org/

**National Standards for Social Studies**: www.ncss.org/standards/

**Smithsonian Institute**: www.si.edu/kids/

### Publications for Parents 

American Federation of Teachers. (2001). *Helping Your Child Succeed:
How Parents & Families Can Communicate Better with Teachers and School
Staff*. Washington, D.C. (available online at
www.aft.org/parentpage/communicating/index.html.)

American Library Association. (2002). *Libraries, Children and the
Internet*. Chicago, IL. (Available online at
www.ala.org/parents/librariesandinternet.html.)

Cholden, Harriet, Friedman, John A. and Tiersky, Ethel. (1998). *The
Homework Handbook: Practical Advice You Can Use Tonight to Help Your
Child Succeed Tomorrow*. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Clark, Rosemary, Hawkins, Donna and Vachon, Beth. (1999). *The
School-Savvy Parent: 365 Insider Tips to Help You Help Your Child*.
Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.

Hickey, M. Gail. (1999). *Bringing History Home: Local and Family
History Projects for Grades K-6*. Boston: Pearson, Allyn & Bacon.

Hirsch, E. D., Jr. (1997). *What Your First Grader Needs to Know:
Fundamentals of a Good First-Grade Education*. New York: Doubleday.

Kay, Peggy. (2002). *Games with Books: Twenty-Eight of the Best
Children's Books and How to Use Them to Help Your Child Learn---From
Preschool to Third Grade*. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

National Council for Geographic Education. (1998). *How to Help Children
Become Geographically Literate*. Washington, D.C. (Available online at
www.ncge.org/publications/resources/family/page7.html.)

Rich, Dorothy. (1992). *Megaskills: How Families Can Help Children
Succeed in School and Beyond* (rev. ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Russell, William F. (1997). *Family Learning. How to Help Your Children
Succeed in School by Learning at Home*. St. Charles, IL: First Word
Learning Systems, Inc.

Wise, Jessie and Bauer, Susan Wise. (2004). *The Well-Trained Mind: A
Guide to Classical Education at Home*. New York: W. W. Norton.

Wolfman, Ira. (2002). *Climbing Your Family Tree: Online and Off-Line
Genealogy For Kids*. New York: Workman Publishing.

### Books for Children

The following is only a sampling of the many excellent books about
people, events, and issues in American and world history and geography
that your child might enjoy. Many of the books listed here are also
available in languages other than English. Your local or school
librarian can help you locate books in a particular language.

For additional titles, check your library for sources such as the
listing of notable children's books prepared each year by the National
Council for the Social Studies and the Children's Book Council
(available online at www.socialstudies.org/resources/notable and at
www.cbcbooks.org/html/pubs.html) and the theme-related listing of books
chosen annually by the National Endowment for the Humanities for its *We
the People Bookshelf* (available online at
www.wethepeople.gov/bookshelf/).

We have divided the books into two groups, those most appropriate for
you to read with your younger child and those that will appeal to your
older child, who reads independently. However, you're the best judge of
which books are appropriate for your child, regardless of age.

# Preschool--Grade 2

# American History, Culture and Biography

Adler, David A. *A Picture Book of Sacagawea*. Holiday House.

Bateman, Teresa. *Red, White, Blue, and Uncle Who? The Stories Behind
Some of America's Patriotic Symbols*. Holiday House.

Catrow, David. *We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the
United States*. New York: Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers.

Chandra, Deborah. *George Washington's Teeth*. Farrar Straus & Giroux.

Cheney, Lynne V. *America:* *A Patriotic Primer*. Simon & Schuster.

Cherry, Lynne. *A River Ran Wild*. Harcourt Brace.

Curlee, Lynn. *Brooklyn Bridge*. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Grant, R. G. and Dailey, John R. *Flight*. Smithsonian Institution.

Harness, Cheryl. *Three Young Pilgrims*. Aladdin Library.

Hudson, Wade. *Great Black Heroes; Five Bold Freedom Fighters*.
Cartwheel Books.

Jakes, John. *Susanna of the Alamo: A True Story*. Harcourt Brace.

Jezek, Alisandra. *Miloli's Orchids*. Raintree/Streck Vaughn.

Johnson, Angela. *Those Building Men*. Blue Sky Press/Scholastic.

Monjo, F. N. *The One Bad Thing about Father* (biography of Theodore
Roosevelt). Harper.

O'Kelley, Mattie Lou. *From the Hills of Georgia: An Autobiography in
Paintings*. Little, Brown.

van Rynbach, Iris. *Everything from a Nail to a Coffin*. Orchard Books.

Waters, Kate. *The Story of the White House*. Scholastic.

# World History, Culture and Biography

Bauer, Susan Wise. *The Story of the World: History for the Classical
Child, Volume 1: Ancient Times*. Peace Hill Press.

Berger, Melvin and Berger, Gilda. *Mummies of the Pharaohs: Exploring
the Valley of the Kings*. National Geographic Society.

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. *Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great
Irish Famine, 1845-1850*. Houghton Mifflin.

Fisher, Leonard E. *Pyramid of the Sun, Pyramid of the Moon*. Atheneum.

Ganeri, Anita. *Emperors and Gladiators*. Peter Bedrick Books.

Musgrove, Margaret W. *Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions*. Dial Books
for Young Readers.

Provensen, Alice and Provensen, Martin. *The Glorious Flight: Across the
Channel with Louis Blériot*. Puffin.

Wells, Ruth. *A to Zen: A Book of Japanese Culture*. Simon & Schuster.

Zimlicka, Shannon. *The Colors of Russia*. Carolrhoda Books.

# Historical Fiction, Drama, Poetry and Games

Atwell, Debby. *Pearl*. Walter Lorraine Books/Houghton Mifflin.

Barnes, Peter. *Marshall, the Courthouse Mouse: A Tail of the U. S.
Supreme Court*. Vacation Spot Publishing.

Bates, Katherine Lee. *America the Beautiful*. Putnam.

Benchley, Nathaniel. *Sam the Minuteman*. Harper Trophy.

Bunting, Eve. *Smoky Night*. Harcourt.

Guthrie, Woody. *This Land Is Your Land*. Little, Brown & Co.

Goble, Paul. *Death of the Iron Horse*. Macmillan.

Hall, Donald. *Ox-Cart Man*. Puffin.

High, Linda Oatman. *A Humble Life: Plain Poems*. Eerdmans Books for
Young Readers.

Jimenez, Francisco. *The Christmas Gift*. Houghton Mifflin.

Kurtz, Jane. *River Friendly, River Wild*. Simon & Schuster.

Kuskin, Karla. *Jerusalem, Shining Still*. Harper Trophy.

Le Sueur, Meridel. *Little Brother of the Wilderness: The Story of
Johnny Appleseed*. Holy Cow! Press.

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. *Hiawatha*. (Various editions.)

Loomis, Christine. *Across America, I Love You*. Hyperion Press.

MacLachlan, Patricia. *All the Places to Love*. HarperCollins.

Panagopoulos, Janie Lynn. *A Place Called Home*. Sleeping Bear Press.

Paul, Ann Whitford. *All By Herself*. Harcourt Children's Books.

Ryan, Pam Munoz. *The Flag We Love*. Charlesbridge Publishing.

Swift, Hildegarde. *Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge*.
Red Wagon Books.

Turner, Ann. *Abe Lincoln Remembers*. HarperCollins Children's Books.

Turkle, Brinton. *Thy Friend, Obadiah*. Puffin.

Zolotow, Charlotte. *The Sky Was Blue*. HarperCollins.

Geography and Reference

Doherty, Gillian and Claybourne, Anna. *The Usborne Book of Peoples of
the World*. Usborne Publishing.

Hartman, Gail. *As The Crow Flies: A First Book of Maps*. Demco Media.

Knowlton, Jack. *Geography from A to Z: A Picture Glossary*. Harper
Trophy.

Leedy, Loreen. *Mapping Penny's World*. Holt.

National Geographic Society. *Our World: A Child's First Picture Atlas*.
National Geographic Society.

Rumford, James. *Traveling Man: The Journey of Ibn Battuta, 1325-1354*.
Houghton Mifflin.

# Grades 3 and Up

# American History, Culture and Biography

Barber, James and Pastan, Amy. *Smithsonian Presidents and First
Ladies*. Smithsonian Institution.

Bartoletti, S. C. *Kids on Strike!* Houghton Mifflin.

Bridges, Ruby with Lundell, Margo. *Through My Eyes*. Scholastic.

Bruchac, J. *Navajo Long Walk : Tragic Story of a Proud Peoples' Forced
March from Homeland*. National Geographic Press.

Busby, Peter. *First to Fly: How Wilbur & Orville Wright Invented the
Airplane*. Crown Books for Young Readers.

Catrow, David. *We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the
United States*. Dial Books for Young Readers.

Cheney, Lynne V. *A Is for Abigail: An Almanac of Amazing American
Women*.

Clapp, J. *Right Here on This Spot*. Houghton Mifflin.

Coombs, K. M. *Children of the Dust Days*. Carolrhoda Books.

Evans, Freddi Williams. *A Bus of Our Own*. Albert Whitman & Company.

Farris, Christine King. *My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing
up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr*. Simon & Schuster.

Fisher, Leonard E. *The Statue of Liberty*. Holiday House.

Frank, Mitch. *Understanding September 11th: Answering Questions about
the Attacks on America*. Viking's Children's Books.

Freedman, Russell. *In The Days of the Vaqueros: America's First True
Cowboys*. Clarion.

Harbison, Elizabeth M. (1998). *Loaves of Fun: A History of Bread with
Activities and Recipes from Around the World*. Chicago Review Press.

Hakim, Joy. *The First Americans*. Oxford University Press. (The first
volume of the A History of US series. Other volumes include: *Making
Thirteen Colonies*; *The New Nation; Reconstructing America; An Age of
Extremes; War, Peace*, and *All That Jazz 1918-1945*; and *All the*
People 1945-1999.)

Hoose, Phillip. *We Were There, Too! Young People in U. S. History*.
Melanie Kroupa Books/Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

Jacobs, William Jay. *Ellis Island: New Hope in a New Land*. Atheneum.

Loewen, Nancy. *We Live Here Too! Kids Talk about Good Citizenship*.
Picture Window Books.

Macaulay, David. *Mill*. Houghton Mifflin.

Maestro, Betsy. *Coming to America*. Scholastic.

Maestro, Betsy and Maestro, Giulio. *A More Perfect Union: The Story of
Our Constitution*. New York: Morrow.

Miller, Marilyn. *Words That Built a Nation*. Scholastic.

New York Times Staff. *The New York Times: A Nation Challenged, Young
Reader's Edition*. Scholastic.

Parkes, B. School *Then and Now*. Newbridge Emergent Readers Series.

Ravitch, Diane. *The American Reader: Words That Moved a Nation*.
Perennial.

Reichhardt, Tony. *Space Shuttle: The First 20 Years---The Astronauts'
Experiences in Their Own Words*. Smithsonian Institution.

Schanzer, Rosalyn. *How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning*.
HarperCollins.

Sobel, Syl and Tanzey, Pam. *How the U. S. Government Works*. Barrons
Juvenile.

Tanaka, Shelly. *Attack on Pearl Harbor: The True Story of the Day
America Entered World War II*. Hyperion Books for Children.

Wallner, Alexandra. *Since 1920*. Doubleday.

Wells, Rosemary. *The House in the Mail*. Puffin Books.

West, Delno C. and West, Jean M. *Uncle Sam and Old Glory: Symbols of
America*. Atheneum.

Wilson, Jon. *The Declaration of Independence: Foundation of America*.
Child's World.

Wong, J. S. *Apple Pie Fourth of July*. Harcourt.

# World History, Culture and Biography

Chrisp, Peter. *Alexander the Great: The Legend of a Warrior King*. DK
Publishing.

Coerr, Eleanor. *Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes*. Puffin.

Deedy, Carmen Agra. *The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of
Denmark*. Peachtree.

Fiedler, Joseph Daniel. *Hatshepsut, His Majesty, Herself*. Atheneum.

Hoose, Phillip. *It's Our World, Too!* Sunburst.

Macaulay, David. *Pyramid*. (See also *City: A Story of Roman Planning
and Construction*; *Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction*; and
*Castle*). Houghton Mifflin.

Major, John S. *The Silk Route: 7,000 Miles of History*. Harper Trophy.

Mead, Alice. *Girl of Kosovo*. Yearling Books.

Nickles, Greg. *Russia: The Cultures*. Crabtree.

# Historical Fiction, Drama, Poetry and Games

Baker, Charles F., III. *The Struggle for Freedom: Plays on the American
Revolution, 1762--1788*. Cobblestone.

Brink, Carol R. *Caddie Woodlawn*. Macmillan.

Fisher, Leonard E. *The Oregon Trail*. (See also *Tracks Across America:
The Story of the American Railroad, 1825-1900*.) Holiday House.

Fleischman, Paul. *Seedfolks*. Harper Trophy.

Forbes, Esther. *Johnny Tremain*. (Various editions.)

Freedman, Russell. *Cowboys of the Wild West*. Clarion.

Hoobler, Dorothy and Hoobler, Tom. *The First Decade: Curtain Going Up*.
Millbrook. (See also other books in the series about life in the
twentieth century, including *The Second Decade: Voyages; The 1920s:
Luck*; and *The 1930s: Directions*.)

Hunt, Irene. *Across Five Aprils*. Berkley.

Kennedy, Caroline. *A Patriot's Handbook: Songs, Poems, Stories, and
Speeches Celebrating the Land We Love*. Hyperion Press.

Minor, Wendell. *Star in the Storm*. McElderry.

Mistry, Nilesh. *The Story of Divaali*. Barefoot Books.

Nye, Naomi Shihab. *19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East*.
Greenwillow.

Polacco, Patricia. *Pink and Say*. Philomel Books.

Ryan, Pam M. *The Flag We Love*. Charlesbridge Publishing.

Sewall, Marcia. *The Pilgrims of Plimoth*. New York: Aladdin Library.

Waters, Kate. *Giving Thanks: The 1621 Harvest Feast*. Scholastic.

Wilder, Laura I. *Little House in the Big Woods*. (See also others in
the Little House series.) (Various editions.)

Zeman, Ludmila. *Gilgamesh the King*. Tundra Books.

# Geography

Ancona, George. *Cuban Kids*. Cavendish.

Bang, M. *Common Ground*. The Blue Sky Press.

Cooper, Margaret. *Exploring the Ice Age*. Atheneum Books for Young
Readers.

Haskins, James and Benson, Kathleen. *Building a New Land: African
Americans in Colonial America*. Amistad/HarperCollins Children's Books.

Laufer, Peter. *Made in Mexico*. National Geographic Society.

Leacock, Elspeth and Buckley, Susan. *Places in Time: A New Atlas of
American History*. Houghton Mifflin.

National Geographic Society. *Historical Atlas of the United States*.
National Geographic Society.

Leedy, Loreen. *Blast Off to Earth! A Look at Geography*. Holiday House.

Le Rochais, Marie-Ange. *Desert Trek: An Eye-Opening Journey Through the
World's Driest Places*. Walker & Company.

Smith, David J. *If the World Were a Village: A Book about the World's
People*. Kids Can Press.

# Children's Magazines

## Appleseeds 

800--821--0115

(www.cobblestonepub.com)

Contains articles, activities and games that develop skills and interest
in various content areas, including geography and U.S. history. (Ages 7
and up)

## Calliope

800--821--0115

(www.cobblestonepub.com)

Focuses on world history. (Ages 8 and up)

Cobblestone

800--821--0115

(www.cobblestonepub.com)

Contains articles and stories that focus on American history. (Ages 8
and up)

## Dig

800--821--0115

(www.cobblestonepub.com)

Focuses on archeology and on the historical and cultural aspects of
various societies. (Ages 8 and up)

## Kids Discover

212--677--4457

(www.kidsdiscover.com)

Contains theme-related articles, many of which focus on events and
people in U.S. and world history. (Ages 5 and up)

## National Geographic for Kids

800--647--5463

(www.nationalgeographic.com)

Offers articles, games, and other geography-related activities. (Ages 7
and up)

#### Acknowledgments

This publication was originally written by Elaine Wrisley Reed of the
National Council for History Education and edited by Jacquelyn
Zimmermann of the U.S. Department of Education. Revisions for the
current edition were completed by Elaine Reed and Fran Lehr.
Illustrations were done by Adjoa Burrows and Joe Matos.

This booklet has been made possible with the help of many people within
the Department of Education and external organizations, including, most
notably, the Office of Lynne V. Cheney and Libby O'Connell of the
History Channel, who reviewed drafts, and provided materials and
suggestions. The History Channel also committed financial support
towards the production of this booklet. In addition, a special thanks to
Todd May in the Office of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs and
Jacquelyn Zimmermann in the Office of Public Affairs for their help in
the design, development, editing, production and distribution of this
booklet.

**No Child Left Behind**

On January 8, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the *No
Child Left Behind Act* of 2001 (NCLB). This new law represents his
education reform plan and contains the most sweeping changes to the
*Elementary and Secondary Education Act* since it was enacted in 1965.
It changes the federal role in education by asking America's schools to
describe their success in terms of what each student accomplishes. The
act contains the president's four basic education reform principles:

-   Stronger accountability for results;

-   Local control and flexibility;

-   Expanded options for parents; and

-   An emphasis on effective and proven teaching methods.

In sum, this law---in partnership with parents, communities, school
leadership and classroom teachers---will ensure that every child in
America receives a great education and that no child is left behind.

For more information on *No Child Left Behind*, visit the Web site at
www.nochildleftbehind.gov or call 1-800-USA-LEARN.

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Intergovernmental

and Interagency Affairs

400 Maryland Avenue, SW • Washington D.C. 20202