Secondary Teachers: Literature

Most of these recommended books can be found in your library. They are not available for loan from Utah AITC. You can find more in-depth descriptions and can order most of these books from web sites like amazon.com

| | | |

Family & Consumer Science

Cooking Up World History (Click to see image)
Grades 6-10
Any study of world cultures or history can be enlivened by experiencing the foods of those peoples. Through foods, students appreciate the differences, as well as the commonalities, among peoples. Further, they strengthen their reading, math, cooperative, and problem-solving skills as they determine how to prepare, adapt, and serve a recipe. Teachers who regularly cook in the classroom find that cooking often is the highlight of a unit of study. This book provides teachers with recipes, research suggestions, and resources appropriate for culinary explorations.
Author: Patricia C. Marden. Printed by Teacher Ideas Press.
ISBN: 0-7613-0354-5

Everybody Bakes Bread (Click to see image)
Grades 3-11
A rainy-day errand introduces Carrie to many different kinds of bread, including chapatis, challah, and pupusas. Includes recipes.
Author: Norah Dooley. Printed by Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
ISBN 087614864X

Genetically Modified Food (Click to see image)
Grades 5-10
Introduces the science behind and to the issues surrounding the production of food using genetic engineering. The book, by Nigel Hawkes, is divided into chapters and looks at what genes are, how they can be modified, and the wider environmental and health implications of GM food and farming.
Author: Nigel Hawkes. Printed by Copper Beech Books.
ISBN: 0761311548

General Agriculture

Farm Facts (Click to see image)
Grades K-12
This 26 page booklet presents colorful charts, graphs and agricultural facts. New lesson plans make Farm Facts a usable resource in your classroom.
First booklet free from Utah AITC. Contact "Educating About Agriculture" for additional copies.

Heartland (Click to see image)
Grades K-11
Evokes the land, animals and people of the Middle West in poetic text and illustrations.
Author: Diane Siebert. Printed by Harper Collins Publishing.
ISBN: 0690047304

Lazy B: Growing up on a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest
(Click to see image)
(Teacher Reference Book)
Deep in the granite hills of eastern Arizona in 1880, H.C. Day founded the Lazy B Ranch, where U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and her brother Alan spent their youth, a time they recall in this affectionate joint memoir. "We belonged to the Lazy B, and it belonged to each of us," write O'Connor and Day. This fascinating glimpse of life in the Southwest in the last century recounts an important time in American history, and provides an enduring portrait of an independent young woman on the brink of becoming one of the most prominent figures in America.
Author: Sandra Day O'Connor.
Printed by Random House Trade Paperbacks.
ISBN: 0812966732

World Farming (Click to see image)
Grades 5-11
This book is a valuable learning tool and reference about agriculture around the world. Full color diagrams, illustrations, and photographs along with hands on activities and a very complete glossary.
Author: M. Bramwell. Printed by Usborne Publishing Ltd., Usborne House.
ISBN: 074600737X

Plants

Desert Plants of Utah, Mountain Plants of Northeastern Utah, & Common Native Trees of Utah (Click to see image)
Grades 4-12
These books are Utah State University Extension publications that are excellent resources for any teacher looking for more information about native plants. Every plant listed on the state core exam can be found in these books. Either a photograph or detailed line drawing is shown with information about where the plant is found (elevation, soil type, etc.) and any additional information that might be useful in a classroom.
You can purchase from your local County Extension office. These books can be viewed in their entirety on our web site. To find the plant you are looking for, go to the book index.

Social Studies

Ancient Agriculture (Click to see image)
Grades 6-10
This book, written by Michael and Mary B. Woods, details ancient technology as it progresses from foraging to farming. The story of agriculture is the story of human civilization. Without agriculture, humans would not have settled in towns and cities. They would still be roaming from place to place to find food. There would be no civilization. Ancient cultures left a rich legacy of agricultural knowledge and technology. This book tells the story of their contributions.
Author: Michael and Mary B. Woods. Printed by Runestone Pr.
ISBN: 0-8225-2995-5

Barn (Click to see image)
Grades 1-11
The barn is a tale of change over time. The barn experiences numerous generations of people and their cultural traditions. An excellent resource for showing how communities, cities and people adapt to changes in the land and technology.
Author: Debby Atwell. Printed by Houghton Mufflin.
ISBN: 0395785685

Chronicle of America: Colonial Times 1600-1700 (Click to see image)
Grades 5-8
This book, written by Joy Masoff, takes you on a journey back in time and see what life was really like in America's past. See what was eaten, worn, and lived in during the 1600-1700s. This book contains photos from living historical museums to illustrate text about life in America in the 17th century. Native American, African, and European people's lives are examined in this excellent book of American history.
Author: Joy Masoff. Printed by: Scholastic Reference.
ISBN: 043905107X.

Creative Discoveries - World Agriculture (Click to see image)
Grades 3-10
This book contains interesting facts and pictures about agriculture products and processes all over the world. Great for studying geography and countries. Among other things, learn how chocolate is made from cocoa beans, where salt comes from, and how potatoes are grown. This great book is complete with a supplement filled with quizzes, fascinating facts, games, and ideas for activities.
Author: Laurence Ottenheimer. Printed by Creative Education.
ISBN: 0-88682-952-6

Eating the Plates (Click to see image)
Grades 3-8
A fascinating account of the Pilgrims' eating habits, customs, and manners. A great book to bring the Pilgrims to life.
Author: Lucille Recht Penner. Printed by First Scholastic.
ISBN: 0590469754

Epitaph for a Peach (Click to see image)
Grades K-12 (Teacher Reference Book)
This tale about four seasons in the life of a California farm, where the quest to rescue a peach becomes a tribute to the family and to passion for one's work. The story of David Mas Masumoto's Sun Crest peaches begins on the day he turns the bulldozers away from his orchards and vows to give himself one year to find a viable market for the fruits of his labor. This book will enable teachers to get an emotional glimpse of a lifestyle connected directly to food, land & people.
ISBN: 0-06-251024-X

Esperanza Rising (Click to see image)
Grades 5-11
Esperanza Ortega, a member of Mexico's elite land-owning class, immigrates to California in the 1930s with her mother after her father is murdered by bandits. Working as a migrant farm laborer, Esperanza experiences a growing awareness of class and ethnic tensions. Winner of the 2001 Pura Belpre Award, the author describes Esperanza's strong feelings for the land through the use of beautiful metaphors and imagery. Following the seasons of the harvest, the title of each chapter bears the name of fruits gathered by Esperanza and her compadres while working in the migrant fields. The novel is richly woven with historic events (Mexico's post-revolution era, the movement of Dust Bowl victims and the struggles for migrant farm worker reform) and introduces the reader to Spanish words and Mexican traditions.
Author: Pam Muñoz Ryan Publisher: Scholastic Press
ISBN: 043912042X

Guns, Germs, and Steel (Click to see image)
Grades 6-12 (Teacher Reference)
This book is for teacher reference only. A great look at how human societies around the world have developed. Diamond offers an account of how the modern world was formed and is full of lessons for our future. Teachers will enjoy reviewing the development of ancient cultures, civilizations and how their interactions have created our current civilizations and standards of living.
Author: Jared Diamond. Publisher: W. W. Norton.
ISBN: 0393317552

Hands-On Pioneers (Click to see image)
Grades 3-11
This 80-page book includes games, crafts, and historical background and stories. It is divided into 4 sections: 3 activity sections and the pattern pages. The activity sections begin with double-page photographs of museum artifacts. You can modify the patterns to express your individuality. Have fun while learning about the pioneers with 21 easy craft activities. Stunning photographs of unique pioneer relics link these projects with those of the past. These true stories and children's activities will enhance the teaching moment.
Author: Yvonne Young Merrill. Printed by: Desert Book Company
ISBN: 1573450855

If the World Were a Village (Click to see image)
Grades 7-Adult
There are currently more than six billion people on the planet! This enormous number can be difficult to grasp, especially for a child. But what if we imagine the whole world as a village of just 100 people? In this village 22 people speak a Chinese dialect, 20 earn less than a dollar a day, 17 cannot read or write, and 39 are under 19 years old. In a time when parents and educators are looking to help children gain a better understanding of the world’s peoples and their ways of life, If the World Were a Village by David Smith offers a unique and objective resource. By exploring the lives of the 100 villagers, children will discover that life in other nations is often very different from their own.
Author: David J. Smith. Printed by Kids Can Press.
ISBN: 1550747797

If you lived in... Colonial Times (Click to see image)
Grades 5-8
This book tellls you what it was like to live in the New England colonies during the years 1565 to 1776.
Author: Ann McGovern. Printed by Scholastic.
ISBN: 0-590-45160-X

Immigration, Migration and the Industrial Revolution
(Click to see image)
Grade 5-8
This easy to read 24 page book describes how inventions such as the cotton gin transformed America from an agricultural country to an industrial one, and led to both problems and opportunities.
Author: Tracee Sioux. Publisher: Rosen Publishing Group.
ISBN: 0823989984

In the Three Sisters' Garden (Click to see image)
Grades K-12
This new educational guide is exceptional for integrating Native American legends while learning about the importance of the "Three Sisters" crops. The lessons are based around a legend and incorporate social studies, literature, and science. An easy resource to utilize when teaching early American traditions.

The Irish Famine: The Birth of Irish America (Click to see image)
Grades 5-8
This book is designed to answer specific questions students may have about the Irish Famine. The book examines important events, explores causes and effects, covers different interpretations and sources of information, and discusses the idea of turning points in history. It contains eyewitness accounts and contemporary views, a time line summarizing important dates and informative pictures and diagrams of the famine. A great reference book.
Author: Tony Allan. Printed by Heinemann Library
ISBN: 1-58810-077-4

The Knights of Labor and the Haymarket Riot (Click to see image)
Grade 5-8
This easy to read 32 page book examines the early history of America's labor movement in the nineteenth century, particularly the fight for an eight-hour work day, and its effects on American business and workers. The book concludes with great glossary, web site, and index pages.
Author: Bernadette Brexel. Publisher: Rosen Publishing Group.
ISBN: 0823940284

Lazy B: Growing up on a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest
(Click to see image)
(Teacher Reference Book)
Deep in the granite hills of eastern Arizona in 1880, H.C. Day founded the Lazy B ranch, where U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and her brother Alan spent their youth, a time they recall in this affectionate joint memoir. "We belonged to the Lazy B, and it belonged to each of us," write O'Connor and Day. This fascinating glimpse of life in the Southwest in the last century recounts an important time in American history, and provides an enduring portrait of an independent young woman on the brink of becoming one of the most prominent figures in America.
Author: Sandra Day O'Connor.
Printed by Random House Trade Paperbacks.
ISBN: 0812966732

Nory Ryan's Song (Click to see image)
Grades 5-8
Life is hard for poor Irish potato farmers, but 12-year-old Nory Ryan and her family have always scraped by... until one morning, Nory wakes to the foul, rotting smell of diseased potatoes dying in the fields. And just like that, all their hopes for the harvest--for this year and next--are dashed. Hunger sets in quickly. The beaches are stripped of edible seaweed, the shore is emptied of fish, desperate souls even chew on grass for the nourishment. As her community falls apart, Nory scrambles to find food for her family. Meanwhile, the specter of America lurks, where, the word is, no one is ever hungry, and horses carry milk in huge cans down cobblestone streets. Young readers may have heard of the Irish Potato Famine, but they won't truly understand it until they meet Nory.
Author: Patricia Reilly Giff. Printed by Scholastic Inc.
ISBN: 0-439-32949-3

Out of the Dust (Click to see image)
Grades 4-11
This novel is a journal detailing the life of a young girl living during the Dust Bowl. The book is written in the unique style of free verse poetry and gives the reader a deep sense of the feelings that were experienced during this period of American History.
Author: Karen Hesse. Printed by Scholastic Inc.
ISBN: 0890376195

Right Here on This Spot (Click to see image)
Grades 3-11
Right here on this spot, where today Grandpa drives a tractor in his cabbage field, Indians in ancient times lit their campfires, chipped stone into tools, and then moved on. The moon rose and set over the field, season followed season, trees grew into a forest, and settlers came from across the ocean to clear the land again and make a new home. And one day, years later, a Union soldier crossing that field lost a button . . . Grandpa was digging a ditch when he found that button. Deeper in the ditch he discovered an arrowhead and the bones of a strange beast...In graceful words and striking pictures, the book chronicles the changes the centuries bring to one field and offer young readers a vivid slice of history.
Author: Sharon Hart-Addy. Printed by: Houghton Mifflin Co.
ISBN: 0395730910

Seedfolks (Click to see image)
Grades 2-11
A realistic view of inner city diversity, while creating a sense of togetherness. It is a compelling story about a group of people who learn to help each other in a community garden. An excellent demonstration of developing cross-cultural understanding.
Author: Paul Fleischman. Printed by Harper/Collins.
ISBN: 0064472078

Seeds of Change, Five Plants That Transformed Mankind
(Click to see image)
Grades 7-12 (Teacher Reference)
Look at history in a different light. See how quinine, potatoes, sugar cane, cotton, and tea plants influenced history.
Author: Henry Hobhouse. Printed by Harper and Row.
ISBN: 0060156317

Seeds of Change, The Story of Cultural Exchange after 1492
(Click to see image)
Grades 6-10
The events of 1492 began one of the most profound cultural interchanges in history. The Columbus voyages and those that followed sowed seeds that dramatically changed life in two worlds previously unknown to each other. The book discusses the contributions of the horse, the potato, corn, sugar and new diseases. This book is based on research for the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution's, exhibit Seeds of Change, and developed in association with the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS).
Author: Sharryl Davis Hawke, James E. Davis, J. Davis Hawke
Printed by: Pearson Learning
ISBN: 0-201-29419-2

Survival in the Storm (Click to see image)
Grades 4-11
In a strong Dear America series book, Grace Edwards uses her journal to tell the story of a year (1935) in the Texas Panhandle town of Dalhart during the days of the Dust Bowl. Centered on a 12-year-old's perspective of home and school, chores and friends, Grace's diary reveals in graphic detail what life was like when farms failed, families went hungry, and children died from dust pneumonia because no rain fell.
Author: Katelan Janke. Printed by: Scholastic
ISBN: 0-439-21599-4

Tomatoes, Potatoes, Corn, and Beans (Click to see image)
Grades 4-10
In this fascinating story of the many foods first grown in the Americas, the author describes how each one was used by Native Americans, how the foods then made their way to other parts of the world, and the new ways of preparation that have been developed.
Author: Sylvia A. Johnson. Printed by Simon and Shuster Children's.
ISBN: 0689801416

Weslandia (Click to see image)
Grades 2-11
Wesley suffers rejection from classmates until he puts his school lessons to use and founds his own civilization. His innovations include a perfect tie-in for second and third graders learning about goods and services in the community and how those products create jobs and influence development.
Author: Paul Fleishman. Printed by Candlewick Press.
ISBN: 0763600067

Soils

Worms Eat My Garbage (Click to see image)
Grades 7-12 (Reference Book)
This book is a how-to-guide to vermicomposting, using worms in a composting system. This easy to follow instruction booklet, complete with drawings, will teach you everything you need to know about creating a composting system that uses worms as composting agents.
Author: Mary Appelhof. Printed by Flower Press.
ISBN: 0-942256-10-7