Sunday, September 21, 2008

Photobucket Election Resources

Thanks to all who have sent links, book lists etc.... I thought it would be nice to share the list I'm compiling with you. This is a work in progress. The * items are ones that I plan on using or hope to use.... It quickly becomes apparent that the focus will need to be narrowed for our quick unit study. I plan to focus on the ELECTION/VOTING PROCESS and not delve into various Presidents etc. Again, thanks to all who emailed suggestions. Hope this helps others looking for a quick and inexpensive unit study.

Free Unit Studies
*12 week study from OK Homeschool Assoic - Thanks, Lisa and Cindy.
PBS Lesson Plans on all things to do with Elections Thanks, Michelle.
*Election Unit Study and Lapbook - thanks for turning me on to these folks Debbie and Lisa B.
Little Blue School - unit study hosted on blog

Websites:
*Electoral Map - updated Daily
Secrets of the Presidents (PBS KIDS)
White House Kids Presidential Biographies and coloring pages (supposed to be there but I've not found them).
*Scholastic Kids Election
*Fact Monster Presidential Elections
*Ben's Guide to US Government for Kids or here to pick your level.
Pew Forum
*Congress for Kids
Electing a President - fun things to do, unit studies etc.

Blogs
*Free Technology for teachers - blog - electoral college and more (thanks Debbie)

Enjoy the Journey - retells their unit; the book list had been sent to be prior to my finding her blog, and the links are ones I had found, but I found it HELPFUL to read another's thought on the unit when she was DONE.

Games, Puzzles, Toys
The Path to the Whitehouse - Free
Classroom Election Kit - Kaplan - 6 -9 (38.95)
*Geo Puzzle Red State Blue State Political Map Fat Brain Toys (13.82)
Politics the American Government in Action - 8 - 108 ($39.95)
Race for the Whitehouse 12 - 99 ($22.48)
Mayfair Games Road to the Whitehouse 12 - up (20.37)
Hail to the Chief 10 - 13 ($28.09)
All American Trivia - Junior (15.89)
Presidents of the USA floor Puzzle (11.99)
Vote Buttons - think I can make some cheaper and just as cute!
Action Figures and Bobble heads of the candidate of your choice


BOOKS..... Liz sent this list from her co-op, however, I've seen parts of this list on several websites.... and now I've added to it. LOL I DO have permission from LIZ and from DEANNA (co-op teacher) to share this list. I have NOT read each book, ultimately you will need to preview the books to see if they are appropriate for your family. The bold titles are ones I've found at our library - in fact if you can't find these books, spend some time in j324.6 and you'll be able to make some good finds. As you can see I couldn't find most the books on the list, but I have a LOT of options here for our studies.


1. Landslide! A Kid's Guide to the U.S. Elections(Dan Gutman)
2. DK Eyewitness Presidents
3. Time for Kids: Presidents of the United States (Lisa DeMauro)
4. So You Want to Be President (Judith St. George)
5. If the Walls Could Talk: Family Life at the White House (Jane O'Connor)
6. Presidential Elections and Other Cool Facts (Syl Sobel)
7. Don't Know Much About the 50 Presidents (Kenneth C. Davis)
8. Duck for President (Doreen Cronin)
9. The Everything Presidents Book (Martin Kelly and Melissa Kelly)
10. The Buck Stops Here: The Presidents of the United States (Alice Provenson)
11. Woodrow the White House Mouse (Peter W. Barnes and Cheryl Shaw Barnes)
12. Woodrow for President (Peter W. Barnes and Cheryl Shaw Barnes)
13. House Mouse, Senate Mouse (Peter W. Barnes and Cheryl Shaw Barnes)
14. Marshall, the Courthouse Mouse (Peter W. Barnes and Cheryl Shaw Barnes)
15. A "Mice" Way to Learn About Government (Peter W. Barnes and Cheryl Shaw Barnes)
16. Series of Books - Childhood of Famous Americans - George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, Harry Truman, Thurgood Marshall
17. Series of Books by David Adler: A Picture Book of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, John F. Kennedy
18. America votes: How our president is elected (Linda Granfield)
19. Election Connection: The official nick guide to electing the president (Nickelodieon)
20. Vote! (Eilen Christelow)
21. The Voice of the People (Betsy and Guilio Maestro)
22. The vote: Making your Voice heard by Linda Scher
23. Elections in the United States (David Heath)
24. Electing the President by Barbara Feinberg
25. Running for office: A look at Political campaigns by Sandy Donovan
26. Presidential Elections by Syle Sobel
27. Presidential Elecctions by Miles harvey (this is a cornerstone of Freedom book) Very good read.
28. The 2000 Presidential election by Elaine Landau
29. How the Us Government Works – How they all come together to govern a nation (Syl Sobel)
30. We the kids- the preamble to the constitution of the US by David Catrow
31. Winners and Losers: How Elections work in America (Jules Archer
32. Power to the people: How we elect the president and other officials (Kevin Cunningham)
33. Our Elections (Richard Steins
34. Campaigns and Elections (George Sullivan)
35. The Voice of the people: American Democracy in action (Betsy and Guilio Maestro
36. It’s a Dogs live: Hank the cow dog
37. The kid who ran for president (Dan Gutman)
38. Otto Runs for President (Rosemary Wells)
39. The Election Book: The people pick a president (Scholastic)
40. Election Day (Miles Harvey)
41. JC Watts Jr.: Charaacter counts by sarah De Capua
42. President George W. Bush: Our forty-third President (Beatrice Gormley)
43. Don’t know much about the presidents (Kenneth C. Davis)
44. House Mouse Senate Mouse ( Peter W. Barnes)
45. Voting and Elections (Patricia J. Murphy)
46. U.S. Presidential Inaugurations (Andrew Santella)
47. Woodrow the White House Mouse (Peter W. Barnes)
48. The President’s Cabinet and how it Grew (Nancy parker)
49. Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame and what the neighbors thought (Kathleen Krull)
50. Freddy the Politician (Walter Brooks)
51. Ask me Anything about the presidents by Louis Phillips
52. Citizenship by Jason Skog
53. Class Election from the Black Lagoon (Mike Thaler)
54. Class President (Johanna Hurwitz)
55. Democracy by Liam O’Donnell
56. If I Were President by Catherine Stier
57. If I were President by Judy Datschke
58. The Look it Up Boo of Presidents by Wyatt Blassingame
59. Marvin Redpost Class president by Louis Sachar
Take a Stand - Daniel Weizmann
The Ballot Box Battle - Emily McCully
Presidential Races - Arlene Morris-Lipsman
When Esther Morris Headed West - Connie Wooldridge
Your Right to Vote - Mark Sanders
The 2000 Presidential Elections - Cornerstones of Freedom
Don't Know Much About the Presidents - Kenneth C. Davis
The Story of Presidential Elections - Cornerstones of Freedom
Margaret Chase Smith - A Woman for President - Lynn Plourde
DK Vote - & CD

©2008 D.R.G.

*Arctic Homestead: The True Story of one Family's Survival and Courage in the Alaskan Wilds* by Norma Cobb and Charles W. Sasser
From the book cover: "In 1973, Norma Cobb, her husband Lester, and their five children, the oldest of whom was nine-years-old and the youngest, twins, barely one, pulled up stakes in the Lower Forty-eight and headed north to Alaska to follow a pioneer dream of claiming land under the Homestead Act."
Norma Cobb was the last woman pioneer to sign up under the U.S. Homestead Act. I found this story to be interesting, readable and fun to read. It made me fall in love with Alaska all over again.

©2008 D.R.G.
Photobucket WINNERS

Hayley (and Jodi) as well as Amy have won copies of Saturdays with Stella. Please contact me and I'll get your book to you!


©2008 D.R.G.
Photobucket Whine or Shine!

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be a blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I (Paul) will have reason to glory because I (Paul) did not run in vain nor toil in vain.” Phil 2:14-16

I call the above verses my “whine or shine” verses. Our reactions to responsibilities, circumstances, crises will determine how we are perceived in the world. Do we whine? Do we grumble and dispute? If so, we’ll appear like the rest of our generation.

Do we want to shine in the midst of our generation? Then we simply must decide not to whine. We will begin to shine in our generation as we walk out Paul’s command. We will draw men to HIM because we will stand out…we will reflect His glory.

Join me this week in making a stand to shine and not whine!

©2008 D.R.G.