Fifty Nifty United States
By Sandy Meagher

It seems as though all 50 states use their history as part of the social studies curriculum somewhere between grades three and five. Students learn about local history, then proceed to state history. A constant cry from grade-level teachers is, "What new materials do you have about our state and local history?" I always find excellent resources for local history at the local historical society and chamber of commerce. Ours offer books, "traveling trunks" filled with artifacts, traveling historians and opportunities for research and hands-on learning.

Sleeping Bear Press has published a series of state-themed alphabet books, including K is for Keystone, by Kristen Kane.

A book for each state
There are plenty of commercially-available books on state history. One excellent source for material about the states is Gallopade International Publishing. Some titles are The Big Pennsylvania Activity Book, My First Book About Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Jeopardy Game Book. Go to www.gallopade.com to find titles for your state.

An outstanding book that can be used as a writing model is K is for Keystone: A Pennsylvania Alphabet Book by Kristen Kane (Sleeping Bear Press, 2003, ISBN: 1-585-36104-6). Sleeping Bear Press' beautiful series of state alphabet books includes geography, important events, famous people and places and much more. Groups or student partners could each take a letter from your state's name, do research and present facts in the creative way these books have introduced. Other titles include E is for Empire (New York), G is for Golden (California) and P is for Palmetto (South Carolina).

Abdo Publishing Company has an excellent series of state books that includes timelines, photos, maps and more. You can check out their offerings at www.abdopub.com. Look to the "From Sea to Shining Sea" series, from Children's Press, and the "This Land is Your Land" series, from Compass Point Publishing, for books that present thorough, accurate information on various states' geography, history, natural resources, commerce and government.

A nice place to visit
My friend, fourth grade teacher Penny Roberts, has her students make a travel brochure about their state. Students work with partners to research famous people, places and events from their state, and present the end product as a computer slide show and a travel brochure.

A book that fits nicely with this project is Smart About the Fifty States by John Buller, Susan Schade, Mary Ann Cocca-Leffler, Joan Holub, True Kelley and Dana Regan (Grossett & Dunlap, 2003, ISBN: 0-448-43131-9). It's set up as a classroom report, with artwork and descriptive writing by the "students." Factual information can be found at www.50states.com

Famous neighbors
Students are fascinated by famous people who live in their state. One class, after reading biographies, dressed as their favorite "state celebrities" and gave oral presentations of what each person might have said at the age of nine. Milton Hershey had lots of chocolate bars, Grace Kelly was a lovely princess and Marc Brown brought "Arthur books."

You'll find excellent biographies at www.capstonepress.com and www.abdopub.com One of my favorites is One More Valley, One More Hill: The Story of Aunt Clara Brown by Linda Lowery (Random House, 2002, ISBN: 0-375-81092-7).

Cross-country curriculum
Incorporating all areas of curriculum isn't difficult when it comes to the study of states. There are poetry resources such as Hand in Hand: An American History Through Poetry by Lee Bennett Hopkins (Simon & Schuster, 1994, ISBN: 0-671-73315-X), America Is by Louise Borden (McElderry, 2002, ISBN: 0-689-83900-6) and America the Beautiful by Katharine Bates; beautifully illustrated by Wendell Minor (Putnam, 2003, ISBN: 0-399-23885-9).

Don't forget to share with your music teacher I Hear America Singing: Folk Songs for American Families, collected and arranged by Kathleen Krull (Knopf, 2003, ISBN: 0-375-82527-4). The book comes with a CD.

The students' collages showed our country's varied climates and terrains.

There's a great new series from Power Kids Press, How to Draw Pennsylvania's Sights and Symbols (A Kids Guide to Drawing America) by J. Katlin (2002, ISBN: 0-823-96094-3). This series includes all the states, and students love using the books to help decorate their projects. Our art teacher had students make photo collages of the United States.

The fiction connection
For fiction, Follett Library's resource at www.titlewave.com gives a detailed list when you type in your state and "historical fiction."

The series, "American Adventures," includes the book Thomas In Danger: 1779 by Bonnie Pryor (Morrow Junior, 1999, ISBN: 0-688-16518-4). Pleasant Company Publications has "American Girl History Mysteries;" my favorite is Voices at Whisper Bend by Katherine Ayers (1999, ISBN: 1-562-47761-7).

Don't forget to invite local authors to visit. Here in Pennsylvania, we have Clara Gillow Clark with Hill Hawk Hattie (Candlewick, 2003, ISBN: 0-763-61963-9) and Susan Campbell Bartoletti with A Coal Miner's Bride: The Diary of Anetka Kaminska (Scholastic, 2000, ISBN: 0-439-05386-2).

Sandy Meagher is the Library Department Chairperson and School Librarian in the Wayne Highlands School District, Honesdale, PA.

October, 2003, Vol.34, No.2