Juneteenth

Juneteenth

Today is a special day in the history of America. Juneteenth (the name comes from the combination of “June” and “nineteenth”) celebrates the abolition of slavery in the middle of the Civil War and is celebrated still throughout the United States. The time of emancipation wasn't easy for freed slaves. Many suffered from  disease, poverty, starvation and a lack of resources. However, it was still a very important day in the lives of the slaves and in the history of America.

I had never heard of this special day before until I read about it on the Scholastic web site...

Celebrations began for Juneteenth in Texas in 1865 and even though I am from Texas, as far south as you can get before hitting Mexico, I had never heard of it.  I think it's a wonderful day of commemoration!!!  It continues even today with the singing of African spirituals, public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation and family reunions, even street festivals. Check out these great books if you would like to learn more about African American history, particularly slavery and emancipation!

Unavailable for several years, Virginia Hamilton’s award-winning companion to The People Could Fly traces the history of slavery in America in the voices and stories of those who lived it. Leo and Diane Dillon’s brilliant black-and-white illustrations echo the stories’ subtlety and power, making this book as stunning to look at as it is to read.

“There is probably no better way to convey the meaning of the institution of slavery as it existed in the United States to young readers than by using, as a text to share and discuss, Many Thousand Gone.”

—The New York Times Book Review

Frederick Douglass, The last Day of Slavery 

by William Miller and Cedric Lucas

Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Escape North! The Story of Harriet Tubman by Monica Kulling, 
illustrated by Teresa Flavin

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Books & Lesson Plans: Remembering the Titanic

This weekend marks the 100 year anniversary of the sailing and then subsequent sinking of the Titanic.  This British ship sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after hitting an iceburg during her maiden voyage from Southhampton, England to New York City.   When the Titanic went down, it caused the deaths of 1,514 people in one of the deadliest maritime disasters in history. She was the largest ship afloat at the time of her voyage. There were 2,224 passengers on board.  These included some of the wealthiest people in the world, as well as over a thousand emigrants from Great Britain and Ireland, Scandenavia and elsewhere.  They were seeking a new life in North America. The ship was designed to be the best in comfort and luxury, with an on-board gymnasium, swimming pool, libraries, high-class restaurants and stunning cabins.  Though she had "advanced" safety features such as watertight compartments and doors, she lacked enough lifeboats for all of those aboard. Due to outdated safety regulations, she carried only enough lifeboats for a third of her total passenger and crew capacity - 1,178 people.  It is reported that only 706 people survived.  Sadly, many of the lifeboats were not filled to capacity. 

What a perfect opportunity we have as parents, teachers and librarians this year to remember and teach about the acts of heroism that occurred that horrific night!  The examples are numerous, from the musicians who played hymns as the ship sank lower and lower, to crew members who gave their lives to save others.

Here's a great website for teachers or librarians that's jam packed full of lesson plans all about the Titanic!  http://www.theteachersguide.com/Titanic.html

Here are just a few of my favorite books on the subject which document this event with both touching photos and honesty:

The Titanic:  Lost and Found (Step-Into-Reading, Step 4) by July Donnelly





Inside the Titanic (A Giant Cutaway Book)  by Hugh    Brewster, Ill. by Ken Marschall

National Geographic Readers: Titanic by Melissa Stewart
(I love the text features and the vibrant colored pictures that will surely draw in young children.)

  

Tonight on the Titanic (Magic Tree House, No. 17) by   Mary Pope Osborne  She also wrote  Magic Tree House Research Guide:  Titanic, which she calls "a nonfiction companion" to this book.  I bought it and love it, with it's real photos, sketches, "Fact Files" and snippetts of biographies.

Titanic, Book One (of a Series of 3) by Gordon Korman

This is a historical fiction series which tells the story of four children's experiences that fateful night!

882 1/2 Amazing Answers to Your Questions About the Titanic by Laurie Coulter and Hugh Brewster (Jan 1, 2012)
This is a great reference book, full of almost anything you would ever want to know about the Titanic! 

The Titanic:  An Interactive History Adventure (You Choose Books) by Bob Temple.  In this book, the reader can choose life or death for the ending!

Titanic Sinks!:  Experience the Titanic's Doomed Voyage in this Unique Presentation of Fact and Fiction by Barry Denenberg