Tennessee

We actually finished Tennessee a few months ago, but we'd fallen behind on our art projects. Now that the project is finished, I can finally post it. The kids loved learning about Tennessee places to visit, from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the National Civil Rights Museum, and really loved learning about some amazing musicians (Dolly Parton, Aretha Franklin) from Tennessee and listening to their works. And no we didn't forget about Elvis, we just read already covered him during our Mississippi study. But perhaps their favorite thing, was the Peabody Ducks (see below). 

Books:

• V is for Volunteer: A Tennessee Alphabet by Michael Shoulders

• Tennessee (My United States: A True Book) by Melissa McDaniel

• The Voice That Won The Vote: How One Woman's Words Made History by Elisa Boxer

• Wilma Unlimited by Kathleen Krull

• Native Americans: Cherokee by Sarah Tieck

• Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton

• Dolly Parton (Little People, Big Dreams) by Ma Isabel Sanchez Vegara

• Who Is Dolly Parton? By True Kelley

• Greetings from Nowhere by Barbara O’Connor

• Morris and Buddy: The Story of the First Seeing Eye Dog by Becky Hall

• John Philip Duck by Patricia Polacco

• A Band of Angels by Deborah Hopkinson

• Who Was Davy Crockett? By Gail Herman

• Richard Wright and the Library Card by William Miller

• Abby Takes a Stand (Scraps of Time) by Patricia McKissack

• Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World about Kindness by Donna Janell Bowman

• R-E-S-P-E-C-T : Aretha Franklin, the queen of soul by Carole Boston Weatherford

• Lorraine The Girl Who Sang the Storm Away by Ketcham Secor

• Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop by Alice Faye Duncan

• Evicted! By Alice Faye Duncan

• Hammering for Freedom: The William Lewis Story

• The Quickest Kid in Clarksville by Pat Miller

• Just for Elephants by Carol Buckley

• Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs

Art Project:

Ducks at the Peabody Hotel

For Tennessee the kids chose to depict the famous Peabody Ducks, which march down the red carpet to and from the fountain each morning and evening. 

South Dakota

We've been behind on our state art projects and thus behind on these posts, but the state learning project continues. We enjoyed learning about South Dakota history from the prehistoric (dinosaurs once roamed here) to both historical and modern Native Americans. The process of the creation of Mount Rushmore was also quite interesting.

Books:

• South Dakota by Jo S. Kittinger

• M is for Mount Rushmore: A South Dakota Alphabet by William Anderson

• Greet the Dawn: The Lakota Way by S.D. Nelson

• Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Sa, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist by: Q. L. Pearce, Gina Capaldi

• We are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom

• Hanging Off Jefferson's Nose: Growing Up On Mount Rushmore by Tina Nichols Coury

• Rushmore by Lynn Curlee

• Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures #1: The Mount Rushmore Calamity by Jeff Brown

• Crazy Horse's Vision by Joseph Bruchac

• A Boy Called Slow by Joseph Bruchac

• A dinosaur named Sue : the story of the colossal fossil : the world's most complete T. rex by Patricia Relf

• Dakota Dugout by Ann Turner

• The Journey of York: The Unsung Hero of the Lewis and Clark Expedition by Hasan Davis

• In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall

• Runs With Courage by Joan M. Wolf

• A Dinosaur Named Ruth by Julia Lyon

• Tatanka and the Lakota People by Donald F. Montileaux

Art Project:

Badlands National Park at Sunset

Our South Dakota art project depicts hoodoo rock formations at Badlands National Park at sunset. Completed with sharpie, oil pastel, and watercolor, our art was inspired by the picture in this article about the park.

South Carolina

We enjoyed reading about many interesting South Carolinians (see book list), and learning about South Carolina's environment and culture, including Gullah Culture.

Books:

• South Carolina by  Barbara A. Somervill 

• P is for Palmetto: A South Carolina Alphabet by Carol Crane

• Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave by Laban Carrick Hill

• Mary McLeod Bethune by Eloise Greenfield 

• The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just By: Mélina Mangal

• This Is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration by Jaqueline Woodson

• Long-Armed Ludy and the First Women's Olympics by Jean L.S. Patrick

• The King of Bees by Lester L. Laminack

• Let Them Play by Margot Theis Raven

• Circle Unbroken by Margot Theis Raven

• Ron's Big Mission by Rose Blue

• Follow the Moon Home: A Tale of One Idea, Twenty Kids, and a Hundred Sea Turtles by Philippe Cousteau

• The Freedom Ship of Robert Smalls by Louise Meriwether

• The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis by Barbara O’Connor

• The President Sang Amazing Grace by Zoe Mulford

• Catching the Fire: Philip Simmons, Blacksmith by Mary E. Lyons

• The Butter Tree by Mary E. Lyons

• Hey, Charleston! The True Story of the Jenkins Orphanage Band by Anne F. Rockwell

• America’s Tea Parties by Marissa Moss

Art Project:

Loggerhead Sea Turtles 

The kids chose to depict Loggerhead Sea Turtles (the state reptile) on the South Carolina shore. They were inspired by the book we read: Follow the Moon Home: A Tale of One Idea, Twenty Kids, and a Hundred Sea Turtles by Philippe Cousteau. The art work was completed with colored sharpie (for outlines / details on the sea turtles), oil pastel (sand, waves, turtles), and water color (water, sky).

Rhode Island

The kids' favorite thing they learned about for Rhode Island was definitely Providence's Waterfire celebration. They are really intrigued. 

Books:

• R is for Rhode Island Red: A Rhode Island Alphabet by Mark R. Allio

• Rhode Island (A True Book: My United States) by Nel Yomtov

• Finding Providence: The Story of Roger Williams by Avi

• Mill by David Macaulay

• Blizzard by John Rocco

• Birth of the Cool: How Jazz Great Miles Davis Found His Sound by Kathleen Cornell Berman

• The Bravest Woman in America by Marissa Moss

• Nickommoh!: A Thanksgiving Celebration by Jackie French Koller

• The Wampanoag by Janey Levy

• Article on Annie Smith Peck: https://kids.kiddle.co/Annie_Smith_Peck 

• Article on Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones: https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Matilda-Sissieretta-Jones/633226 

• Buddy Cianci: https://kids.kiddle.co/Buddy_Cianci

Art Project:

Waterfire

Not surprisingly, they chose to depict Waterfire for their Rhode Island art project. Made using colored sharpie (for outlines, small details), oil pastel (moon, wall, fires, boat, ripples), and water color (water and sky).

Pennsylvania

 Pennsylvania had so much to learn about from American history, to a huge variety of people who changed history. We also really enjoyed learning about Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater.

Books:

• They Called Her Molly Pitcher by Anne Rockwell

• A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution by Betsy Maestro 

• Leaders Like Us: Bayard Rustin by J.P. Miller

• Beautiful Shades of Brown: The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring by Nancy Churnin

• Dropping In On Philadelphia

• Gettysburg National Military Park (Rookie National Parks) by Moira Rose Donohue

• Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring by Jan Greenberg & Sandra Jordan

• K is for Keystone: A Pennsylvania Alphabet by Kristen Kane

• Pennsylvania (A True Book: My United States) by Karen Kellaher

• Saving the Liberty Bell by Megan McDonald

• The Fourth of July Story by Alice Dalgliesh

• Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin by Gene Barretta

• The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon by Jacqueline Davies

• Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World by Laurie Lawlor

• Betsy Ross and the American Flag by Kay Melchisedech Olson

• Raising Yoder’s Barn by Jane Yolen

• Fallingwater by Marc Harshman

• The Leather Apron Club by Jane Yolen

• The Mutter Museum by Anna Dhody

• Never Caught: The Story of Ona Judge by Erica Dunbar

• William Penn, Founder of Pennsylvania by Steven Kroll

• Taylor Swift: Pop Star by Katie Lajiness

• The Daring Nellie Bly: America's Star Reporter by Bonnie Christensen

• A Race Around the World: The True Story of Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland by Caroline Starr Rose

• Andy Warhol (Little People, Big Dreams) by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

• Uncle Andy's: A Faabbbulous Visit with Andy Warhol by James Warhola

• Strange Fruit: Billie Holiday and the Power of a Protest Song by Gary Golio

• Becoming Billie Holiday by Carole Boston Weatherford

• Chocolate by Hershey : a story about Milton S. Hershey by Betty Burford

• Who Was Milton Hershey? by James Buckley

• The Polio Pioneer: Dr. Jonas Salk and the Polio Vaccine by Linda Elovitz Marshall (Salk was from NY, but we missed him then, and he did his research in PA)

• Quakers and Anti-Slavery Movement: https://web.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/speccoll/quakersandslavery/

Art Project:

Liberty Bell

For PA, the kids decided to depict the iconic Liberty Bell. Materials include: colored sharpie, oil pastel, and water color.

Oregon

For Oregon the kids especially enjoyed learning about the fabulous Beverly Cleary, and playing the old-school Oregon Trail computer game. 

Books:

• Oregon (A True Book: My United States) by Josh Gregory

• B is for Beaver: An Oregon Alphabet by Roland Smith & Marie Smith

• Just Like Beverly: A Biography of Beverly Cleary by Vicki Conrad

• A Girl from Yamhill: A Memoir by Beverly Cleary

• Beavers by Gail Gibbons

• Apples to Oregon: Being the (Slightly) True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries (and Children) Across the Plains by Deborah Hopkinson’

• Bound for Oregon by Jean Van Leeuwen

• If You Were a Kid on the Oregon Trail by Josh Gregory

• Coyote in Love: The Story of Crater Lake by Mindy Dwyer

• They Call Me River by Maciek Albrecht

• Brother Eagle, Sister Sky by Susan Jeffers

• Thunder rolling down the mountain : The Story of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce by Zimmerman, Rusty

• https://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-white-history-racist-foundations-black-exclusion-laws/ 

• https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-largest-organism-is-fungus/

• The Oregon Trail by Mel Friedman

• The Oregon Trail by Laura Murray

• Minnow and Rose: An Oregon Trail Story by Judy Young

Art Project:

Crater Lake

For our art project the kids chose to depict Crater Lake. Materials used: colored sharpie, oil pastel, water color. 

Oklahoma

We really enjoyed learning about Cherokee and other Native American cultures in Oklahoma, as well as a variety of famous Oklahomans. The kids also enjoyed a science lesson about the makings of the Dust Bowl.

Books:

• The First Strawberries By Joseph Bruchac 

• Wilma's Way Home: The Life of Wilma Mankiller (A Big Words Book) by Doreen Rappaport 

• Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Smith

• We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell 

• We Are Still Here by Traci Sorell

• Fry Bread: A Native American Family by Kevin Noble Maillard 

• Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer by Traci Sorell

• Unspeakable : the Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford

• Tallchief: America’s Prima Ballerina by Maria Tallchief

• A Primary Source History of the Dust Bowl by Rebecca Langston-George

• S is for Sooner: An Oklahoma Alphabet by Devin Scillian

• Oklahoma (A True Book: My United States) by Tamra B. Orr

• Tornadoes by Seymour Simon

• Years of Dust: The Story of the Dust Bowl by Albert Marrin

• Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp by Jerry Stanley

• Blue Willow by Doris Gates

• The Buffalo Soldier by Sherry Garland

• Will Rogers: An American Legend by Francis Anthony Keating

• I Have Heard of a Land by Joyce Carol Thomas

• Leah’s Pony by Elizabeth Friedrich

• Jim Thorpe's Bright Path by Joseph Bruchac

• Sprouting Wings: The True Story of James Herman Banning, the First African American Pilot to Fly Across the United States by Louisa Jaggar

• Woodie Guthrie: Poet of the People by Bonnie Christensen

• Elizabeth Warren: Nevertheless, She Persisted by Susan Wood

• Someday Is Now: Clara Luper and the 1958 Oklahoma Sit-ins

Art Project:

Tornado on the prairie

For Oklahoma the kids chose to depict a tornado over the prairie. We had a lot of fun with this project which was completed using oil pastels on watercolor paper.