DU History Teachers, looking for recommendations for

a nice core group of history texts for a bright 10 year old. Am interested in books that are not focused on "printing the legend." Can you help me out?

The Diary of Anne Frank is a great book if you wish to dig into that can of worms. Is 10 too young for Nazi stuff?

I 'splained a bit of the Nazi thing to my daughter (she asked) when she was about 6. An hour later I heard her playing, shouting to her sister "Way to go, Batman! We saved the Jews!"

So perhaps it was too much too soon.

world history texts. My grandson is an avid reader but I want to steer him in the directions of information not commonly offered in school texts, something to supplement and teach him that not all information can be taken at face value.

with history was not compartmentalizing it by country so much - but by time - at least during the past 200ish years.

We did "American History" with additional info on our "state history" and also looking at what was going on in the rest of the world at that time - Europe, Asia, Africa - not so much in-depth, but to keep it in perspective with world events. Of course we also looked VERY closely at "minority" history that usually gets short-shrift in the US.

We would also pull in what was going on in Science, Art, Literature, Music, Inventions, Philosophy, and anything else "interesting" to a kid or of major importance during that time period.

I was kinda shocked (embarrassed?) at the things I didn't realize were "concurrent" because all of my education had been US History, or Western Hemisphere, or European, blah blah blah. Every one was separate! Science was only in Science. Music, Lit, Art, in their classes" - but no where was there a BIG PICTURE every shown of what was going on in the world simultaneously. It was quite enlightening/interesting and a great way to really learn "history".

Oh - I second the Joy Hakim series for that age. Oh here's a PBS link to use with that: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/


That reminds me, The History Channel has "teacher guides" you can use with their programs. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I THINK some of the other "learning-oriented" channels do as well.

For a good read, I recommend "The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico", a first hand account by Bernal Diaz del Castillo, one of Hernan Cortes' soldiers.

http://www.amazon.com/Discovery-Conquest-Mexico-Bernal-Castillo/dp/0306806975

It was part of the curriculum in 7th grade elementary in Mexico.

First Sentence:

"I. Bernal Diaz del Castillo, citizen and Regidor of the most loyal city of Santiago de Guatemala, one of the first discoverers and conquerors of New Spain and its provinces, and the Cape of Honduras and all that lies within that land, a Native of the very noble and distinguished town of Medina del Campo, and the son of its former Regidor, Francisco Diaz del Castillo, who was also called "The graceful" (may his soul rest in glory), speak about that which concerns myself and all the true conquerors my companions who served His Majesty by discovering, conquering, pacifying, and settling most of the provinces of New Spain, and that it is one of the best countries yet discovered in the New World, we found out by our own efforts without His Majesty knowing anything about it."

Copies can still be purchased used, and it is available on Google Books:

http://books.google.com/books?id=9XEAAAAAYAAJ&dq=beard+history+of+the+united+states&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=3hCYS_LSHI-1tge5zdTkAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CA4Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=&f=false

It is a multi volume series. I think each book in the series costs around $20.

by Dee Brown. It was a real eye-opener for me when I was in high school.

The older ones were ready for Zinn's People's History of American Empire and the younger ones got Hite's The Complete Idiot's guide to US History, Graphic version. Great books, although there are better ones I suppose that aren't the graphic novel type.

let me preface by saying I'm not a history teacher but I do help parents find books for kids in my work and I'm trained as a librarian (tho not a k-12 one.)

In addition to Zinn's People's History of Empire, there's a graphic novel called Wobblies, about the IWW, or industrial workers of the world by Paul Buhle.

Along that same line, Joe Sacco has some great comics journalism dealing with issues. Palestine and Safe Area Goradze. I haven't looked at my copies for a while so I don't know if the violence, etc. would be too much for a younger teen.

non-graphic biographies -

Red Scarf Girl is about a girl growing up during the cultural revolution in China.

Zlata's Diary is no longer in print but available cheaply. a girl growing up during the whole mess in the former Yugoslavia (Sarajevo, etc.).

The Book Thief is about a girl during WWII.

Zinn's A Young People's History of the U.S. is good.

Dover books has lots of inexpensive reprints of documents like slave diaries and narratives, great speeches, things like Sherman's Capture of Atlanta... just to say that primary documents are interesting too, sometimes.

Depending on the time period you are studying, there are a lot of fiction books to supplement the history that are Y/A novels with young protags.

There are books for younger readers in the first one, but don't let that stop you.

40 Books about Peace and Social Justice

http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/detailListBooks.asp?idBookLists=77

Tell Them We Remember: Selected Literature for Children and Teens about the Holocaust and World War II

http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/detailListBooks.asp?idBookLists=274


Here's the main link to all lists, if you're interested:

http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/detailLists.asp?idBookListCat=4

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn. Might be a little much for a 10 year old. So let it hang around for a year or two.

http://books.google.com/books?id=P8V7J5qm5-YC&dq=Howard+Zinn&printsec=frontcover&source=an&hl=en&ei=LTWYS_qyCMiWtgf-waXlAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBcQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=&f=false

"A People's History of the United States" is the most important book I have ever read, "A Young People's History of the United States" is written in a way that is easier for children to understand and it places a bit more emphasis on the stories of young people who stood against oppression.

I have a 4 year old granddaughter. In a few years...