South Carolina

We enjoyed reading about many interesting South Carolinians (see book list), and learning about South Carolina's environment and culture, including Gullah Culture.

Books:

• South Carolina by  Barbara A. Somervill 

• P is for Palmetto: A South Carolina Alphabet by Carol Crane

• Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave by Laban Carrick Hill

• Mary McLeod Bethune by Eloise Greenfield 

• The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just By: Mélina Mangal

• This Is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration by Jaqueline Woodson

• Long-Armed Ludy and the First Women's Olympics by Jean L.S. Patrick

• The King of Bees by Lester L. Laminack

• Let Them Play by Margot Theis Raven

• Circle Unbroken by Margot Theis Raven

• Ron's Big Mission by Rose Blue

• Follow the Moon Home: A Tale of One Idea, Twenty Kids, and a Hundred Sea Turtles by Philippe Cousteau

• The Freedom Ship of Robert Smalls by Louise Meriwether

• The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis by Barbara O’Connor

• The President Sang Amazing Grace by Zoe Mulford

• Catching the Fire: Philip Simmons, Blacksmith by Mary E. Lyons

• The Butter Tree by Mary E. Lyons

• Hey, Charleston! The True Story of the Jenkins Orphanage Band by Anne F. Rockwell

• America’s Tea Parties by Marissa Moss

Art Project:

Loggerhead Sea Turtles 

The kids chose to depict Loggerhead Sea Turtles (the state reptile) on the South Carolina shore. They were inspired by the book we read: Follow the Moon Home: A Tale of One Idea, Twenty Kids, and a Hundred Sea Turtles by Philippe Cousteau. The art work was completed with colored sharpie (for outlines / details on the sea turtles), oil pastel (sand, waves, turtles), and water color (water, sky).

Rhode Island

The kids' favorite thing they learned about for Rhode Island was definitely Providence's Waterfire celebration. They are really intrigued. 

Books:

• R is for Rhode Island Red: A Rhode Island Alphabet by Mark R. Allio

• Rhode Island (A True Book: My United States) by Nel Yomtov

• Finding Providence: The Story of Roger Williams by Avi

• Mill by David Macaulay

• Blizzard by John Rocco

• Birth of the Cool: How Jazz Great Miles Davis Found His Sound by Kathleen Cornell Berman

• The Bravest Woman in America by Marissa Moss

• Nickommoh!: A Thanksgiving Celebration by Jackie French Koller

• The Wampanoag by Janey Levy

• Article on Annie Smith Peck: https://kids.kiddle.co/Annie_Smith_Peck 

• Article on Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones: https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Matilda-Sissieretta-Jones/633226 

• Buddy Cianci: https://kids.kiddle.co/Buddy_Cianci

Art Project:

Waterfire

Not surprisingly, they chose to depict Waterfire for their Rhode Island art project. Made using colored sharpie (for outlines, small details), oil pastel (moon, wall, fires, boat, ripples), and water color (water and sky).

Pennsylvania

 Pennsylvania had so much to learn about from American history, to a huge variety of people who changed history. We also really enjoyed learning about Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater.

Books:

• They Called Her Molly Pitcher by Anne Rockwell

• A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution by Betsy Maestro 

• Leaders Like Us: Bayard Rustin by J.P. Miller

• Beautiful Shades of Brown: The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring by Nancy Churnin

• Dropping In On Philadelphia

• Gettysburg National Military Park (Rookie National Parks) by Moira Rose Donohue

• Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring by Jan Greenberg & Sandra Jordan

• K is for Keystone: A Pennsylvania Alphabet by Kristen Kane

• Pennsylvania (A True Book: My United States) by Karen Kellaher

• Saving the Liberty Bell by Megan McDonald

• The Fourth of July Story by Alice Dalgliesh

• Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin by Gene Barretta

• The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon by Jacqueline Davies

• Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World by Laurie Lawlor

• Betsy Ross and the American Flag by Kay Melchisedech Olson

• Raising Yoder’s Barn by Jane Yolen

• Fallingwater by Marc Harshman

• The Leather Apron Club by Jane Yolen

• The Mutter Museum by Anna Dhody

• Never Caught: The Story of Ona Judge by Erica Dunbar

• William Penn, Founder of Pennsylvania by Steven Kroll

• Taylor Swift: Pop Star by Katie Lajiness

• The Daring Nellie Bly: America's Star Reporter by Bonnie Christensen

• A Race Around the World: The True Story of Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland by Caroline Starr Rose

• Andy Warhol (Little People, Big Dreams) by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

• Uncle Andy's: A Faabbbulous Visit with Andy Warhol by James Warhola

• Strange Fruit: Billie Holiday and the Power of a Protest Song by Gary Golio

• Becoming Billie Holiday by Carole Boston Weatherford

• Chocolate by Hershey : a story about Milton S. Hershey by Betty Burford

• Who Was Milton Hershey? by James Buckley

• The Polio Pioneer: Dr. Jonas Salk and the Polio Vaccine by Linda Elovitz Marshall (Salk was from NY, but we missed him then, and he did his research in PA)

• Quakers and Anti-Slavery Movement: https://web.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/speccoll/quakersandslavery/

Art Project:

Liberty Bell

For PA, the kids decided to depict the iconic Liberty Bell. Materials include: colored sharpie, oil pastel, and water color.