Discovery Biographies: Living History with Living Books

Garrard Publishing Company's Discovery biographies have been some of our favorite reads, encouraging independent reading in newly fluent readers. These books are often the next choice after Step-Up books, also biographies.

Discovery biographies are historical adventures written for little learners at the mid-elementary level. The cover copy on one book states "Discovery Books have been tested by the Spache Readability Formula and edited so they can be read by children in grades 2-4". We found our later elementary learners also enjoy these books due to the engaging content and find much satisfaction in finishing a book in one day.

The books--we especially like the hardcovers--offer full page, three-color illustrations with larger font size. Garrard states "all facts are authentic for they have been carefully checked by leading sources for historical accuracy". This series has definitely opened another reading level of living books for us!

We have not read all the titles, choosing to save some titles for later learning. Also, note the varied covers. Nice to have visuals when shopping a used bookstore or garage sale.

Presidents

Title	Author
Ulysses S. Grant: Horseman and Fighter	Colonel Red Reeder
Abraham Lincoln: For the People	Anne Colver and Polly Anne Graff
Andrew Jackson: Pioneer and President	John Parlin
Thomas Jefferson: Author of Independence	Anne Colver and Polly Anne Graff
John F. Kennedy: New Frontiersman	Charles P. Graves
Franklin D. Roosevelt: Four Times President	Wyatt Blassingame
Theodore Roosevelt: Man of Action	James C. Beach
Harry S. Truman: People's President	David Collins
George Washington: Father of Freedom	Steward Graff

First Ladies

Title	Author
Abigail Adams: Dear Partner	Helen Stone Peterson
Mary Todd Lincoln: President's Wife	LaVere Anderson
Dolly Madison: Famous First Lady	Mary Richmond Davidson
Eleanor Roosevelt: First Lady of the World	Charles P. Graves
Martha Washington: First Lady of the Land	LaVere Anderson

Explorers, Navigators, Aviators, Adventurers

Title	Author
Amelia Earhart: Pioneer in the Sky	John Parlin
Henry Hudson: Captain of the Ice Bound Seas	Carl Carmer
Charles Lindbergh: Hero Pilot	David R. Collins

Men and Women of the Frontier

Title	Author
Buffalo Bill: Wild West Showman	Mary Richardson Davidson
Daniel Boone: Taming the Wilds	Katherine E. Wilkie
George Rogers Clark: Frontier Fighter	Adele deLeeuw
Davy Crockett: Hero of the Wild Frontier	Elizabeth Robards Mosely
Annie Oakley: The Shooting Star	Charles P. Graves
Jeb Smith: Trailblazer and Trapper	Frank Brown Latham

Inventors, Scientists, Medical Pioneers

Title	Author
Clara Barton: Soldier of Mercy	Mary Catherine Rose
Elizabeth Blackwell: Pioneer Woman Doctor	Jean Lee Latham
Alexander Graham Bell: Man of Sound	Elizabeth Rider Montgomery
George Washington Carver: Negro Scientist	Samuel and Beryl Epstein
Dorothea L. Dix: Hospital Founder	Mary Malone
Benjamin Franklin: Man of Ideas	Charles P. Graves
George W. Goethals: Panama Canal Engineer	Jean Lee Lathm
Florence Nightingale: War Nurse	Anne Colver and Polly Anne Graff
Eli Whitney: Great Inventor	Jean Lee Latham

Statesmen, Political Figures, Revolutionaries, War Heroes

Title	Author
Jane Addams: Pioneer of the Hull House	Helen Stone Peterson
Henry Clay: Leader in Congress	Helen Stone Peterson
Fredrick Douglass: Freedom Fighter	Lillie Patterson
David Glasgow Farragut: Our First Admiral	Jean Lee Latham
Francis Marion: Swamp Fox of the Carolinas	Elizabeth and Carl Carmer
Booker T. Washington: Leader of His People	Lillie Patterson

Authors, Artists, Entrepreneurs

Title	Author
Helen Keller: Toward the Light	Stewart and Polly Anne Graff
Francis Scott Key: Poet and Patriot	Lillie Patterson
Ernest Thompson Seton: Scout and Naturalist	Wyatt Blassingame
Booker T. Washington: Leader of His People	Lillie Patterson

Teaching Prepositions

"Mom, what is a preposition?"

That question started the day's language arts lesson...because curious minds are ripe for learning!

A preposition is a word that connects or shows the relationship between two nouns or a noun and pronoun. Prepositions are always with an object or person.

We reviewed nouns and pronouns. I gave examples of each and used them in a sentence.

We chose two nouns for our preposition play, mice and cars.

Paper mice were made from 3x5 cards, each child coloring a mouse family. I found some Duplo cars from our collection of blocks.

Once all the mice were colored and decorated, tails in place, our preposition discovery began.

I explained that for our play we would act out sentences, stating the relationship between the mice and the cars. I demonstrated by placing the mice on the cars while stating,"the mice are on the cars".  I wrote "on" on a 3x5 card and placed it near the cars.

One by one I asked each of the child to place their mice in some relation to the cars and then state the position in relation to one another.

The mice are under the cars.

The mice are on the cars.

The mice are aside of the cars.

The mice are behind the cars.

As the children placed the mice and verbally expressed their position, I wrote the preposition on a card. Before long we had a handful of preposition cards. By the end of a few hours, we used our creative thinking, working on spatial relationships, applied artistic uniqueness, and KNEW what prepositions are and how to use them in sentences.

We also had a handful of spelling cards to use for other lessons.

aboard	about	above	across	after
against	along	amid	at	before
behind	below	beneath	between	by
concerning	down	except	following	for
from	in	inside	into	like
near	of	off	on	onto
over	past	round	since	through
toward	under	underneath	until	up
upon	with	within	without

Learning started with a question. 

"Mom, what is a preposition?"