Special Collections
District List: NYC Core Curriculum 5th - Social Studies
Description: The New York City Core Curriculum program aims to provide a high-quality curricula to NYC students through a seamless instructional program across grades and subjects. This list has been curated by #NYCDOE for 5th Grade Social Studies materials.
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Voices of the Alamo
by Sherry GarlandFrom the 1500s to the present, different voices and perspectives of men and women--Indian, Mexican, Spanish, Texan, and American--recount the history of the Alamo and its region.
...If You Lived in Colonial Times
by Ann McgovernThe author answers many intriguing questions that children are likely to ask. "What did colonial boys and girls wear?" "What happened if they didn't behave in school?" "What did they do on Sunday?" "Were there special laws about fun? "What happened to people who broke the laws?" This book provides a unique opportunity to enrich the young reader's understanding of American history. 52 entertaining questions and answers about what it was like to live in the New England colonies during the years 1650 - 1730.
Encounter
by Jane YolenWhen Christopher Columbus landed on the island of San Salvador in 1492, what he discovered were the Taino Indians. Told from a young Taino boy's point of view, this is a story of how the boy tried to warn his people against welcoming the strangers, who seemed more interested in golden ornaments than friendship. Years later the boy, now an old man, looks back at the destruction of his people and their culture by the colonizers.
Sugar Changed the World
by Marc Aronson and Marina Tamar BudhosChronicles the human pursuit of sugar to satisfy our collective sweet tooth. The book describes this history in terms of ages, beginning with the Age of Honey, built on local growth and consumption of comestibles; through the Age of Sugar and its slave-supported "factory" plantation method of production; and into a period of science and freedom, when enslaved workers claimed their human rights and production of sweeteners shifted from the field to the lab.
The Inuit Thought Of It
by Alootook Ipellie and David MacdonaldToday’s Arctic communities have all the comforts of modern living. Yet the Inuit survived in this harsh landscape for hundreds of years with nothing but the land and their own ingenuity. Join authors Alootook Ipellie and David MacDonald as they explore the amazing innovations of traditional Inuit and how their ideas continue to echo around the world. Some inventions are still familiar to us: the one-person watercraft known as a kayak still retains its Inuit name. Other innovations have been replaced by modern technology: slitted snow goggles protected Inuit eyes long before sunglasses arrived on the scene. Andother ideas were surprisingly inspired: using human-shaped stone stacks (Inunnguat) to trick and trap caribou. Many more Inuit innovations are explored here, including: * Dog sleds * Shelter * Clothing * Kids’ stuff * Food preservation * Medicine. In all, more than 40 Inuit items and ideas are showcased through dramatic photos and captivating language. From how these objects were made, to their impact on contemporary culture, The Inuit Thought of It is a remarkable catalogue of Inuit invention.
Separate Is Never Equal
by Duncan Tonatiuh
Almost 10 years before Brown vs. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez and her parents helped end school segregation in California.
An American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage who spoke and wrote perfect English, Mendez was denied enrollment to a "Whites only" school.
Her parents took action by organizing the Hispanic community and filing a lawsuit in federal district court.
Their success eventually brought an end to the era of segregated education in California.
2015 Jane Addams Younger Reader Award,
2015 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book
2015 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
Undocumented
by Aviva ChomskyExplores what it means to be undocumented in a legal, social, economic and historical context In this illuminating work, immigrant rights activist Aviva Chomsky shows how "illegality" and "undocumentedness" are concepts that were created to exclude and exploit. With a focus on US policy, she probes how people, especially Mexican and Central Americans, have been assigned this status--and to what ends. Blending history with human drama, Chomsky explores what it means to be undocumented in a legal, social, economic, and historical context. The result is a powerful testament of the complex, contradictory, and ever-shifting nature of status in America.From the Trade Paperback edition.
National Geographic Reading Expeditions World Regions
by Carl ProujanTake a look at the dramatically different environments in South America, the towering Andes, the grasslands, the Amazon rain forest, and the varied coastal areas. Examine how elevation and latitude affect the land and its vegetation and wildlife.
Seven Blind Mice
by Ed YoungA Caldecott Honor Book. "It's a pillar," says Red Mouse. "It's a fan!" cries Orange Mouse. "No, it's a spear," says Yellow Mouse. But as the seven blind mice go out one by one to investigate the strange Something by the pond, each comes back with a different idea of what it is. Argue as they might, they cannot agree. Only when the last mouse ventures out and investigates do they finally learn for certain what the strange Something is, and what the whole truth is as well! Caldecott medalist Ed Young's paper-collage illustrations joyously capture the wit and humor of this tale based on the ancient fable of the Blind Men and the Elephant. The very youngest readers will delight in Young's brightly colored mice who will lead them to discoveries of color, the days of the week, and one of the truest paths to wisdom.
Diego Rivera
by Susan Goldman RubinDiego Rivera offers young readers unique insight into the life and artwork of the famous Mexican painter and muralist. The book follows Rivera’s career, looking at his influences and tracing the evolution of his style.
His work often called attention to the culture and struggles of the Mexican working class. Believing that art should be for the people, he created public murals in both the United States and Mexico, examples of which are included.
The book contains a list of museums where you can see Rivera’s art, a historical note, a glossary, and a bibliography.
Cuba
by Susan Hughes and April FastDiscusses the religion, festivals, music, art, architecture, language, and literature of Cuba, and includes a Cuban folk tale.
Brazil
by Malika HollanderText and photographs show how the people of Brazil celebrate holidays and festivals, using art, music, dance, and stories.
Canada
by Bobbie KalmanThe second-largest country on Earth, Canada possesses a tremendous variety of natural wonders. This new second revision to Canada the Land takes students on a fascinating tour of the country's rugged coasts, frozen northern regions, vast prairies, and majestic mountain ranges.
Explore South America
by Molly Aloian and Bobbie KalmanThe world's largest tropical rain forest and the world's longest mountain range are both found on the continent of South America. This beautiful new book introduces children to the fascinating physical and social geography of South America including the continent's countries; major landforms and bodies of water; and people, plants, and animals in the rain forests, grasslands, and deserts.
Mexico
by Bobbie KalmanBrilliant new photos highlight Mexico's deserts, plains, rainforests, and mountains in this newly revised edition. Mexico's agriculture, industries, overpopulation, and Mayan and Aztec roots are featured along with a new map and new information on free trade and immigration.
Argentina
by Greg NicklesDescribes the leisure activities and daily lives of early settlers, immigrants, and natives of Argentina.
Universal Declaration Of Human Rights
by Yacine A T Kaci and United Nations StaffThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is the first international agreement setting out freedoms, rights and entitlements for all humanity to claim. It emphasizes the inextricable relationship between fundamental freedoms and social justice, and their connection with peace and security. This edition of the UDHR is published in collaboration with French artist, graphic designer and creator of popular cartoon Elyx, Yacine A t Kaci (alias YAK) to illustrate the 30 articles. This hardbound edition is available in English and French.
Inuit Indians
by Caryn YacowitzTurn the pages of this book to learn about Inuit Indians. Find out how the Inuit live through cold arctic winters. Discover the sun goggles that they used to wear. Read about how the Inuit build snow houses, or igloos. In this book you will see how the Inuit hunt for seals, learn about the dog sleds that the Inuit use, discover how the Inuit use string figures to tell stories.
Mexico
by Beth Gruber and Gary S. Elbow and Jorge ZamoraJoin National Geographic's quest to find the heart and soul of Mexico. Journey through a land of incredible biodiversity, from the Rio Grande to the Sierra Madre. Visit Mexico City, the vast metropolis built on an ancient lake bed. Study the country's history of earthquakes and volcanoes and its current struggles to protect animal habitats.
Explore Mexico's history as the center of the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec civilizations in Beth Gruber's lively text. Learn how the country’s borders once extended north to Southern Wyoming, west to California, and east to Louisiana. Witness the cultural and political aftereffects of Spanish Catholicism and discover how the hacienda system of agriculture led to revolution. The author also explains the importance of family and traditions in Mexican culture and the country's rich artistic heritage.
Finally, readers will come to understand the disappointments of the Revolution, the limits of the single-party system, social inequalities, the economy, emigration to the United States, and the effects of the tourist boom on the environment.
Jacques Cartier
by Jeff Donaldson-ForbesBorn in a small fishing town in France, Jacques Cartier became an expert navigator and was chosen by King Francis I to lead an expedition in search of the elusive Northwest Passage. In this beautifully illustrated book, students will follow Cartier as he travels to Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and down the St. Lawrence River to the Iroquois village of Stadacona, which is now known as Quebec.
South America
by Karen Bush GibsonDescribes the continent of South America, including its climate, landforms, plants, animals, countries, and people.
The Inuit
by Kevin Cunningham and Peter BenoitIf you're a history buff and want to find out what America was like before European explorers arrived, read this enthralling series on American Indians.
Filled with true tales of traditions and history, tragedy and triumph, each book focuses on a distinct group of American Indians and explores what their life was like before, during, and after Europeans arrived on the continent.
Complete with images and explanations of how different peoples made their homes, food, and clothes, as well as led their groups, played games, and schooled their young, the books take the reader through to modern times, exploring current culture and identity.
Dominican Republic In Pictures
by Christine Zuchora-WalskePresents a photographic introduction to the land, history, government, economy, people, and culture of the island nation.
The Mongols and Global History
by Morris RossabiThe volume opens with a brief original essay by Morris Rossabi, one of the world's foremost scholars on the Mongols. Rossabi's essay gives a historical and interpretive overview of the Mongols and charts their invasions and subsequent rule over the largest contiguous land empire in world history. Following is a rich collection of primary sources translated into English from Armenian, Arabic, Chinese, Franco-Italian, Italian, Korean, Latin, Persian, Russian, Syriac, and Tibetan that will give students a clear sense of the extraordinary geographic and linguistic range of the Mongol Empire as well as insight into the empire's rise, how it governed, and how it fell. Each primary source includes a headnote and study questions. The volume ends with a list of further readings. About the series: The Norton Casebooks in History provide students with everything they need for in-depth study of select topics in major periods studied in American and world history. Each volume consists of an introductory essay by the editor on the topic, primary sources, and recent essays by historians that explore different interpretations. Each volume combines the most authoritative text available with contextual and critical materials that bring the topic to life for students.
Montreal
by Percy Rowe and Patience CosterGreat Cities of the World takes you on a trip around the globe to discover the world's largest, most important and prominent cities. Each title explores the history, landmarks, culture, and economy of a city and introduces readers to the people who live there. In addition to informative text illustrated with up-to-date, full-color photography, Great Cities of the World titles feature time lines, statistics, excerpts from primary sources, and sources of further information.