Picture Books
History from a Different Perspective
The staff of the Lisle Junior High School LRC have used seven children's picture books as the center piece of a U.S. historical timeline to convey significant events in our history to the eighth grade students. Each selected story was read aloud to the students. Historical photographs, facts, and period pieces of music accompany each of the picture book presentations. The presentations are sometimes used by LJHS 8th grade social studies instructors
, Ms. Blatchley and Mr. Wiertel.as the introduction to the curriculum unit or as a review of the historical events covered during their unit of study. Mr. Marx and Mrs. Marino presented their final historical timeline PowerPoint to the eighth grade history classes in May. The final presentation focused on America’s involvement in Vietnam. The presentation included photographs, historical facts, rock n’ roll music from the 60’s, and the picture book, The Wall. While the picture book focused on a father and son’s visit to the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, additional information about the design and construction of the memorial was also included in the presentation.
Other picture book titles included in the year long study included: The Drummer Boy: Marching to the Civil War by Ann Turner (Civil War), Death of the Iron Horse by Paul Goble (Westward Expansion), Together in Pinecone Patch by Thomas Yezerski (Child Labor), A Brave Soldier by Nicolas Debon (World War I), The Dust Bowl by David Booth (Great Depression), and So Far from the Sea by Eve Bunting (Japanese Internment Camps).
