With the inauguration of the 46th President of the United States scheduled for next week, as well as the unprecedented events we’ve seen in our country in 2021, we’ve rounded up some important social studies titles on civics, government, and history to help you provide context to your students.
- Interest Level: Grade 4 – Grade 8
- Reading Level: Grade 5
Former Vice President Joe Biden played an essential role in the Obama administration. As vice president of the United States, he helped revive the economy, reduce gun violence, and protect women’s rights. Biden announced his campaign for president in 2019. Originally dismissed, he pulled off a game-changing nomination in South Carolina and went on to become the president-elect. And Kamala Harris is known as a tough prosecutor. She rose to fame as California’s attorney general who took on the big banks. She made history as the first Black and Indian woman to be elected vice president. Learn about both in new books in the Gateway Biographies series.
US Government Through Infographics
- Interest Level: Grade 3 – Grade 5
- Reading Level: Grade 4
Trying to comprehend the US government can almost make your mind shut down. You need to understand how it stacks up to governments around the world (from democracy to dictatorship), how systems and laws change over time (years ago, women couldn’t vote!), and who holds the power today (how do big decisions get made?).
How can all these laws and ideas make more sense? Infographics! The charts, maps, and illustrations in this book tell a visual story to help you better understand key concepts about our country’s government.
Searchlight Books ™ — Getting into Government
6 TITLES
- Interest Level: Grade 3 – Grade 5
- Reading Level: Grade 3
This timely series walks readers through the basics of how government functions in US society. Discover how the three branches of government work, as well as voting, elections, and other processes. Readers will enjoy exploring these highly curricular topics and learning how the decisions made by the government impact their day-to-day life.
Impeachment: Donald Trump and the History of Presidents in Peril
- Interest Level: Grade 4 – Grade 8
- Reading Level: Grade 5
In over two hundred years Congress has gathered only a handful of times to debate what makes an impeachable offense, and only once has the House voted to impeach the same president twice. Learn the history, mechanics, and milestone events behind impeachment, and discover how the most recent one may affect US politics for years to come.
Taking Action for Civil and Political Rights
From the Series Who’s Changing the World?
- Interest Level: Grade 4 – Grade 6
- Reading Level: Grade 5
Do you ever worry about people being treated unfairly? Do you wish you could help make things better? The civil rights activists profiled in this book do that every day. One teenager organized a hunger strike and a protest of 120,000 people to demand voting rights. Three friends started the Black Lives Matter movement by commenting on social media. Another activist started a petition that asked teen magazines to stop altering photos of girls’ bodies. And a farmworker organized other farmworkers and consumers to ask for higher wages and better working conditions. Explore the stories of these inspiring kids and adults, and learn how to start making a difference yourself.
Into the Streets: A Young Person’s Visual History of Protest in the United States
- Interest Level: Grade 9 – Grade 12
- Reading Level: Grade 8
Throughout our nation’s history, discrimination and unjust treatment of all kinds have prompted people to make their objections and outrage known. Join author Marke Bieschke on this visual voyage of resistance through American history. Discover the artwork, music, fashion, and creativity of the activists. Meet the leaders of the movements, and learn about the protests that helped to shape the United States from all sides of the political spectrum. Examples include key events from women’s suffrage, the civil rights movement, occupations by Native American nations, LGBTQ demands for equality, Tea Party protests, Black Lives Matter protests, and more.
Votes of Confidence, 2nd Edition: A Young Person’s Guide to American Elections
- Interest level: Grade 6 – Grade 12
- Reading level: Grade 8
We have just arrived on the other side of a highly polarized election cycle. Social media and the shift to online news have made it easy to spread false information (even by accident) and harder to know what’s accurate. It’s tough to get good information about how the election process actually works, why it matters, or how you can become involved. Civics education is becoming less common in schools, but young and future voters still need to know what’s going on. This newly revised edition includes updates and statistics from recent elections, along with plenty of clearheaded, nonpartisan analysis and explanation.
And finally, go back to the original founding documents in our First Avenue Classics eBook America’s Founding Documents. This collection includes unabridged versions of five famous and influential documents that helped to found a nation: the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Articles of Confederation (1777), the United States Constitution (1787), the Federalist Papers (1787–1788), and the Bill of Rights (1791).