Special Collections
District List: BCPS Supplemental Texts - Grade 5
Description: Baltimore City Public Schools Supplemental Text List for students in 5th Grade. #bcps
- Table View
- List View
Across Five Aprils
by Irene HuntThe unforgettable story of young Jethro Creighton who comes of age during the turbulent years of the Civil War.
Newbery Award Honors book
American Indian Stories, Legends, and Other Writings
by Zitkala-saZitkala-Sa wrestled with the conflicting influences of American Indian and white culture throughout her life. Raised on a Sioux reservation, she was educated at boarding schools that enforced assimilation and was witness to major events in white-Indian relations in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Tapping her troubled personal history, Zitkala-Sa created stories that illuminate the tragedy and complexity of the American Indian experience. In evocative prose laced with political savvy, she forces new thinking about the perceptions, assumptions, and customs of both Sioux and white cultures and raises issues of assimilation, identity, and race relations that remain compelling today. .
America's Champion Swimmer
by David A. Adler and Terry WidenerTrudy Ederle loved to swim, and she was determined to be the best. At seventeen Trudy won three medals at the 1924 Olympics in Paris. But what she planned to do next had never been done by a woman: She would swim across the English Channel in fourteen hours and set a world record.
America Street
by Anne MazerWelcome to America Street, where every story is as vital and unique as the friends, neighbors, and relatives we encounter every day. Here are fourteen stories about young people told by some of America's best storytellers: Duane Big Eagle, Toni Cade Bambara, Robert Cormier, Langston Hughes, Gish Jen, Francisco Jimenez, Mary K. Mazotti, Nicholasa Mohr, Toshio Mori, Leslie Namioka, Naomi Shihab Nye, Grace Paley, Gary Soto, and Michele Wallace.
As Long As The Rivers Flow
by Paula Gunn Allen and Patricia Clark SmithNine Native Americans are profiled in this collection that includes the accomplishments of notables such as Apache warrior Geronimo; entertainer Will Rogers; athlete Jim Thorpe; Wilma Mankiller, the first woman elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation; and others. Photos.
Babe Didrikson Zaharias
by Russell FreedmanA biography of Babe Didrikson, who broke records in golf, track and field, and other sports, at a time when there were few opportunities for female athletes.
The Bat Boy & His Violin
by Gavin CurtisReginald loves making beautiful classical music. Practicing to develop his talent is a pleasure for the little boy whose mother offers encouragement and listens with equal pleasure. As he diligently prepares for a recital, his father, the manager of the Dukes, a down-on-its-luck team in the Negro national League, appoints his son bat boy in hopes of inspiring Reginald to follow in his footsteps and prepare for a career in professional baseball. Reginald would much rather spend his time mastering his recital pieces, but he is also anxious to please his father. Though well meaning, the little boy causes disaster on the baseball diamond. To prevent further mishaps, he is sent to the bench to harmlessly play his violin. The lovely music unexpectedly brings out the best in the Dukes and Papa listens more appreciatively than he has ever before. In this story of family love, Papa gains pride in his son's ambition and gives the boy whole hearted support. The volunteer who scanned this book has written appealing descriptions of the beautiful water color illustrations. Gavin Curtis has written a satisfying, affectionately told, short story of warm family bonds, set at a time when the prowess of players for the Negro National League is rewarded and they begin merging with the formerly all white teams. This is good reading for anyone from preschool to adult.
The Birchbark House
by Louise ErdrichOmakayas, a seven-year-old Native American girl of the Ojibwa tribe, lives through the joys of summer and the perils of winter on an island in Lake Superior in 1847.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts in grades 4-5 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
C D B!
by William SteigLetters and numbers are used to create the sounds of words and simple sentences 4 u 2 figure out with the aid of illustrations.
Chasing Lincoln's Killer
by James L. SwansonNEW YORK TIMES bestselling author James Swanson delivers a riveting account of the chase for Abraham Lincoln's assassin. Based on rare archival material, obscure trial manuscripts, and interviews with relatives of the conspirators and the manhunters, CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER is a fast-paced thriller about the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth: a wild twelve-day chase through the streets of Washington, D. C. , across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia.
Civil War Stories
by Ambrose BierceNewspaperman, short-story writer, poet, and satirist, Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) is one of the most striking and unusual literary figures America has produced. Dubbed "Bitter Bierce" for his vitriolic wit and biting satire, his fame rests largely on a celebrated compilation of barbed epigrams, The Devil's Dictionary, and a book of short stories (Tales of Soldiers and Civilians, 1891). Most of the 16 selections in this volume have been taken from the latter collection.The stories in this edition include: "What I Saw at Shiloh," "A Son of the Gods," "Four Days in Dixie," "One of the Missing," "A Horseman in the Sky," "The Coup de Grace," "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," "The Story of Conscience," "One Kind of Officer," "Chickamauga," and five more.Bierce's stories employ a buildup of suggestive realistic detail to produce grim and vivid tales often disturbing in their mood of fatalism and impending calamity. Hauntingly suggestive, they offer excellent examples of the author's dark pessimism and storytelling power.
The Dreamer
by Pam Muñoz RyanFrom the time he is a young boy, Neftalí hears the call of a mysterious voice. Even when the neighborhood children taunt him, and when his harsh, authoritarian father ridicules him, and when he doubts himself, Neftalí knows he cannot ignore the call. Under the canopy of the lush rain forest, into the fearsome sea, and through the persistent Chilean rain, he listens and he follows ... Combining elements of magical realism with biography, poetry, literary fiction, and sensorial, transporting illustrations, Pam Muñoz Ryan and Peter Sís take readers on a rare journey of the heart and imagination.
Winner of the Pura Belpre Medal
Elijah of Buxton
by Christopher Paul CurtisMaster storyteller Christopher Paul Curtis's Newbery Honor novel, featuring his trademark humor, unique narrative voice, and new cover art--now in paperback!
Eleven-year-old Elijah lives in Buxton, Canada, a settlement of runaway slaves near the American border. He's the first child in town to be born free, and he ought to be famous just for that. Unfortunately, all that most people see is a "fra-gile" boy who's scared of snakes and talks too much. But everything changes when a former slave steals money from Elijah's friend, who has been saving to buy his family out of captivity in the South. Now it's up to Elijah to track down the thief--and his dangerous journey just might make a hero out of him, if only he can find the courage to get back home.
Advisory: Bookshare has learned that this book offers only partial accessibility. We have kept it in the collection because it is useful for some of our members. To explore further access options with us, please contact us through the Book Quality link on the right sidebar. Benetech is actively working on projects to improve accessibility issues such as these.
How I Found the Strong
by Margaret McMullanIt is the spring of 1861, and the serenity of Smith County, Mississippi, has been shattered by Abraham Lincoln’s declaration of war on the South. Young and old are taking up arms and marching off to war. But not ten-year-old Frank Russell. Although he is eager to enlist in the Confederate army, he is not allowed. He is too young, too skinny, too weak. After all, he’s just “Shanks,” the baby of the Russell family. War has a way of taking things away from a person, mercilessly. And this war takes from Frank a mighty sum. It’s nabbed his Pa and older brother. It’s stolen his grandfather, his grandmother. It has robbed Frank of a simpler way of life, food, his boyhood. And gone are his idealistic dreams of heroic battles and hard-fought victories. Now all that replaces those images are questions: Will I ever see my father and brother again? Why are we fighting this war? Are we fighting for the wrong reasons? Will things ever be the same around here?
How We Crossed The West
by Rosalyn SchanzerTHE YEAR: 1804
THE MISSION: To search for a river route across the western united states all the way to the Pacific Ocean, mapping and exploring this uncharted land for the U.S. government.
THE EXPLORERS: MERIWETHER LEWIS AND WILLIAM CLARK: Two military men, a crew of adventurers, and a dog named Seaman.
Join Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery on an incredible, historic, and unforgettable journey.
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
by Bette Bao LordA young Chinese girl in 1947 comes to Brooklyn and discovers her love for baseball while adjusting to new life in America.
Iron Thunder
by AviWhen his father is killed fighting for the Union in the War Between the States, thirteen-year-old Tom Carroll must take a job to help support his family. He manages to find work at a bustling ironworks in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York, where dozens of men are frantically pounding together the strangest ship Tom has ever seen. A ship made of iron. Tom becomes assistant to the ship's inventor, a gruff, boastful man named Captain John Ericsson. He soon learns that the Union army has very important plans for this iron ship called the Monitor. It is supposed to fight the Confederate "sea monster"--another ironclad--the Merrimac. But Ericsson is practically the only person who believes the Monitor will float. Everyone else calls it "Ericsson's Folly" or "the iron coffin." Meanwhile, Tom's position as Ericsson's assistant has made him a target of Confederate spies, who offer him money for information about the ship. Tom finds himself caught between two certain dangers: an encounter with murderous spies and a battle at sea in an iron coffin.
Island of the Blue Dolphins
by Scott O'DellThe gripping story of young Karana, who survives by herself for eighteen years on a deserted island off the California coast.
Newbery Medal winner
Jesse Owens
by Carole Boston Weatherford and Eric VelasquezJesse Owens grew up during the time of Jim Crow laws, but segregation never slowed him down. After setting world records for track in high school and college, he won a slot on the 1936 U.S. Olympic team. That year, the Olympics were in Berlin, then controlled by the Nazis, and Hitler was certain they would be a chance to prove to the world that Aryans were superior to all other races. But the triumph of Jesse's will helped him run through any barrier, winning four gold medals and the hearts of millions, setting two world records, and proving the Nazi dictator unmistakably wrong.
The story of Jesse Owens comes alive for young readers with Carole Boston Weatherford's award-winning free verse poetry. Eric Velasquez tackles this challenging subject with the use of pastels for the first time in twenty years-a technique that is both heart-stopping and immediate.
The Journal of James Edmond Pease
by Jim MurphyIgnorant to the bitter realities of military life, 16-year-old James enlists in the Union Army at the dawn of the Civil War.
When his lieutenant assigns him to be the company historian of the G Company of the 122nd Regiment, New York Volunteers, he is initially at a loss as to what exactly he is supposed to record.
As the days pass, James settles into his role, but he cannot take comfort in it.
His country is divided by a bloody war, and his unit struggles through the hardships and turmoil.
Through his journal entries, James poignantly captures the terror of battle, the drudgery of day-to-day life in the infantry, the loss of comrades, and the disillusionment of a young soldier.
Julie of the Wolves
by Jean Craighead George and John SchoenherrJean Craighead George's Newbery Medal-winning classic about an Eskimo girl lost on the Alaskan tundra now features bonus content. This edition, perfect for classroom or home use, includes John Schoenherr's original scratchboard illustrations throughout, as well as extra materials such as an introduction written by Jean Craighead George's children, the author's Newbery acceptance speech, selections from her field notebooks, a discussion guide, and a further reading guide.Julie of the Wolves is a staple in the canon of children's literature and the first in the Julie trilogy. The survival theme makes it a good pick for readers of other wilderness stories such as My Side of the Mountain, Hatchet, or Island of the Blue Dolphins.To her small Eskimo village, she is known as Miyax; to her friend in San Francisco, she is Julie. When her life in the village becomes dangerous, Miyax runs away, only to find herself lost in the Alaskan wilderness.Miyax tries to survive by copying the ways of a pack of wolves and soon grows to love her new wolf family. Life in the wilderness is a struggle, but when she finds her way back to civilization, Miyax is torn between her old and new lives. Is she Miyax of the Eskimos--or Julie of the wolves?
Lemonade
by Bob Raczka and Nancy DonigerPlay with your words! A brand-new poetic form that turns word puzzles into poetry.
Part anagram, part rebus, part riddle—the poems in Lemonade: and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word capture a scene from a child's daily life and present a puzzle to solve. Sometimes sweet and sometimes funny but always clever, these poems are fun to read and even more fun for kids to write. Bob Raczka is a fresh, new voice in children's poetry who knows that fun and games can turn a poetry lesson into lemonade!
The Mostly True Adventures Of Homer P. Figg
by Rodman PhilbrickIn this Newbery Honor-winning page-turner, twelve-year-old orphan Homer runs away from Pine Swamp, Maine, to find his older brother, Harold, who has been sold into the Union Army.
With laugh-aloud humor, Homer outwits and outruns a colorful assortment of civil War-era thieves, scallywags, and spies as he makes his way south, following clues that finally lead him to Gettysburg. Even through a hail of gunfire, Homer never loses heart--but will he find his brother? Or will it be too late?
With engaging wit and comical repartee reminiscent of Mark Twain, master storyteller Rodman Philbrick introduces us to the unforgettable character of Homer in his latest groundbreaking novel.