Name: Teach Them Diligently (Branson)
Start: 2025-05-15T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-17T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Branson, MO

Tagged: 2nd grade boy, American History

This topic has 10 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 8 months ago by Kath85.

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)

Author
Posts
June 6, 2019 at 8:49 pm
Kath85
Participant
I am looking at 2nd grade American history spines for my son in the fall. We did Truthquest for 1st grade and even the simplest reading suggestions and commentary often went right over his head. Plus, it was just too much for me to wade through all those books. I have looked at the SCM American History samples and like that it covers up to modern recent times. I am also considering A Child’s First Book of American History by Earl Schenk Miers. I love the pictures as my son is very visual, but it ends after WWII and I can’t tell from the samples if there is any racial insensitivity that hasn’t been edited out in the BFB version. I’m tossing around the idea of using both books since they appear to cover slightly different topics. Then again, I’m also not positive that these are any easier to understand than what we were reading with Tuthquest, but he could mature a good bit by fall. Thoughts or suggestions welcome!
June 7, 2019 at 10:03 am
CrystalN
Participant
In second grade I would say skip a spine and read all the beautiful childrens books you can get your hands on. There is a small book, almost a pamphlet really, of elementary books for AH. In chronological order. Turning Back the Pages of time. I highly recommend it for lower elementary.
June 7, 2019 at 11:21 am
Wings2fly
Participant
We really enjoyed the Beautiful Feet Early American History for elementary. They use d’Aulaire biography picture books and more. We did not use a “spine” then, but we followed it with SCM module 6 with Stories of America vol. 2 and we really liked the picture books that went with that, too. You can easily do your own editing as you read aloud any books.
June 7, 2019 at 1:04 pm
alphabetika
Participant
I agree, after having three second graders, that you don’t need a spine. Picture books, biographies, historical fiction – those are the best! Most children this age aren’t developmentally ready to grasp the flow of history the way they can when they’re older. Not to say you definitely shouldn’t use a spine, just encouraging you not to agonize over it or spend a lot of time examining them when you could spend that time on other wonderful choices that will engage your son. There are so many fabulous picture books, in particular, that can aid in learning about the time period with illustrations of, for instance, houses and landscapes and dress of a particular period, all in the context of story. I have found this especially true of books about the American Revolution and Civil War, not surprisingly, and still use these as primary tools for my youngest daughter who is nearly ten. Between these and historical fiction, she is feasting! With this particular daughter, I’ve decided to wait until at least middle school before I expect her to grasp the event-to-event style of a spine, currently broadening the feast instead with timeline and lots of discussion, even movies where appropriate.
I did use the Earl S Miers book when my middle daughter was about ten, before BFB reprinted it; I found a vintage copy at a used bookstore and loved the language and the art. I don’t recall whether it included racial insensitivity, as this was over ten years ago, but I do remember thinking that some of the information went over her head even at ten. So, maybe not the best for a 2nd grader, in our family, anyway. We do read a ton of older books that sometimes use language that we wouldn’t use in our home, but this has provided a lot of discussion points that have been valuable learning.
June 8, 2019 at 9:07 am
Rachel White
Participant
D’Aulaire books,
Jean Fritz
Alice Dagliesh
Clyde Robert Bulla: Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims, Pocahontas and the Strangers,
Eve Bunting: The Wall, Dandelions, Train to Somewhere,
Dreaming of America, Baseball Saved Us,
Sam, the Minute Man, and George the Drummer-Boy
Sarah, Plain and Tall series
Little House series
The Courage of Sarah Noble (set in 1707)

June 8, 2019 at 9:35 am
Rachel White
Participant
My highest recommendation goes to:
Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans – Edward Eggleston
Adventures in Colonial America series – James E. Knight
Cheryl Harness (so many great books and well illustrated!)
Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin (about the artist)

Some newer ones, expanding the category (hopefully, not overly political, you never know with newer books):
This Is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration – Jacqueline Woodson
The Other Side – Same as Above
White Socks Only
Russell Freedman (may be too old for his, yet)
David Adler Picture Book series: MLK, Jr.; Helen Keller; Rosa Parks; Harriet Tubman; Jackie Robinson; Frederick Douglass; Amelia Earhart; Sacagawea; Louie Braille, more+
Emma’s Poem: The Story of the Statue of Liberty – Linda Glaser – ages 4-8
Hanukkah at Valley Forge– Stephen Krensky – gr. 2-4
The Yankee at the Seder– Elka Weber – gr. 2-5
As Good as Anybody: Martin L. King and Abraham Joshua Hershel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom– Richard Michelson – ages 6-10
June 8, 2019 at 10:28 am
totheskydear
Participant
Wildwood Curriculum has some good Native American biographies on their book lists. Buffalo Bird Girl and Crazy Horse’s Vision were were good. 🙂
June 10, 2019 at 7:16 pm
Rachel White
Participant
D’Aulaire books,
Jean Fritz
Alice Dagliesh
Clyde Robert Bulla: Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims, Pocahontas and the Strangers,
Eve Bunting: The Wall, Dandelions, Train to Somewhere,
Dreaming of America, Baseball Saved Us,
Sam, the Minute Man, and George the Drummer-Boy
Sarah, Plain and Tall series
Little House series
The Courage of Sarah Noble (set in 1707),

June 13, 2019 at 8:50 am
Kath85
Participant
There are lots of great ideas here. Thank you all! You (and prayer!) confirmed my suspicion that children’s books are enough for now. After some discussion with my husband we’ve settled on Playful Pioneers since it is geared for early elementary, continues where we left off with Truthquest, has the structure I feel I need right now, and happens to be one of the few things in history for which my son has shown any spark of interest. Plus, the littler boys will be able to join in somewhat. We will save the deeper studies for later years.
July 19, 2019 at 10:41 pm
Julia
Participant
Bc playful pioneers was mentioned- when is a good age/grade to begin reading the first, maybe second books of the Little House series?
July 20, 2019 at 9:26 am
Kath85
Participant
Julia, we read both in first grade (age six boy) and both were deeply loved!