This page contains the books and materials (plus reviews) used in our American history curriculum topic 1. In this topic you will learn about the Seminoles.

Books and Materials for Topic 1

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Draw Write Now Book 3 (by Marie Hablitzel and KimStitzer) –A Drawing and Handwriting Course
This book contains beginning drawing lessons combined with text for handwriting practice (the book is NOT consumable). My kids have had excellent results; they learned a little history, drawing and coloring techniques and practiced their handwriting using just this one book! The end product is a nice addition to your history notebook. Topics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 * Purchase to work from (non-consumable).

History Pockets, Grades 1-3, Native Americans (Evan-Moor)
You can take a look at this page-by-page online by following the link above! This is a great resource to add to your study of Native Americans.  When you are done, you will have a nice portfolio of your child’s work (we put ours in our history notebook)! I love the History Pocket’s series because they add a hands-on element to our studies. The kids like it because they get to do some “crafty” things (you’ll appreciate the fact that you won’t need too much beyond construction paper, scissors, crayons and glue). Each pocket has an overview page, pocket label, shelter stamp (to paste on the map), dictionary cards (illustrated vocabulary words for a booklet), teacher fact sheet (I read these out-loud), student booklet and activities (the activities are usually a combination of crafty things, some writing, etc.). History Pockets makes history FUN (and more memorable)! Click on the picture to the right to see some of the pockets we made!

Click here to see the entire book, page-by-page at Evan-Moor.

Topics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 * Purchase and photocopy.

Night Bird: A Story of the Seminole Indians (Once Upon America) (by Kathleen V. Kudlinski) (54 pages)
This story is a fictional account of a clan hiding out in the Florida Everglades (and is specifically about a girl named Night Bird). You can get an idea of the Seminole’s lives and some of their beliefs in this easy to read and understand story. At the end of the book there are a couple of pages on historical and current information about the Seminoles. What my son got from this book is a picture of what life was like for the Seminoles during the Seminole wars (staring in 1835). It made history seem more “real” to read about what Night Bird and her clan was going through. This book has helped cement the Seminoles more firmly my son’s mind (as well as the vocabulary from History Pockets like chickee, Green Corn Ceremony, etc.). It’s not the “best” literature out there, but it’s worth a read. *See our study guide / questions that go with this book here.*

Topic: 1

North American Indians (Marie and Douglas Gorsline)
This is a wonderfully illustrated and simple introduction to a variety of Indian tribes.

Topics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6

Seminole Children and Elders Talk Together (Library of Intergenerational Learning. Native Americans )(by E. Barrie Kavasch) I recommend getting this book from the library instead of purchasing it. It is a good selection for your book basket.

Topic: 1

The Indian Book (1980 Annual Childcraft)
You’ll have to do an online search to find this book, but it’s an excellent resource for a study on Native Americans. It has beautiful illustrations and lots of stories, information, etc. about the different tribes. I would use it for a backbone for the study topics 1-7, except that it’s hard to locate. It’s a very nice addition for a home library.

Topic 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

The Seminole (by Stefanie Takacs)
This is a simple to read a nicely photographed book about the Seminole Indians that discusses not just history but also current traditions and culture.

Topic: 1

Story Of The Usa Book 1 Student Explorers And Settlers (Franklin Escher, Jr.)

This workbook covers the "First Americans" through the American Revolution. Each section starts out with a list of vocabulary words and simple definitions that will be presented in the reading section. The reading sections start out with a few questions to keep in mind and then teach the topic (vocabulary words are presented in bold for easy recognition). Once the topic is read about there are comprehension questions, true false questions, a circle the correct answer activity, and fill in the blanks, to show mastery of the material. There are also discussion questions (to go over with mom or dad or written down in the book). The workbook is illustrated with simple line drawings and contains some maps.

I used this workbook because it covers most of the events in early American history in a concise, easy to understand manner. It also helps familiarize students with standardized testing formats in a non-threatening way while helping with comprehension skills. This is a valuable skill for those who have to participate in state testing and helpful in honing general study skills.

You can use it as independent seatwork or work on the sections together. For students who are reluctant to write, you can ask them the questions at the end of each reading selection after they've read the text (or you've read it out-loud). If you don't like workbooks or this sounds like "busy-work", please feel free to skip it as it is NOT essential to your studies.

We actually ended up only using parts of it. We also did a lot of it "orally".

Topics: 1, 2, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17 *Consumable

Wee Sing America Book and CD
This book and CD set feature fun songs from America’s past. I loosely scheduled them throughout the year, but you can just listen anytime you’d like.
Topics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28

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