5 Resources For The Well-Rounded Social Studies Classroom

As my brain is fried from a week of finishing up the summer term (and being dog sick for a week+), please enjoy this quick list of resources that I hope to use in my Social Studies Classroom.

Native American Oral Histories

https://www.loc.gov/nls/new-materials/book-lists/folklore-and-stories-from-native-american-culture/

The absence of Native American stories in U.S. history classrooms is disappointing, but unfortunately not surprising. As I’ve written before, even the act of recording history has its own complicated past. Who holds the power to tell the narrative? And how much has been lost, or distorted, because historians chose to speak for Native voices instead of listening to them? 

Sojourner Truth’s Ain't I a Woman. Performed by Kelly Washington https://youtu.be/Ry_i8w2rdQY?si=VcK-dGB_TeZDlcPE

Sojourner Truth is a force to be reckoned with, not just because she had an incredible name or was reportedly six feet tall (I know!!!), but because of the undeniable power behind her words in this speech.

James by Percival Everett & Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Now this is how you do a reimagining. I think it would be fascinating for a class to explore both novels side by side, then dive into a Socratic seminar or project comparing and contrasting the very different perspectives each one offers.

 

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

I’ll be the first of what I assume is many to admit that my knowledge of the Vietnam War is shallow. That’s why a text like this is so powerful in the classroom; it doesn’t just recount dates and battles, it offers a human, emotional lens into a war that divided the nation and left scars we still feel today.

The Making of Asian America by Erika Lee

This book pulls back the curtain on 400 years of Asian American history that often gets left out of US History classrooms. From exclusion acts to community resilience, it gives students a fuller picture of immigration, identity, and belonging in America.