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/.

Website Review: Monticello Digital Classroom

MONTICELLO DIGITAL CLASSROOM provides a wealth of information and educational resources about Thomas Jefferson and his life at Monticello.

A companion project to the Thomas Jefferson Monticello website, this archive contains 693 media items, 155 lesson plans, and 54 articles. Users can browse by topic such as slavery, American Revolution, and the Louisiana Purchase. The resource provides opportunities for both students and teachers.

Librarians will find this comprehensive resource to be useful for K-12 social studies teachers. Many of the articles contain options for elementary, middle, or high school reading levels making them particularly useful for targeted, informational reading experiences. An emphasis on primary source documents makes this website particularly useful for the informational literacy curriculum.

To visit the website, go to https://classroom.monticello.org/.

Book Review: Fly Guy Presents the White House

FLY GUY PRESENTS THE WHITE HOUSE by Tedd Arnold introduces young readers to the home of the President of the United States along with the basic of US government.

Designed for second grade readers, this engaging, informational book takes children on a tour of the White House. As Buzz and his pet fly explore the building and grounds, they learn about the president, presidential family, staff, and the history of the building.

The eclectic mix of typography and illustration types are likely to appeal to young readers. However, they could be distracting for very beginning readers.

Librarians will find this book appropriate for K-3 learners exploring the basics of government and the presidency. The simple story and field trip format will appeal to young readers.

Other books in the popular Fly Guy Presents series include bats, insects, sharks, space, dinosaurs, firefighters, and snakes.

Published by Scholastic on June 28, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Website Review: Remembering Lincoln

REMEMBERING LINCOLN explores the reactions of people to the Lincoln assassination and the stories behind these responses.

Produced by Ford’s Theatre, the “Explore the Story” section describes the circumstances of President Abraham Lincoln’s death and the reactions that came from people in all walks of life. A timeline, map of responses, and focus on specific people are intended to help students immerse themselves in the time period and the personal reactions of people to the Lincoln Assassination.

The “Browse All Responses” section contains hundreds of primary source documents including photographs, objects, newspaper articles, diary entries and other items that remember Lincoln.

The “Curated Collections” section provides a few focused examples such as memorial cards, children’s reactions, and mourning ribbons.

Librarians will find this website to be useful in teaching about primary source documents. By focusing on a particular event, librarians and history teachers can explore the wide range of primary sources produced at the time and help student reflect on the various perspectives represented in these documents.

To visit the website, go to http://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/.

Website Review: How to Become President of the U.S. Poster

The HOW TO BECOME PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. POSTER is an easy-to-understand infographic showing the election process.

Developed by Kids.gov, the web page includes the infographic along with a simple explanation of each step in the process. Links are provided to age-appropriate websites that explore the process in-depth.

A lesson plan provides objectives, standards, and activities associated with each step in the election process.

Librarians will find this to be a popular website during election season. The poster can be downloaded or ordered online. This fascinating infographic would be an excellent backdrop for a display featuring books about the presidential election and past presidents.

To visit the website, go to https://kids.usa.gov/president/

Website Review: Scholastic News - Election 2016

SCHOLASTIC NEWS: ELECTION 2016 provides timely, youth-friendly information and resources about the US presidential election.

The Home page provides links to the project’s key elements.

The Latest News page includes short articles about current events related to the presidential campaign, an interactive timeline of events, and a map showing state elections.

The Kid Reports area features youth reports including questions and answers, behind-the-scenes, and other topics of interest.

The Election Central section provides useful vocabulary associated with the election, a fun infographic showing the election process, and a Meet the Candidates page featuring the candidates.

Librarians will find this to be an age-appropriate way to introduce children to the key concepts associated with the presidential election. The user-friendly format will draw student interest. Use the short articles for informational reading activities.

Use the timeline, map, and infographics to discuss different ways that information can be presented. Invite youth to create their own visuals to share their understandings.

To visit the website, go to http://election.scholastic.com/.

App Review: JFK Challenge

The JFK CHALLENGE app from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation immerses users in American history and the impact of Kennedy’s presidency.

Designed for ages 9 through 11, students become NASA and Peace Corps trainees as they accept President Kennedy’s challenge to make a difference in the world. Users begin by creating a quick profile so their work can be saved. Then, they choose a mission: The Peace Corps or The Space Race. A multimedia tutorial provides an overview of the history of their mission and Kennedy’s connection. Students then work their way through a series of skills-building training activities and missions. The game elements are directly related to the content of the app making the experience both fun and educational.

Librarians will find this app to be a motivating way to bring history alive for youth. Use this app in a library station related to Kennedy or as part of a series of activities connected to life in the 1960s.

To learn more, go to http://www.jfkchallenge.org/.

To download the app, go to https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jfk-challenge/id957358011…

Website Review: Whitehouse.gov

Feature the WHITEHOUSE website at http://www.whitehouse.gov as part of your President’s Day activities.

The Whitehouse website is organized into five major sections that are easy to access and use.

The Briefing Room section features timely information about the President’s activities and public statements. Think about ways that proclamations and executive orders could be integrated into informational reading activities related to language arts and social studies.

The Issues section examines key issues facing the nation and plans for addressing these challenges. Economy, education, energy and the environment, immigration, and health care are a few of the hot topics addressed. This page would be an excellent way to kick off information inquiry projects that make use of contemporary primary source documents.

The Administration section highlights the key people in the Obama-Biden administration. It also includes information about the Offices of the White House and current initiatives such as Let’s Move!

The Participate section encourages the public to participate in White House activities including Google+ Hangouts known as We the Geeks. Follow the Whitehouse on social media including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and others. This is an excellent activity to promote digital citizenship in your library.

The 1600 Penn section is a content-rich resource for learning about the US government, the Whitehouse, and the presidency. Of particular note is the excellent database of American Presidents at http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents.

To learn more, go to the Whitehouse website at http://www.whitehouse.gov/.