Exploring History through Young Adult Literature: Middle School, V1(Adolescent Literature as a Completement to the Content Area)

Giving students opportunities to read like historians has the potential to move their thinking and understanding of history in monumental ways. In Exploring History through Young Adult Literature: Middle School, Volume 1 each chapter presented in this volume provides middle school readers with approaches and activities for pairing a young adult novel with specific historical events, eras, or movements. Chapters include suggested instructional activities for before, during, and after reading as well as extension activities that move beyond the text. Each chapter concludes with a final discussion on how the spotlighted YA text can inspire students to be moved to take informed action within their communities or beyond. Through the reading and study of the young adult novels students are guided to a deeper understanding of history while increasing their literacy practices.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Chapter 1: Migrating for Freedom: The Oregon Trail, Race, and Sarah Journeys West Mindy Spearman and Susan Cridland-Hughes Chapter 2: Evaluating Settler Colonialism and Understanding Historical and Contemporary Experiences of Indigenous Peoples in America through In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse Jacki Hedlund Tyler and Shelly Shaffer Chapter 3: Flooded with Possibilities: Exploring Ann Burg’s Requiem for Johnstown Bryan Ripley Crandall, Chelsea Leonard Crowley, and Susan James Chapter 4: Digital Space Storylines and A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Andrew L. Hostetler, Catherine Hodges and Leah Schwartz Chapter 5: Exploring the Forced Migration Experience Using the Middle Grades Novel Refugee Brooke Hardin and Rebecca Mueller Chapter 6: Broadening Narratives of 1920s History: Ophie’s Ghosts in the Middle School Social Studies Classroom Andrea LeMahieu Glaws and Emily Johns- O’Leary Chapter 7: The Uprising of 20,000: Examining Social Movements Through Historical Fiction Erin V. Piedmont and Kathryn M. Obenchain Chapter 8: Reading Lifting as We Climb: Black Women’s Battle for the Ballot Box in Middle School Social Studies Amy Palmeri Chapter 9: Using Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case to Engage the U.S. Civil Rights Movement Chris Crowe Chapter 10: Using Ghost Boys in the Practice of Critical Witnessing: From Emmett Till to Tamir Rice Antonio J. Castro, Sarah D. Reid, and Jason Williamson Chapter 11: This is the Story of a Girl: Sharon Robinson’s Journey to Youth Activism and Beyond Abigail Stebbins and Paige Garpstas About the Editors About the Contributors Index

About the Author :
Paula Greathouse, Ph.D., is a clinical assistant professor at the University of West Florida where she works in the doctoral program. She was a secondary English and Reading teacher for sixteen years. Andrew L. Hostetler, Ph.D., is an associate professor of the practice of social studies education at Vanderbilt University. His teaching and scholarship focuses on social studies methods, literacy in social studies, human geography, and teaching difficult discourses for community engagement and social change. He was a secondary social studies teacher for nine years. Melanie Hundley, Ph. D., is a professor of the practice of English education at Vanderbilt University. Her teaching and scholarship focuses on digital and multimodal composition, teacher preparation, and young adult literature. She teaches writing methods courses and young adult literature.

Review :
The need to develop students' literacy skills and the necessity to provide students with required relevant content is a concern for most secondary teachers. In the past, English classrooms were the sole purveyor of literacy skills, but today all teachers must be content and literacy-based instructors. The editors find that most content area teachers are not familiar with relevant young adult literature, nor are they sure how to implement such literature in their classrooms. Focusing on social studies/history curriculum at the middle school level, this text offers an excellent choice of age-appropriate young adult texts and provides well-developed teaching strategies for each of the eight books highlighted here. Each chapter is authored by different teachers/ specialists steeped in pedagogy at the middle school level and offers both low- and high-tech options for implementation in the social studies/history classroom. All chapters conclude with "extension activities," a few paragraphs on "inspiring students," a concise conclusion, and a current references section. Excellent tables and figures in each chapter further illustrate the content. This is the first in a two-volume set, of which volume 2 (CH, Jan'25, 62-0203) focuses on high school instruction. Highly recommended. Professionals. -- "Choice Reviews"