U.S.+Character+&+Belief

U.S. Character & Belief System
__**Fiction**__

Rees, Cecilia. **//Witch Child.//** Candlewick; Reprint edition (May 12, 2009) //2////001, 2009// In 1659, 14 year old Mary Newbury keeps a journal of her voyage from England to the New World and her experiences living as a witch in a community of Puritans near Salem, Massachusetts. This book is written in journal format and will allow the reader to see what Mary dealt with during the witch hunts in England and then in the Colonies. Grades 7 - 12. Recommended by Alex

Speare, Elizabeth George. //**The Witch of Blackbird Pond**//. Houghton Mifflin, c1958. This Newbery winner is set in the Connecticut Colony in 1687 and explores the Puritan experience through the eyes of Kit, a young woman who moves there from Barbados. Religious intolerance and persecution are included in the themes as well as loyalty to the crown versus support of the Connecticut charter (The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut) which is one of the first written constitutions in our history. Grades 5 - 7. Recommended by Kim

__**Nonfiction**__

Bausum, Ann. //**With Courage and Cloth : Winning the fight for a woman's right to vote.**// Natinal Geographic, c2004. This vivid presentation of the women's suffrage movement includes vintage photos with the careful research. Grades 6 - 12. Recommended by Stephanie

Burgan, Michael. //**John Winthrop : Colonial governor of Massachusetts.**// //(Signature Lives).// Compass Point Books, c2006. Delivering a clear picture of colonial times, this biography covers the life of Winthrop, the man who was determined to keep the affairs of the church separated from the state. Grades 10 - up. Recommended by Stephanie

Cozic, Charles, P. ed. **//Politicians and Ethics.//** Greenhaven Press, c1996. Is unethical behavior in politics a serious problem? -- Is the legislator-lobbyist relationship improper? -- Is scrutiny of politicians' character and conduct warranted? -- Should legal measures address ethics in politics? Grades 9 - 12. Recommended by: John G.

Epstein, Joseph. **//Alexis de Tocqueville : Democracy's guide. (Eminent Lives Series). HarperCollins, c2006. A penetrating examination of the man, his life, his work, his times and what we can learn from his work, Democracy in America. Grades 10 - up. Recommended by Stephanie //**

//** Feinberg, Barbara Silberdick. **// **//Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address : Four score and more. Twenty-First Century Books, c2000. Describes the events and motivations which led to Lincln's famous speech, dedicating the Gettysburg cementery to the fallen soldiers. Grades 7 - up. Recommended by Stephanie

Fink, Sam, illus. The Declaration of Independence. Scholastic, c2002. The text of the Declaration of Independence is accompanied by illustrations meant to help explain its meaning. Grades 4 - up. Recommended by Stephanie //**

Flanagan, Timothy. **//Reconstruction : A primary source history of the struggle to unite the north and south after the Civil War.//** Rosen Pub. Group, 2005. Uses primary source documents, narrative, and illustrations to recount the history of the Reconstruction, as the United States government and people worked to recover from the effects of the Civil War. Grades 6 - up. Recommended by John G.

Fox, Ken. //**Everything You Need to Know About Your Legal Rights.**// Rosen Pub. Group, 1995. Discusses the legal rights of individuals, emphasizing real-life situations in which teenagers may find themselves. Grades 6 - up. Recommended by: John G.

Freedman, Russell. **//Give Me Liberty! : The story of the Declaration of Independence.//** Holiday House, c2000. Describes the events leading up to the Declaration of Independence as well as the personalities and politics behind its framing. Grades 5 - 8. Recommended by Stephanie

Halpin, Mikki. **//It's Your World -- If You Don't Like It, Change It : Activism for teenagers//**. Simon Pulse, 2004. It's Your World will show you how to act on your beliefs, no matter what they are, and make a difference. The information inside includes: The basics of activism. Activism projects and outreach ideas. The 5-minute activist. How to be an activist at home, at school, and in your community. Stories from teenagers who have taken on the world -- and won. Grades 9 - 12. Recommended by John G.

Holder, Angela Roddey. //**The Meaning of the Constitution.**// Barron's Educational Series, c1997. The U.S. Constitution explained. Grades 9 - up. Recommended by: John G.

Jacobs, Thomas A. //**Teens on Trial : Young people who challenged the law-- and changed your life.**// Free Spirit Pub., c2000. Examines legal cases about privacy, visitation and divorce, search and seizure, dress code, drug testing, free speech in school newspapers and yearbooks, sexual harassment at work, transfer to adult court, and the death penalty. Grades 9 - 12. Recommended by: John G.

Leinwald, Gerald. //**Do We Need a New Constitution?**// Franklin Watts, 1994. Weighs the advantages and disadvantages of the present government structure, examines the effectiveness of the system of checks and balances established by the Constitution, and looks at proposed changes to the Constitution. Grades 9 - 12. Recommended by: John G.

Muharrar, Aisha. //**More Than a Label : Why what you wear and who you're with doesn't define who you are.**// Free Spirit Pub., c2002. Drawn from a survey of more than one thousand teenagers, first-person stories help to address the problems inherent in labeling people. What's in a label?: Why is labeling such a big deal? -- Survey says -- How labels develop -- How labels make people feel: Quick quiz -- Labels; social boost? -- Labels; social nightmare? -- Survey says -- Guy vs. girl labeling -- Slurs and other hate words -- What you can do about labeling: Message to you -- How to help yourself -- How to help others. Grades 7 - up. Recommended by: John G.

Ramen, Fred. //**The Rights of the Accused.**// //(Individual Rights and Civic Responsibility).// Rosen Pub. Group, c2001. Even-handed treatment of the Bill of Rights, the 14th, 15, & 6th amendments, jury trials and the concept of cruel and unusual punishment. Includes b&w photos and reproductions and informative sidebars. Grades 10 - up. Recommended by Stephanie

Vowell, Sarah. **//The Wordy Shipmates.//** Thorndike Press, c2008. Discussion of the New England Puritans, 17th Century history, New England politics, religion, and government to 1775. Grades 9 - 12. Recommended by: John G.

__**Sound Recordings**__

Featuring speeches given by John F. Kennedy, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Richard Nixon, Harry S. Truman, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. Grades 5 - up. Recommended by Stephanie
 * //The Greatest Speeches of All-Time. Jerden Records, c1996. //**

__**Websites**__

[|www.justicelearning.org] Excellent interpretations of the Constitution and other civic issues. It is no longer being updated because the grant supporting it has expired, this website was put together by NPR's [|Justice Talking] and the [|New York Times Learning Network] Educators should check [|Annenberg Classroom] for additional materials on the topic.