ABCs with the BTC

This spring, I have the honor to collaborate with Dr. Jay Bickford in the Early Childhood/Elementary/Middle Level Education department and Dr. Bonnie Laughlin-Schultz in the History department. We received an exciting Faculty Development Partnership Grant that will allow our pre-service teachers to evaluate and implement history-based curricula in local schools. With our grant funds, we were able to buy 50 new titles selected from the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) 2017 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People for the Ballenger Teachers Center Juvenile Collection.

Each year, the NCSS tasks a Book Review Committee to work in cooperation with the Children’s Book Council (CBC) to evaluate and select a list of exemplary K-12 titles. “The Book Review Committee looks for books that emphasize human relations, represent a diversity of groups and are sensitive to a broad range of cultural experiences, present an original theme or a fresh slant on a traditional topic, are easily readable and of high literary quality, have a pleasing format, and, where appropriate, include illustrations that enrich the text” (From the 2017 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People brochure).

With help from two wonderful graduate assistants from the education department, we were also able to pull all the notable titles from 2015, 2016, and 2017 that were already on the BTC shelves. Students from Dr. Bickford’s class will visit the BTC next week to choose titles to evaluate for use in social studies curricula. They will also build lessons to implement at a local school district later this semester. Dr. Laughlin-Schultz’s class will come later this semester to select their books.

These books are currently on display on top of the short shelves at the Ballenger Teachers Center and are available for all library patrons to check out. Look for the signs with the NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Books medal. Come see the latest and best in Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People!

Faculty Development Grant Titles:

 

Additional Notable Books from 2015, 2016, and 2017