I am a third and fourth grade teacher at a small elementary school in the East Village. I teach all academic subjects to an extremely diverse group of students, in terms of ethnic background, socioeconomic status, and special education needs.
I am requesting a selection of non-fiction books to support my social studies curriculum. In the 2007-08 school year, I will be teaching an in-depth unit on 15th and 16th century European exploration of North America. In my school, social studies is taught through a variety of media and learning experiences. For example, we take trips to relevant historical sites, and do activities like writing historical fiction, making maps, and creating and illustrating time lines.
A central component of our social studies curriculum in the upcoming year will be research. Children will learn to ask questions, locate resources, take notes, synthesize their learning, and create a final product. They will also learn to examine a source for bias, and to dig deeper when sources disagree. In order to produce quality work, kids need access to quality resources, such as the books I am requesting. Rather than simply looking up Henry Hudson in an encyclopedia or textbook, they will be able to read real quotes from his journal in Joan Elizabeth Goodman's Beyond the Sea of Ice: The Voyages of Henry Hudson. They'll be engaged by beautiful illustrations and clearly presented maps in Betsy and Giulio Maestro's Exploration and Conquest: The Americas After Columbus: 1500-1620. And from Kathy Pelta's Discovering Christopher Columbus: How History is Invented, my students will learn how history can be presented in different ways for different purposes. In short, they will have a much richer experience than if they simply sat down to do research with an encyclopedia or textbook.
In the past, I have found books such as the 32 requested in this grant to be highly motivating to students. With their specific focus, period drawings and maps, and engaging prose style, these books are more manageable and appealing than textbooks, and allow children to pursue a particular research interest. I have selected books with a variety of lengths, formats, and reading levels, to suit the diversity of my class. I am sure that having access to such a valuable library of books will inspire my students to learn even more about the exploration of North America.
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
Henry Hudson: Explorer of the Hudson River Arlene Bourgeois Bourgeois Molzahn
• Barnes and Noble
$21.53
1
$21.53
The Picture History of Great Explorers Gillian Clements
• Barnes and Noble
$17.95
1
$17.95
The World of Exploration Philip Wilkinson
• Barnes and Noble
$8.05
1
$8.05
If You Were There in 1492: Everyday Life in the Time of Columbus Barbara Brenner
• Barnes and Noble
$6.29
1
$6.29
World Made New: Why the Age of Exploration Happened and How It Changed the World Gill Davies, Marc Aronson, John W. Glenn
• Barnes and Noble
$22.32
1
$22.32
Trailblazers: Poems of Exploration Bobbi Katz, Carin Berger (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$17.09
1
$17.09
Cod's Tale Mark Kurlansky, S. D. Schindler (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$15.29
1
$15.29
Beyond the Sea of Ice: The Voyages of Henry Hudson Joan Elizabeth Goodman, Bette Duke, Fernando Rangel (Illustrator), Bette Duke (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$17.95
1
$17.95
Henry Hudson: Seeking the Northwest Passage (In the Footsteps of Explorers Series) Carrie Gleason
• Barnes and Noble
$22.68
1
$22.68
Henry Hudson Kristin Petrie, Sean McKeever
• Barnes and Noble
$20.50
1
$20.50
Exploration and Conquest: The Americas After Columbus: 1500-1620 Betsy Maestro, Giulio Maestro (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$7.19
1
$7.19
The Discovery of the Americas: From Prehistory Through the Age of Columbus Betsy Maestro, Giulio Maestro, Giulio Maestro (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$6.29
1
$6.29
Explorers Who Got Lost Diane Sansevere-Dreher, Ed Renfro (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$8.09
1
$8.09
Juan Ponce de Leon Marc Tyler Nobleman
• Barnes and Noble
$20.34
1
$20.34
Ponce de Leon (Exploring the World): Juan Ponce de Leon Searches for the Fountain of Youth Ann Heinrichs
• Barnes and Noble
$21.53
1
$21.53
Ponce de L on: Exploring Florida and Puerto Rico Rachel Eagen
• Barnes and Noble
$8.05
1
$8.05
Ponce de Leon and the Age of Spanish Exploration in World History Richard Worth
• Barnes and Noble
$23.94
1
$23.94
Spanish Exploration of Florida Bill Thompson, Dorcas Thompson
• Barnes and Noble
$17.95
1
$17.95
We Asked for Nothing: The Remarkable Journey of Cabeza de Vaca Stuart Waldman, Tom McNeely (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$17.95
1
$17.95
Cartier Jean F. Blashfield
• Barnes and Noble
$8.05
1
$8.05
Coronado Robin Santos Doak
• Barnes and Noble
$8.05
1
$8.05
Hernando de Soto Kristin Petrie
• Barnes and Noble
$20.50
1
$20.50
You Wouldn't Want to Sail with Christopher Columbus!: Uncharted Waters You'd Rather Not Cross Fiona Macdonald, David Salariya, David Antram, David Antram (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$8.95
1
$8.95
Where Do You Think You're Going, Christopher Columbus? Jean Fritz, Margot Tomes (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$6.29
1
$6.29
Meet Christopher Columbus James Tertius DeKay, John Edens (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$4.49
1
$4.49
Christopher Columbus (DK Discoveries Series) Peter Chrisp, Peter Dennis (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$6.29
1
$6.29
Discovering Christopher Columbus Kathy Pelta
• Barnes and Noble
$21.53
1
$21.53
Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus Peter Sis, Peter Sis (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$14.35
1
$14.35
Christopher Columbus Mary Dodson Wade, Jeanne Clidas
• Barnes and Noble
$4.45
1
$4.45
Life of Christopher Columbus Nicholas Saunders
• Barnes and Noble
$6.25
1
$6.25
Christopher Columbus: Sailing to a New World (In the Footsteps of Explorers Series) Adrianna Morganelli
• Barnes and Noble
$8.05
1
$8.05
Christopher Columbus: Famous Explorer Mary Dodson Wade, Rod Whigham (Illustrator), Charles Barnett (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$7.15
1
$7.15
Materials cost
$425.38
Vendor shipping charges
$42.54
Sales tax
$0.00
3rd party payment processing fee
$10.63
Fulfillment labor & materials
$17.00
Total project cost
$496.00
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$108.88
Total project goal
$604.88
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$604.88
3 Donors
-$583.53
Donations toward project cost
-$496.00
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Sicherman and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
