Resource Collection

Mikki Steele 

Department of Education, Geneva College 

EDU 415: Literacy Across the Curriculum 4-12 

Dr. Michal Wargo 

October 4, 2022 
Topic 1

1. Standard: 8.1.W.B. Evaluate the interpretation of historical events and sources, considering

the use of fact versus opinion, multiple perspectives, and cause and effect relationships.

2. Topic: The Holocaust

3. a. Trade Books: Maus I and II by Art Spiegelman, The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom,

Dairy of Anne Frank by Anne Frank, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

b. Teacher Website/App: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (https://www.ushm-

m.org/teach)

This website can help teachers find information about the Holocaust for their lessons, but

they can also use this website to take their students on a virtual field trip to the museum. The

website has a specific section for teachers to help them know where they should begin when

teaching about the Holocaust. They can even submit a form to have a museum educator reach out

and help you plan your lesson.

c. Student Website/App: Quizlet: They could use this website/app to study the different people

involved in the Holocaust, camps, and various important aspects of the camps (ex. Zylkon B).

They can use the flashcards, play the games, and take practice tests on Quizlet to study for their

exams/ quizzes.

4. Two Other Media Sources: Crash Course European History #40 (https://youtu.be/iQeDv-

napdlg), Holocaust Survivor Video (https://youtu.be/3lpTceEE3d8)

The Crash Course will be used to help introduce the topic to the students. It contains a lot

of information in a brief period of time, but it goes over everything that I would be teaching on in

the unit. This way the students can get an idea of what they will be learning about over the

course of the unit. They can also refer to this video to review for their unit assessment. The sur-
vival video will allow the students to hear a real life account of what went on inside of the

camps.

Resources

Frank, A. (1947). The diary of a young girl. Contact Publishing.

This is Anne Frank’s diary that she kept as she was hiding from the Nazi’s. Published by

her father after her death, it tells the account of what it was like to be a young girl hiding

from Nazi’s, who were trying to exterminate her whole race.

Spiegelman, A. (2004). Maus (Vol. I). Rowohlt-Taschenbuch-Verl.

Spiegelman, A. (2004). Maus (Vol. II). Rowohlt-Taschenbuch-Verl.

Maus is a dual memoir that tells the tales of a second-generation Holocaust survivor liv-

ing with survivors guilt, and his father, a survivor of Auschwitz. The art style depicts ev-

eryone as an animal according to their ethnicity.

Ten Boom, C. (1971). The hiding place. Chosen Books.

This Holocaust survivor account can help students see what life inside the Ravensbrück

camp looked like and what liberation and life after the camps looked like for the victims.

Zusak, M. (2005). The book thief. Picador.

This fictional novel is narrated by Death and takes place in 1939 Nazi Germany. Liesel

Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence

for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist—books. With the

help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books

with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her

basement.
Topic 2

1. Standard: 8.1.W.A. Evaluate patterns of continuity and change over time, applying context of

events.

2. Topic: The Qing Dynasty

3. a. Trade Books: Bound Feet, Western Dress by Pang Mei Natasha Chang, Boxers and Saints

by Gene Luen Yang, Six Records of a Floating Life by Shen Fu, and Lu Hsun’s Short Stories by

Lu Hsun

b. Teacher Website/App: Ancient China Lesson Plan: Wing Dynasty (https://discover.hub-

pages.com/education/Qing-Dynasty-Lesson)

This website has some lesson plan activities that teachers can put together for their stu-

dents. They have the Qing Dynasty broken up into sections, with each section having different

facts and activities that can give students hands-on learning opportunities, like writing a jueju (a

Chinese poem). It also has excellent graphics that teachers can use during their lectures.

c. Student Website/App: Quizlet: They could make flashcards to help them remember the dif-

ferent events and important figures during the Qing Dynasty (ex. Empress Dowager Cixi, the

Opium Wars, etc.)

4. Two Other Media Sources: Crash Course World History #37 (https://youtu.be/

UUCEeC4f6ts), Show clips from the movie The Last Emperor

The Crash Course video will help me introduce the Qing Dynasty to the class because it

gives a brief overview over the things we will be learning about throughout the unit. They can

also use this to study for their test at the end of the unit. Showing clips from The Last Emperor

will help the students visualize what the fall of the Qing Dynasty looked like in real time.

Resources
Chang, P.-M. N. (2014). Bound feet & western dress. Bantam Press.

This book is a dual memoir of a Chinese American, Pang Mei, and her great aunt, Chang

Yu-i. Pang-Mei is dealing with growing up in America as a Chinese-American and the

struggle to balance a western lifestyle, while trying to still appreciate and respect her cul-

ture. She also tells the story of Chang Yu-i, who is known for being the first modern di-

vorcée in China. She was born right around the fall of the Qing Dynasty. This trade book

will let students see what it is like to grow up as a woman in China, but also learn about

different events and things that we are covering in class, like foot binding and the Boxer

Rebellion.

Fu, S., Su-Hui, C., Pratt, L., Su-Hui, C., & Pratt, L. (2004). Six records of a floating life.

Penguin.

This is one of the more famous works that has come out of the Qing Dynasty. It tells the

story of a married couple and will give insight into family values and traditions during

the Qing Dynasty.

Lu, X. (2011). Selected stories of Lu Hsun. Wildside Press.

Lu Xun is the most famous writer from the Qing Dynasty. His short stories, though most

were published after the fall of the dynasty, depict problems he saw growing up during

the Qing Dynasty and try to motivate his people to change their ways.

Yang, G. L., & Pien, L. (2013). Boxers & saints. First Second.

Boxers & Saints is an innovative graphic novel in two volumes— the parallel stories of

two young people caught up on opposite sides of a violent rift taking place in 1898

China.
Topic 3

1. Standard: 8.1.W.A. Evaluate patterns of continuity and change over time, applying context of

events.

2. Topic: Ancient Mesoamerica

3. a. Trade Books: Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, The Incas: A Magical

Epic About a Lost World by Daniel Peters, Where They Burn Books, They Also Burn People by

Marcos Antonio, Aztec: A Novel by Gary Jennings

b. Teacher Website/App: The Border: Resources for Teaching (https://resources-

forteachingabouttheborder.wordpress.com/ancient-mesoamerica/)

This website has various links that can give you more information about Mesoamerica

that you can incorporate into lectures, but they also have a great list of primary documents you

can read with students.

c. Student Website/App: Quizlet: They could use flashcards to help them study what the differ-

ent empires of Ancient Mesoamerica were and help define various aspects of their life (ex. reli-

gious figures, commonly grown crops, etc.).

4. Two Other Media Sources: History of ancient Mexico, Mesoamerica Toltec, Maya, Aztec,

Olmec, Zapotec history (https://youtu.be/GY4tnSov_3E), Show clips from the movie The Road

to El Dorado

The video goes over the main empires in Ancient Mesoamerica and will be a useful study

tool for the students to use to prepare for their exams. Although The Road to El Dorado is an ani-

mated children’s movie, there are various historically accurate parts of the movie. For example,

Miguel and Tulio play a traditional ballgame that was a religious ceremony in many Ancient
Mesoamerican cultures. I could show them this clip so they can visualize what the game might

have actually looked like.

Resources

Hernandez, M. A. (2021). Where they burn books, they also burn people. Algorithimic Global.

This book is actually two standalone books with alternating chapters: one pulled from the

pages of history and the other imagining its implications for the present. One timeline

takes place in 1549 in the Yucatan Peninsula and the other takes place in 2010. Both fo-

cus around young men trying to save their religion without destroying what they love

most.

Jennings, G. (2006). Azteca. Planeta.

This is a historical fiction book about the depths of Aztec society and civilization from its

peak to destruction at the hands of the conquistadores.

Moreno-Garcia, S. (2020). Gods of jade and shadow. Del Rey.

The Mayan god of death send a young woman on a life-changing journey in this Mexican

folklore inspired story. One day Casiopea Tun finds a strange wooden box in her grand-

father’s room. As she opens it, she accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of

death, who sends her on a quest.

Peters, D. (1991). Incas: A magical epic about a lost world. Random House.

This novel tells the story of the last few decades of the Incan Empire in Peru as the In-

can’s were fighting against the Spanish conquistadors.

Topic 4

1. Standard: 8.3.U.D. Evaluate how conflict and cooperation among groups and organizations

have influenced the growth and development of the U.S.

- Ethnicity and race

- Working conditions

- Immigration

- Military Conflict

- Economic Stability

2. Topic: The Civil Rights Movement

3. a. Trade Books: Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom by Lynda Blackmon Lowery, Coming

of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, To Kill a

Mockingbird by Harper Lee

b. Teacher Website/App: Civil Rights | PBS LearningMedia (https://wqed.pbslearningmedi-

a.org/collection/civil/)

This website has lots of resources that a teacher could use in their lessons. It also has a

variety of lesson plans written that teachers can look at and get project and lesson ideas from.

There are a number of videos and documents they can share with their students, as well.

c. Student Website/App: Quizlet: They can make flashcards about the important figures and

movements within the Civil Rights Movement (ex. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Mont-

gomery Bus Boycott, etc.).

4. Two Other Media Sources: Crash Course US History #39 (https://youtu.be/S64zRnnn4Po),

Crash Course US History #40 (https://youtu.be/lkXFb1sMa38)

 The Crash Courses will give the students a grasp on the importance of this time period

and will be a helpful study tool for them before they take their tests.

Resources

Kidd, S. M. (2021). The secret life of bees. Alternative Format Producer School Board Printshop

(VSB).

The Secret Life of Bees is a fiction book by the American author Sue Monk Kidd. Set in

1964, it is a coming-of-age story about loss, betrayal, and the interracial landscape of the

civil rights era American South.

Lee, H. (2020). To kill a mockingbird. Arrow Books.

This is a classic book that shows the harsh realities of segregation and racism in the

South around the time of the Civil Rights Movement.

Lowery, L. B., & Loughran, P. J. (2016). Turning 15 on the road to freedom: My story of the

1965 Selma Voting Rights March. Puffin Books.

This is a memoir of the younger marcher in the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery,

AL. She was jailed 11 times before her 15th birthday and fought alongside MLK for

African-American rights.

Moody, A. (2011). Coming of age in Mississippi. Bantam Dell.

This memoir tells the story of Anne Moody, a girl that grew up in Mississippi during the

Civil Rights Movement. Within her memoir she includes powerful stories about what it

was like to be black in the South during this time. She recounts things like learning about

the lynching of Emmett Till and the assassination of MLK. Reading about her perspec-

tive can not only teach students about her life, but also about major historical events dur-

ing this time period.

Topic 5

1. Standard: 8.3.U.A. Compare the role groups and individuals played in the social, political,

cultural, and economic development of the US.

2. Topic: Immigration During the Turn of the 20th Century

3. a. Trade Books: Ragtime by E.L. Doctrow, Out of the Furnace: A Novel of Immigrant Labor

in America by Thomas Bell, Ellis Island by Fred Mustard Stewart, A Cobbler’s Tale: Jewish Im-

migrants Story of Survival from Eastern Europe to New York’s Lower East Side by Neil Perry

Gordon

b. Teacher Website/App: National Archives Teaching Resource for the Progressive Era, 1920s,

Immigration, and a Changing America (https://education.blogs.archives.gov/2020/11/18/progres-

sives-1920s-immigration-changing-america/)

This website has various primary documents including: photos, petitions, and legislation

documents, etc. These can aid a teacher’s lesson plans so students can see what was happening

from the perspective of those living during that time.

c. Student Website/App: Quizlet: They can make and study flashcards about the different as-

pects of immigration at the turn of the 10th century in America (ex. Jacob Riis, child labor laws,

etc.)

4. 2 Other Media Sources: Crash Course US History #25 (https://youtu.be/RRhjqqe750A),

Archived photographs taken by Jacob Riis (https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/ja-

cob-riis?all/all/all/all/0)

The Crash Course will give the students an overview of what they will be learning about

in the unit ahead. Seeing the actual photos that Riis took of the slums will help them see how aw-

ful the living conditions for the immigrants really were at the turn of the 20th century.
 Resources

Bell, T. (2011). Out of this furnace. University of Pittsburgh Press.

This novel tells the story of three generations of an immigrant Slovak family in the mid-

1880s as they immigrate to America, to working in the steel mills in PA, to the downfall

through foolish speculations and affairs.

Doctorow, E. L. (2009). Ragtime. Miscelánea.

The story opens in 1906 in New Rochelle, New York, at the home of an affluent Ameri-

can family. Magically, the line between fantasy and historical fact, between real and

imaginary characters, disappears. Many historical figures slip in and out of the tale,

crossing paths with Doctorow's imagined family and other fictional characters, including

an immigrant peddler and a ragtime musician from Harlem whose insistence on a point

of justice drives him to revolutionary violence.

Gordon, N. P. (2018). A cobbler's tale: A novel. Neil Perry Gordon.

This tells the story of a Jewish man in 1910 that leaves his family to sail to America in

the hopes to one day start a new life for his family in Manhattan. The story deals with

various aspects of an immigrant’s life, including a voyage across the Atlantic and life in

America during the early 20th century.

Stewart, F. M. (1986). Ellis Island. Planeta.

In the early 1900s, five young men and women make their ways to America from their

respective homelands and enter the distinct, but interconnected, segments of American

life.