McKenna Cua

Liz York

Important developments in America from 1975 to 2001

Grade 5

Deedy, C. A., & Gonzalez, T. (2016). 14 Cows for America. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree.

This nonfiction novel is based on the true story of the Maasai people and their offering to the

United States. Kimeli Naiyomah was a student in New York when the terrorist attack on the twin

towers occurred. When he returned home to his village, he informed his elders and told them that

he wanted to help in any way he could. The Maasai peoples lives revolve around their cows and

their production. An offering of 14 cows for the United States was presented, which shows the

true compassion and empathy of the Maasai people to the US, and strengthens ties between such

different people in a hard time when people must become one.

This book would be great to use as a starter for the lesson for 9/11. The book would be read aloud

to students and a small discussion would be had afterwards discussing the events of 9/11. Then,

students would return to their desk and write a story about how they would help if they heard

such a tragedy happened somewhere else in the world. The story would start with I had to do

something to help. Students could then share their stories with one another and we could start

into our lesson about 9/11.

Fradin, D. B. (2010). September 11, 2001. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark.

This nonfiction book is straightforward with its title. Its a book explaining the happenings of

9/11. It also goes on to talk about two other terrorist attacks on the US: the World Trade Center
 bombing in 1993 and the USS Cole bombing in 2000. The book has lots of pictures to put the

event into perspective. It has a glossary, index, and a good timeline.

This book is a good tool to use for the main lesson. The book lays out all the necessary details

and even offers a glossary in the book to keep students from having to stop and get a dictionary to

find out what a word they dont know means. We could use this book along with some more

sensitive videos of 9/11 and the aftermath as the main bulk of the lesson. This would be a great

book to quiz students over. It is a good study tool, very informative, and not very biased as to not

make students uncomfortable with Islamic people.

Kazunas, C. (2000). Personal Computers. Topeka Bindery.

Personal Computers is a nonfiction book about the development and makeup of the personal

computer. The book starts off with a brief history on how the computer went from taking up a

whole room to being small enough to fit on a desk. The book talks about the hardware that goes

into making the computer. It then goes in to talk about the web and defines important terms like

hyperlinks, HTML coding, URLs, search engines, and bookmarks. It also talks about safe surfing

on the web.

This book would be good to use for research for the students. To start off talking about the

computer and the web, this book is perfect. Each student could be given a copy of the book along

with a list of important things to find in the book. The students can search through the book to

define specific terms and explain certain aspects of the personal computer. After doing this, the

students will have enough knowledge for a smooth lesson on computers and the internet.

Rasmussen, D. M., & Colonna, P. (1981). The Power of Determination: Featuring the story of Ronald

Reagan. Antioch, CA: Eagle Systems International.

 The Power of Determination: Featuring the story of Ronald Reagan is a biography about the life

of Ronald Reagan. It starts when Reagan is just a young boy and must work hard in things such as

sports and school. As it continues through his life, it shows his determination to go to college and

then his struggle to get a job during the depression. He got his dream job as a sports announcer,

then an actor, then as a film-maker for the Air Corps, and finally as a governor. He was

determined all throughout life and became president because of this determination.

This book would be a great start to talking about Ronald Reagan. It is also animated which is

more kid-friendly and offers good advice for following your dreams. We could start off by

reading this book and then going into his work as the president and dealing with the Soviet

Union. It is an easy read and gives students background knowledge for the unit. There would be a

short discussion afterwards about what they thought about the book and if they have been that

determined about anything.

Yelchin, E. (2013). Breaking Stalin's Nose. New York: Square Fish, Henry Holt and Company.

Breaking Stalin's Nose is a historical fiction about a young boy named Sasha is joining the

Comrade Stalins Young Soviet Pioneers. He is a proud supporter of the communist father, just

like his father. Before the ceremony of him joining the Pioneers, his father is taken away and put

into prison as an enemy of the people. Sasha doesnt understand what is going on and throughout

the book, quickly realizes that the party he is supporting is a lot worse than anyone thought. In the

end, he finds a lady who offered to care for him as he has no one anymore, but he still misses his

dad and tries to visit him oftenamong many trying to get in to visit loved ones stuck in prison.

The book would be good for students to read in their free time. Although the book is fiction, it

does pull in very real aspects of the Soviet Union. The setting and the conditions in which Sasha

lived were very real and true to communist Russia. The book has historical value but is also an

exciting read that has a good storyline behind it. It could be read and quizzed over for extra credit.