Synergy: Abraham Lincoln

ABRAHAM LINCOLN (1809-1865) served as the 16th president of the United States. Leading the nation during the American Civil War, he abolished slavery, preserved the nation, and modernized the economy. He was assassinated just days before the end of the war.

Read the recently published work of nonfiction for middle grades, then learn more at the websites:

MR. LINCOLN SITS FOR HIS PORTRAIT by Leonard S. Marcus uses a historical photograph to jumpstart a discussion of Abraham Lincoln and a day in this life. The author’s use of historical photos, artifacts, and timelines along with the short text blocks will draw the attention of young readers. In addition, youth will enjoy the way Lincoln’s son Tad is woven into the narrative. This book provides an engaging alternative to the many traditional Lincoln biographies already available in the library. ARC courtesy of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN is an article from National Geographic Kids providing an introduction to Abraham Lincoln.

To read the article, go to https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/abraham-lincoln.

THE MASK OF LINCOLN is an online exhibit from the National Portrait Gallery sharing photographs of Lincoln during his presidency.

To explore the exhibit, go to https://npg.si.edu/exhibit/lincoln/.

Synergy: Farm Security Administration

The Farm Security Administration (FSA) was part of the Great Depression-era New Deal program. The FSA became famous for its photography program that depicted rural poverty. Between 1935 and 1944, about 175,000 black-and-white images were generated by the eleven photographers. Dorothea Lange and Gordon Parks were among the photographers.

Read the recently published nonfiction history for youth then learn more at the website.

PICTURING A NATION by Martin W. Sandler shares the story of the FSA photographers who brought the challenges of rural living alive for America. Filled with stunning photographs and quotes from both the photographers and others, the book features many lesser-known images to help young people understand the impact of the Farm Security Administration’s photography program. After introducing the program, the book explores photographs from each region and concludes with an overview of each photographer.

The FARM SECURITY ADMINISTRATION digital collection at the Library of Congress shares thousands of historical photos along with articles and essays about the FSA-OWI photographic unit.

To visit the black and white collection, go to https://bit.ly/3FBBZHi

To visit the color collection, go to https://bit.ly/3Igrbjs

ABOUT THE FSW is a video from the Library of Congress that introduces the Farm Security Administration collection.

To watch the overview, go to https://youtu.be/00UaD8_UpkE

ARC courtesy of Candlewick Press.

Website: Ransom Riggs

RANSOM RIGGS is a popular young adult author whose website includes books, films, and photos.

Best known as the author of the Peculiar Children series, Ransom Riggs also has an interest in film and photography. The film section of the website shares mini-documentaries and personal reflections. The photography section focuses on his passion for found photos.

In addition to his website, it’s interesting to follow Riggs on social media including Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Tumblr.

Librarians will find Riggs’ website to be popular with teens. Use it as an example of how authors reach out to their readers. Also, use it to show the author’s passions beyond books. Partner with the English teacher for a writing contest focused on Riggs’ 18 favorite found photos.

To visit his website, go to http://ransomriggs.com.

Website Review: YourShot

YOURSHOT from National Geographic is a social media project that encourages people to share photos.

The web project provides access to photos submitted by the online community including recent photos, trending images, and editor’s favorites. Users are encouraged to participate by contributing photos and stories based on specific assignments. The editor selects photos to share in the archives.

Librarians will find this website to be a fun way to introduce youth to photography. After exploring the website, participate in a Your Shot assignment or build your own. Discuss the website as an example of social media.

To visit the website, go to http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/.

Book Review: Claymates

CLAYMATES by Dev Petty is a picture book telling the story of two friends made of clay.

After the art studio closes for the day, the artist’s clay characters come to life. The bright colored photographs of the clay characters contributes to the appeal of the story.

Librarians will find this adorable picture book to be popular among primary aged children. It would also provide a fun introduction to an art or claymation project.

Published by Little, Brown on June 20, 2017. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Book Review: Antsy Ansel

ANTSY ANSEL: ANSEL ADAMS, A LIFE IN NATURE by Cindy Jenson-Elliott is a picture book biography exploring the childhood of this famous nature photographer.

Young Ansel Adams was always on the move. He felt most comfortable out in nature and eventually connected his passion of nature with photography.

The attractive illustrations will appeal to young readers.

Librarians will find that children connect with the story about Ansel’s youth. Use the many online galleries of his photographs to bring his work alive for youth.

To learn more about the author, go to http://www.cindyjensonelliott.com/.
To learn more about the illustrator, go to http://www.christyhale.com/.

Published by Henry Holt and Co., an imprint of Macmillan on September 6, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Special Event Website: American Folklife Center

The AMERICAN FOLKLIFE CENTER at the Library of Congress is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2016 by collecting photos of folklife tradition.

To participate in the project, the public is encouraged to share photos of their own folklife traditions. Photos can be shared at Flickr with the tag “MyTradition” and a Creative Commons license. The photos will be harvested and added to the AFC’s collections.

Librarians could use this project as an opportunity to talk with classes about American folklife as part of a school-wide social studies program.

For a definition and examples of American folklife, go to http://www.loc.gov/folklife/cwc/?loclr=blogflt.

To learn more about this special project and the 40th anniversary, go to the AFC’s blog at http://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/category/afc-40th-anniversary/.

Technology Review: Plum Landing

The PLUM LANDING website and apps are a companion to the popular PBS Kids program focusing on environmental science.

Designed for ages six through nine, the website contains a wide range of motivating science activities.

The Games section includes over a dozen games that encourage children to play, explore, create, and share what they learn about our amazing planet. Children learn concepts related to soil, seeds, invasive species, ecosystems, and other fascinating topics.

The Videos section plays short, animated videos focusing on ecosystems such as the desert, jungle, and mountain regions.

The Ship section highlights the television program’s featured characters.

The Pictures section features images submitted by users of the Nature Sketchpad website and Plum’s Photo Hunt app.

The Parents section contains fun family adventure ideas and tips for getting families outdoors.

The Educators area provides curriculum resources including activities and media resources organized thematically and aligned to science standards.

Two apps allow children to extend the experience. The Plum’s Creaturizer app provides tools to build crazy creatures and Plum’s Photo Hunt encourages children to photograph wonders in their own backyard.

Build the Plum character into a primary grades library center focusing on environment science topics. Incorporate a tablet or laptop along with science books and objects related to nature themes.

To visit the website, go to http://pbskids.org/plumlanding/.

App Review: Ripped Apart

RIPPED APART from The National Museum of American History is an engaging Civil War mystery app.

Based on real people and events from history, this app-based simulation game immerses youth in a fascinating photography history collection. Participants take on the role of a Smithsonian intern solving cases. Using historical photographs, users must decipher documents to solve authentic problems. The game examines various perspectives as players learn about the causes and key players in the Civil War. In addition, users can experiment with 19th century photography using their mobile device’s camera.

The project website contains interesting information about the real-world stories that serve as the basis for the engaging simulation.

Designed for young adults, librarians will find this app to be a fun way to explore primary source materials and learn about American history. Collaborate with the history teacher to connect library and history standards related to primary source documents and information inquiry in history.

Teachers may need to provide some guidance in the use of the simulation because no in-app directions are provided.

To learn more about the project and download the app, go to http://americanhistory.si.edu/ripped-apart.

Book Review: What in the World? Look Again

WHAT IN THE WORLD? LOOK AGAIN from National Geographic Kids is the second book in a new series that contains dozens of fascinating photo puzzles for middle grades children to ponder.

As readers work their way through this colorful book, they’re faced with eight different types of puzzles.

The “What in the World?” puzzles ask children to use photos and written clues to find the answers to questions.
The “Real or Fake?” activities involve youth in deciding if a photo is real or fake.
The “Take a Look!” puzzles ask children to find items in a photo on a list.
The “Up Close” photos involve youth in matching extreme close-up photos with other images.
The “Hidden Animals” activities ask readers to find animals hidden in their natural habitats.
The “Optical Illusion” puzzles involves readers in looking at images different ways.
The “Double Take” photos ask children to find differences between two photos.
The “More Challenges” activities extend the experience with additional experiences to extend brain power. Answers can be found at the end of the book along with other resources to explore.

Librarians will find this new series to be a popular alternative to the “I Spy” books. The visual mysteries will provide endless opportunities for problem-solving fun. Use the book to kick off a digital photography project. Get youth involved with creating their own visual photo puzzles.

Published by National Geographic Kids on September 8, 2015.

App Review: Plum's Photo Hunt

PLUM’S PHOTO HUNT is an engaging nature photo app for children from PBS Kids.

Part of the Plumb Landing environmental science PBS program, the app sends youth on missions outdoors to photograph interesting things in nature including weather, plants, and insects.

Aimed at children 6 through 9, app users are presented with three options: photo missions, photobombs, and field journal.

The Photo Missions area begins with instructions that are both text and read aloud. Youth choose from over a dozen missions such as looking for patterns and shadows in nature or seeking out animal habitats or unusual weather. The app activates the device camera allowing youth to take a photo of the requested nature element. Users can choose to save the photos.

The Photobombs section allows users to take photos with one of dozens of characters in the foreground. For instance, for a garden scene a child might select a character holding a watering can or if the student is photographing an insect a character holding a magnifying glass might be used. Youth can share their photos for possible use at the Plum Landing website.

The Field Journal allows children to save photos and text together to create an electronic field journal. Youth use photos they’ve taken within the program and add text. Additional pages can easily be added.

A parent button provides information for adults.

This easy-to-use app would be great for classroom science activities. However, keep in mind that separate user accounts aren’t generated so all the images are stored together on a single device.

To learn more about the PBS program, go to Plum Landing athttp://pbskids.org/plumlanding/.

To see the Plum Landing Picture Sharing areas, go tohttp://pbskids.org/plumlanding/pictures/.

To download the app, go to http://pbskids.org/apps/plums-photo-hunt.html.