Every August the Multnomah County Library offers FREE workshops for teachers about new great books to use in the classrooms and they tie them into the standards for you. It’s a fun afternoon and I always find a couple of gems I’ve overlooked. You don’t have to be a Multnomah County resident or teach in Multnomah County (although for statistical purposes they ask you at registration). You can find out more information and register here .
At last summer’s workshop, I was introduced to Wagons Ho! by George Hallowell and Joan Holub.
It is a wonderful compare & contrast book, chronicling two very different trips on the Oregon Trail. Jenny’s family is traveling from Independence, Missouri to Oregon City by covered wagon in 1846. Katie’s family os making the same trip by car, now. Each 2-page spread compares and contrasts a different aspect of the two journeys. Lynne Avril’s inviting illustrations, many with speech bubble or cations, adds to the knowledge young historians will learn as they read.
This book is a must for every 4th grade classroom in Oregon and certainly opens the door for kids to write their own moving road trip story.
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