Resources for HSE Social Studies

Electronic Resources
A NOTE ABOUT TH IS LIST: This list contains history that teach history through primary sources
links to some general electronic resources teachers and provocative issues.
can refer to when teaching HSE Social Studies.
There are also resources tied specifically to the sug- EconEdLink.org
gested links on the curriculum map, as well as a few This is probably the best go-to site for teachers
supplementary links. who wish to introduce economics topics into their
teaching. Many of the lessons go into more detail
GENERAL RESOURCES than teachers will want to take on; however there
PBS: A History of Us are many helpful texts available here that teach
economics concepts in a clear way, and teachers
Freedom: A History of Us by Joy Hakim is a may find themselves adapting some of the lessons
10-volume book set published by Oxford University to make them simpler and more accessible.
Press that is geared toward middle school level
readers. The books were turned into a series by PBS Zinnedproject.org
and webisodes can be viewed online. In addition Resources for those teachers who wish to teach
there are teacher resources for each book. Click on history from a more provocative angle. The site
“Teacher Resources,” then “Teaching Guides.” includes a free, downloadable graphic book
about U.S. imperialism, as well as print books on
USHistory.org colonialism. There are also short speeches from
This site features an online textbook, organized by reformers read by well-known actors. This is a
period,that is very helpful for teachers who want to great way to bring historical documents such as
learn more about particular eras. Some sections speeches into the classroom in such a way that
may also be excerpted for classroom use with students will feel the power and drama of the
students. words.

Shmoop For Lower Level Students:

Shmoop has helpful, intelligent, lively three-to-four U.S. History for English Language Learners
page narratives on various periods in U.S. history. http://photos.state.gov/libraries/amgov/30145/
These make for extremely helpful background publications-english/learner_english.pdf
reading for teachers, but some sections could also
be excerpted for use in the classroom. A feature Teachinghistory.org
teachers may appreciate is called “What Does it Many pictures and very little text make this an
Matter?” As this is a question we sometimes get engaging introduction to U.S. history for ESOL
from students, it’s helpful to get this perspective. learners.

HERB: Social History for Every Classroom COLONIALISM

herb.ashp.cuny.edu Colonial Williamsburg
Historians played a key role in developing this set This site is a lively and comprehensive look at what
of engaging, intelligently-designed lessons on U.S. life was really like in a colonial town. One of its

210 RESOURCES THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • SS/RW

Electronic Resources

best features is a set of short biographies of real U.S. steel production:

people from different races and classes who lived http://www.fasttrackteaching.com/ftap/
in the town. This would be an excellent site for Steel&Price_300g15.gif
students to look at on their own, or that teachers
could use as the basis of an exercise in taking on a Graph Rural and Urban Populations:
historical point of view. http://www.phschool.com/curriculum_support/
taks/images/PWU2ques16.gif
Africans in America
The country’s colonial beginnings were also the Graph: Changes in the Labor Force
beginnings of the slave trade. PBS’ Africans in http://www.gedboard.com/wp-content/
America site has an exhaustive set of resources uploads/2015/04/ss-pic-19.jpg
for studying this period, including interviews with
historians that can help teachers better understand Graph: Richest people in the 1900s and Today:
the phenomenon. http://i.imgur.com/2iY1K.png

U.S. GOVERNMENT AND Graph: Immigration to the U.S. by Continent

CONSTITUTION http://goo.gl/IqBP9T
C-Span Classroom Website: Immigrant Life
C-Span Classroom is a good site with websites http://immigrants1900.weebly.com/living-
and teaching activities that allow students to conditions.html
explore constitutional issues through current
debates such as Guantanamo Bay detainees. Past and Present
The U.S. was a manufacturing-based economy,
Annenberg Classroom
but that is changing.
This site for civics education has a vast array
of resources. Short article:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/
INDUSTRIALIZATION AND THE ciocentral/2012/04/19/services-not-
GREAT WAVE OF IMMIGRATION manufacturing-will-revive-the-u-s-workforce/
Graph: GDP per capita growth from 1870
Short article about change from a manufacturing-
http://visualeconsite.s3.amazonaws.com/wp- based economy:
content/uploads/RealGDPperCapita-650x450.png
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/
Graph: U.S. in World Manufacturing wp/2014/09/03/watch-the-u-s-transition-from-a-
manufacturing-economy-to-a-service-economy-in-
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
one-gif/
commons/c/ce/Graph_rel_share_world_
manuf_1750_1900_02.png
IMPERIALISM
Zinnedproject.org
For an “alternative” retelling of American
imperialism, this site has a dowloadable graphic

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • SS/RW RESOURCES 211

Electronic Resources

book on the topic as well as free print books WORLD WAR I

for teachers.
Easy to understand weebly on World War I:
Map: Colonial Possession, 1900: http://jarredjoly0.tripod.com/id3.html
Map images are widely available online.
Weapons of World War I:
Map: U.S. possessions after Spanish http://www.history.co.uk/shows/the-world-wars/
American War: articles/5-technological-innovations-from-ww1
http://www.binghamtonschools.org/Downloads/
Poem: Dulce et Decorum Est:
US_Possessions_in_19172.jpg
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/owen1.html
Map: U.S. Activities in Latin America
http://media.maps101.com/SUB/HGIFS/ WORLD WAR II
USAH020-H.gif Lessons on World War II from National
Geographic:
Link: Text: Is Puerto Rico a State?
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/archive/
http://gopuertorico.about.com/od/ xpeditions/lessons/13/g68/involved.html
introductiontopuertorico/f/Statehood.htm
Lessons on World War II from BBC Online:
Yellow Journalism and Bias in the News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/
Buzzfeed: Fox News Headlines vs. Actual Lessons on World War II from Awesome Stories:
Headlines
https://www.awesomestories.com/collections/
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/actual-news- detail/World-War-II
headlines-vs-fox-news-headlines#.qvG4GEyGq

Website: Yellow Journalism Past and Present

POST-WAR AMERICA
http://www.americanhistoryusa.com/yellow- Capitalism and Communism
journalism-present-and-past/ Comparing Economic Systems: Capitalism
and Communism
Media Bias Lesson Plan:
http://www.ushistory.org/gov/13b.asp
http://mediasmarts.ca/sites/mediasmarts/files/
pdfs/lesson-plan/Lesson_Bias_News_Sources.pdf Lesson: Comparative Economic Systems from
EconEdLink:
http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.
php?lid=322&type=student

Lesson: Nothing to Buy from EconEdLink:

http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.
php?lid=177&type=educator

212 RESOURCES THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • SS/RW

Print Resources

GENERAL RESOURCES/TEXTBOOKS: National Geographic Documents of Freedom

Series. In the series:
A History of Us by Joy Hakim,
Oxford University Press • The Mayflower Compact
• The Declaration of Independence
This series, written for middle school readers,
is engaging and lively. In addition to the books • The Constitution
themselves, teaching guides are available online at • The Bill of Rights
PBS.org. Books in the series: • The Emancipation Proclamation
Book One: The First Americans
Decades of American History series published
Book Two: Making Thirteen Colonies by Facts on File
Book Three: From Colonies to Country With one volume on each of the decades in 20th
Book Four: The New Nation century American history, these books are too long
Book Five: Liberty for All? for students to read in class, but excerpts can be
Book Six: War, Terrible War very useful for teaching about each time period.
Book Seven: Reconstructing America Reading level is grade 7 and up.
Book Eight: An Age of Extremes
Book Nine: War, Peace and All that Jazzz TRADE BOOKS AND HISTORICAL
Book Ten: All the People FICTION BY ERA
While textbooks can help students build
National Geographic Reading Expeditions Seeds background knowledge in a particular era,
of Change in American History Series: historical fiction, trade books, and biographies
This series is ideal for the adult classroom. Books really help history come alive. Books in these
are short and engaging—more like magazines than genres are listed below by era. Please note that
books—with lots of pictures and interesting details, only titles of books in each era will be included on
but also help students learn the most important this list. To see full descriptions and excerpts of the
information related to each topic/era. Reading books, go to cunyhistoryclub.wordpress.com and
level is approximately grade 5 and up. Books in click on the desired category.
the series: Within each era, books at lower levels will be listed
• Two Cultures Meet by Ann Rossi first, followed by books for students who read at
• The Industrial Revolution higher levels.
by Susan Washburn Buckley Another good source of books for adult education
• Building the Transcontinental Railroad teachers is Townsend Press, which offers a number
by Monica Halpern of historical titles at a middle school reading level
• The Anti-Slavery Movement by Ann Rossi for only $2 each.
• The Progressives by Monica Halpern
• America Enters World War I
COLONIAL/REVOLUTION
by Carol Domblewski April Morning by Howard Fast
• The Great Migration by Monica Halpern A historical novel about the American Revolution,
• Votes for Women by Ann Rossi 5th grade level.
• The Home Front During World War II
My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier
by Monica Halpern
and Christopher Collier
• The Struggle for Equality by Ann Rossi

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • SS/RW RESOURCES 213

Print Resources

A historical novel about the American Revolution, Excellent trade book about the fire.
high school reading level.
Mother Jones by Betsy Harvey Kraft
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson This biography of Mother Jones also comes
An enslaved girl in New York City tries to save her as a graphic novel.
sister at the time of the American Revolution.
Lyddie by Katherine Paterson
A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi Historical fiction about a Lowell Mill girl
A novel of the Salem witch trials.
THE GREAT DEPRESSION
WESTWARD EXPANSION The Great Depression by Elaine Landau
The West, an Illustrated History, by Geoffrey Ward, Accessible to pre-HSE, engaging and informative
Steven Ives and Ken Burns
Dear Mrs. Roosevelt, Letters from Children during
Based on the PBS series by Ken Burns.
the Great Depression, edited by Robert Cohen
SLAVERY AND THE CIVIL WAR A wonderful book to take excerpts from when
Harriet Tubman by Anna Petry teaching this period.
A biography written at a middle school level Restless Spirit, the Life and Work of Dorothea
Lange by Elizabeth Partridge
Get on Board: The Story of the Underground
Railroad by Jim Haskins Dorothea Lange’s photographs did much to goad
the government into action during the Depression.
Tells the stories of “conductors” and runaway
slaves. Very engaging. Fifth grade reading level. Hard Times by Studs Terkel

Amistad by Joyce Annette Barnes Oral histories from people of all classes in all walks
of life.
This is the junior novel, and is accessible
to pre-HSE and HSE students. WORLD WAR II
Anthony Burns: the Defeat and Triumph of The Story of Blima, a Holocaust Survivor
a Runaway Slave by Virginia Hamilton by Shirley Russak Wachtel
An exciting read Students have been very affecting by this book
which is an easy read.
Bull Run by Paul Fleishman
A novel told in the voices of different characters I Had Seen Castles by Cynthia Rylant
during the Civil War. Accessible but students must Beautifully written novel of regret from the point
first build background knowledge about the war. of view of a soldier who misses pre-war life.
The Last Silk Dress by Ann Rinaldi The Year of Impossible Goodbyes
A high school reading level. Tells the story of the by Sook Nyul Choi
Civil War from a Confederate perspective. The Japanese occupation of Korea

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac

THE LABOR MOVEMENT A historical novel about the important role
of Navajo code talkers during the War.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
by Katie Marisco

214 RESOURCES THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • SS/RW

Recommended Books on Teaching for
Social Studies and ELA Teachers

ON LEARNING This article is freely available on the web and

provides a thorough summary of recent research in
How People Learn, edited by Committee on reading development and best practices.
Developments in the Science of Learning,
published by National Academy Press When Students Can’t Read What Teachers Can Do
Important insights for teachers on the nature of by Kylene Beers, published Heinemann
learning, and why studying content deeply is so Beers puts assessment of reading behaviors front
important. and foremost, with helpful lists on behaviors of
what she terms “dependent” and “independent”
Why Don’t Students Like School? by Daniel T. readers. Grounded in classroom work and
Willingham, published Jossey-Bass observations, this is a must-have for literacy
Written for teachers, this book illuminates the teachers.
cognitive science behind learning and explains the
scientific basis behind learning content, extensive Strategic Reading by Jeffery D. Wilhelm,
practice, ways to help students remember what published Boynton Cook
they have learned. Wilhelm emphasizes the “how” of teaching and
learning, not just the “what.” This book is extremely
Background Knowledge: the Missing Piece of the helpful not just for the teaching of reading, but for
Comprehension Puzzle by Douglas Fisher and an understanding of how to build lessons built on
Nancy Frey, published Heinemann inquiry, open-ended questions, and before, during
This book provides a solid rationale for teaching and after reading activities.
content and helping students build and activate
background knowledge in order to succeed in You Gotta BE the Book by Jeffrey Wilhelm
school, along with many helpful suggestions and This book is especially helpful for teachers of teen-
sample activities. aged or reluctant readers. It focuses on role play
and drama as a way to make books come alive for
Better Learning Through Structured Teaching readers.
by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey published
Association for Supervision and Curriculum ON LITERACY IN THE SOCIAL
Development
STUDIES CLASSROOM
This book provides an excellent guide to planning
and delivering lessons that help students gradually Building Literacy in Social Studies by Donna
take on responsibility for learning and become Ogle, Ron Klemp and Bill McBride, published
engaged, self-directed learners. Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development
ON READING A wide variety of helpful graphic organizers and
sample lesson plans for teaching social studies
Effective Practices for Developing Reading
skills like reading and understanding maps, graphs,
Comprehension by Nell K Duke and P. David
textbook chapters, primary sources and political
Pearson
cartoons.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • SS/RW RESOURCES 215

Recommended Books on Teaching for
Social Studies and ELA Teachers

ON VOCABULARY ON WRITING
Bringing Words to Life by Isabel Beck, Margaret Learning to Write/Writing to Learn by John Mayher,
McKeown, and Linda Kucan, published Guilford Nancy Lester and Gordon Pradl, published
Based on an extensive review and synthesis of the Heinemann
research on vocabulary learning, this book provides This is THE book on writing-across-the-curriculum,
a sound basis for teachers who wish to bring emphasizing the apprenticeship model and writing
effective vocabulary instruction in to the classroom. as a thinking process.

Inside Words: Tools for Teaching Academic They Say/I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy
Vocabulary Grades 4–12 by Janet Allen, Birkenstein, published Norton
published Stenhouse An invaluable guide for teachers wishing to help
While Beck and McKeown’s book emphasizes all- their students learn how to write in the academic
purpose academic vocabulary (“tier two” words), context.
this book is an invaluable tool for teachers who
want to teach content-related words.

Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary

This dictionary was designed for English language
learners but it is indispensable for all adult learners
because of its clear, plain-language definitions and
comprehensive examples.

216 RESOURCES THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • SS/RW