Chapter 6 — Social Sciences

Carschooling Resources by Chapter

Here are some of the many resources mentioned in the book, “Carschooling” to enhance learning social sciences on the road!  The products listed here are linked to our Amazon.com affiliate to make purchasing them a snap!

 Chapter 6 — Social Sciences

* Lies My Teacher Told Me, a book that discredited twelve leading highschool history textbooks for erroneous content. Loewen also wrote, “Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong” that identifies historical markers,
monuments, and sites in every state with historical interpretations that are either misleading or wrong.

* List of Factory Tours throughout the U.S. is the book, Watch It Made in the U.S.A.: A Visitor’s Guide to the Companies that Make Your Favorite Products by Bruce Brumberg and Karen Axelrod.

* McNeil’s California Songs – Narration of California history along with vocal and instrumental songs of the time by Keith & Rusty McNeil. They are best suited for ages 10 to adult. Volume 1-19th Century, includes Spanish, Native American, and Gold Rush songs. Volume 2-20th Century, includes songs about farms, movies, immigration and more.

* Catherine, Called Birdie, by Karen Cushman – Gain insight into life in the Middle Ages through the diary of a young woman. Ages 9 and up. Available on unabridged audiocassette.

* My Brother Sam is Dead by James L. Collier – The heartbreak of war for one family during the American Revolution. Ages 9 and up.

* Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder – Life on the prairie as seen through the eyes of a young girl. Ages 7 and up. Available on unabridged audiocassette.

* Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan – A mail-order bride arrives on the Nebraska prairie and must contend with the harsh life while learning to be a stepmother. Ages 7 and up. Glenn Close narrates.

* Bull Run by Paul Fleischman. This is the story of the Civil War told from the point of view of 16 different people – some from the North and some from the South. The contrasts in perspective bring some understanding to the controversy that led to the war. Ages 10 and up.

* The Red Badge Of Courage By Stephen Crane. A young boy discovers what it’s like to be on the battlefield, and wrestles with fear, courage, death, and honor during the Civil War. Ages 12 and up.

* Across Five Aprils By Irene Hunt. A farm boy comes of age during the 5 years of the U.S. Civil War. Ages 10 and up.

* Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World – The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton & The Endurance by Jennifer Armstrong. This amazing true story recounts the adventures of Ernest Shackleton and his crew, who set sail in 1914 in an attempt to cross Antarctica. What followed over the next two years is the most amazing human survival story ever told. Ages 10 and up.

* Number the Stars by Lois Lowry – Two girls lives are changed forever when Nazi soldiers occupy Copenhagen. Ages 11 and up.

* Night by Elie Wiesel – A heart-wrenching, real, first-person account of the horrors of Nazi death camps told from the point of view of a 14 year old Jewish boy. For mature children ages 14 and up.

* Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor – This is the story of a 9-year-old African American girl and her family who live in the Deep South in the 1930’s. They survive racism, poverty, sickness, and betrayal as the young girl learns first-hand about social injustice. Ages 9 and up.

* The Watsons Go To Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis – a funny, tragic, and heartwarming story about an African-American family’s visit to Alabama in the summer of 1963, and the events that forge the Civil Rights Movement. Ages 10 and up.

* Island of the Blue Dolphin by Scott O’Dell – This is the award-winning, real-life story of a 12-year-old Native American girl who was abandoned with her younger brother on an island off the coast of California. Her brother died, and she survived alone for 18 years.

* Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George – This is the compelling story of a 13-year-old Inuit (Eskimo) girl who runs away from an unhappy arranged marriage and becomes lost on the Alaskan tundra. She must call upon her recollection of the “old ways” to survive – getting some help from a pack of wolves.

* Ben And Me – An Astonishing Life Of Benjamin Franklin As Written By His Good Mouse Amos by Robert Lawson – Benjamin Franklin’s mouse gives his side of the story on what life is like with Benjamin Franklin. Age 8 and up.

* Mr. Revere And I – Being An Account Of Certain Episodes In The Career Of Paul Revere, Esq. As Revealed By His Horse By Robert Lawson – The title says it all. Ages 9 and up.

* Patty Reed’s Doll – The Story Of The Donner Party by Rachel K. Laurgaard. Recounts the journey of the Donner Party and the hardships they endured. In this story the more horrific details of the tragic journey are not revealed. Ages 8 and up.

* By The Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleishman – Follow the adventures of Jack and his butler as they travel by ship from the East Coast, around the horn of South America, to California to stake their claim in the 1850’s Gold Rush. Ages 9 and up.

* Anything by Jean Fritz. Jean Fritz is a master at writing historical fiction that can be enjoyed by a wide age range. She introduces readers to historical figures through clever stories laced with humor and keen insight to the politics, culture, and principles of the times. Her tales include lots of interesting trivia facts – details that will make you and your kids feel as if you really know the characters who lived so long ago. She has an entire series of books devoted to the American Revolution that readers (ages 7 and up) will enjoy:

* Brain Quest America – Over 1100 Questions and Answers all about America that are geared for ages 7-12. Brainquest has many versions including math, history, and science for just about every age/grade range imaginable.

* Fandex are information cards on subjects like the U.S. Presidents, Scientists, the Civil War, Explorers, State Capitals, Trees, Cats, and more that are all hinged together so that they fan out for easy use, and don’t get lost or wind up all over the floor of the car. Here are some of the many variations:

* Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels (And What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull. – Twenty biographies of powerful women in history complete with triumphs, failures, virtues and flaws. Some of the women featured: Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, Marie Antoinette, Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt, Golda Meir, Indira Gandhi, Eva Peron, and Aung San Suu Kyi.

* Lives Of The Presidents – Fame, Shame (And What The Neighbors Thought) By Kathleen Krull – American history comes alive as you listen to the tell-all accounts about the interesting and sometimes shocking conduct and behavior of Presidents and First Ladies.

Find more Carschooling Resources

Note: Only about 5% of the resources mentioned in the book “Carschooling” were sent to the author as free review copies. As such, the author was under no obligation to write a recommendation. She simply tried them with her kids, enjoyed them, and decided to share them with the readers. The rest of the 95% of resources mentioned, were purchased by the author for use with her own family, or recommended by other carschooling parents.  The author received no compensation for mentioning the resources in the book.