Going to School During the Civil Rights Movement (Blue Earth Books: Going to School in History)

Gr. 4-6. Looking at childhood is a good way to study the history of ordinary people, and this new Going to School in History series will show students what daily life was once like for kids. Both books frame the school facts with a general overview of the time and then focus on the classroom. Pioneer Times makes the old mistake of talking about an open, "unsettled" country, with no mention of the Native Americans who were driven out of sight. But, otherwise, it is a good introduction both to pioneer life on the western frontier and to the goings-on in a one-room schoolhouse. Civil Rights is much more political. Framed by the history of segregation and the protest movement that changed it, the classroom story is a stirring close-up of the separate, unequal schools and the brave young people who fought against them. Moving sepia-tone photos appear on every page. Sidebars and special features, including craft activities and brief biographies, add both facts and fun. Other titles in the series are listed in the Series Roundup in this issue. Hazel Rochman
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