More Social Studies Through Childrens Literature: An Integrated Approach

By Anthony D. Fredericks

Book Overview

These dynamic literature-based activities will help you energize the social studies curriculum and implement national (and many of state) standards. Fredericks presents hundreds of hands-on, minds-on projects to stimulate actively and engage students in positive learning. Each of these 33 units offers book summaries, social studies topic areas, critical thinking questions, and dozens of easy-to-do activities for every grade level. The author also gives practical guidelines for integrating literature across the curriculum, lists of web sites useful in social studies classes, and annotated bibliographies of related resources.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1563087618
• ISBN13: 9781563087615
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: Libraries Unlimited
• Length: 225 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 8.5" x 11.0"
• Age Range: 5 to 10 years
• Grade Range: Kindergarten to Grade 5

Customer Reviews

Almost as good as the first

I bought this book because I was so impressed with the first. I love the idea of teaching social studies through literature and integrating it with other subjects. This book does a great job of not only suggesting great books to use, but it provides numerous activities to go along with them. It is easy to find just the right activity for a child's age and interest. This version incorporates Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, and thus provides a broader range of activities. Nevertheless, I gave this edition a lower rating than the first. The author attempts to incorporate more books that are easier to relate to science. While I think this is a noble intent, in my opinion, the books chosen are much too overly representative of environmental science. (I have nothing against environmental science, but it is not the only science.) I would have liked to also see books about scientific inventions (Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison, George Washington Carver), for example, which would be easy to relate to social studies. Additionally, historical pieces (both American and world history) are noticeably absent. In spite of these problems, for the money, it is still worth the expense, as I am sure that I will use it as a resource for many years.

Great resource for home schooling

We purchased the book to help add variety and depth to our homeschooling lesson plan for a kindergartener and second-grader. The ideas for activities to go along with the books are great and have a wide range for different age groups. We have just started using it but I view it as an essential source for our plans and would recommend it for others homeschooling or even just to supplement your child's learning in the classroom. The fact that our children love books and are curious about many things certainly is a plus but I believe that the books recommended combined with the range of activities would get even the most reluctant student engaged -- or at least mildly interested. Glad we made this purchase.