Synergy: Transportation

Transportation is the movement of people, products, or goods from one place to another. A vehicle such as a truck, train, bus, ship, or other form of transportation may be used as a carrier.

Read the recently published nonfiction book, then learn more at the website:

MEANS OF TRANSPORT THAT CHANGED THE WORLD by Tom Velcovsky explores the history of transport through key milestones in travel and transportation. From ships and air balloons to space travel, readers explore specific examples that represent key innovations through history. ARC courtesy of Albatros Media, an imprint of Ingram Publisher Services.

AMERICA ON THE MOVE from the National Museum of American History examines transportation through American history. Over a dozen project pages use collection artifacts to share stories about travel and transportation.

To visit the website, go to https://americanhistory.si.edu/america-on-the-move.

Website Review: Trucktown

TRUCKTOWN is Jon Scieszka’s website featuring his popular truck characters.

Users can choose to explore the adult or children’s section of the website. The adult section provides information about the series, the creators, and the books including text, images, and short videos. The teacher/librarian section provides reproducible PDF activities for students. The children’s section contains interactive experiences from the book Smash! Crash, Trucktown games, and lots of online activities.

Librarians will find this website to be full of fun activities. Set up a Trucktown in the library including toy trucks, books, printed activities, and a computer featuring the website.

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

Website Review: America on the Move

AMERICA ON THE MOVE is a program from the National Museum of American History.

This fascinating website contains exhibitions, collections, themes, games, and learning resources connected with the history of transportation. The exhibition section features a timeline exploring how changes in transportation impacted America. The collection area provides access to more than a thousand artifacts and photographs. In the theme area, students can explore resources by topics such as communities and technology.

The website features three interactive games including a matching game, a driving through time game, and a movie director game. Each game examines a different aspect of transportation history.

Librarians will find this website to be a fun way to explore the history of transportation. The learning resources section provides exhibit and classroom guides, a reading list, and web links.

To visit the website, go to http://amhistory.si.edu/onthemove/.

Book Review: Duck on a Tractor

DUCK ON A TRACTOR by David Shannon is an hilarious farm-themed road trip featuring a duck who likes to drive.

When Duck figures out how to start the tractor, his farm animals friends jump on for an unforgettable ride. This humorous picture book will have children giggling from beginning to end. Young children will be attracted to the large, whimsical illustration featuring fascinating perspectives and quirky townspeople.

Librarians will find this book popular with children who enjoy animal and farm stories. Ask students to extend the experience by writing about Duck’s next transportation adventure.

To learn more about the author/illustrator, go to http://nodavidshannon.com/.

Published by The Blue Sky Press, an imprint of Scholastic on September 13, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Digital Collection: Highway 89 Collection

HIGHWAY 89 COLLECTION

Contents: This collection includes photographs, manuscripts, and printed materials related to Highway 89 that runs through the western part of the United States. Exhibits, a map, timelines, and browsing tools assist users in exploring the materials.

Classroom Connections: Use this project as inspiration for creating a local history project focusing on a local road. Or, seek out other highway collections include Lincoln Highway at http://quod.lib.umich.edu/l/linchigh. Also, look for back country byway projects. Use the History Pin project for ideas https://www.historypin.org/en/.

Featured Digital Objects: 
Architecture - https://goo.gl/AVdcIx
Billboards and Signs - https://goo.gl/rlk2WT
National Parks - https://goo.gl/nOzE8S

To visit the collection, go to http://www.highway89.org/.