Well, color me surprised when I found We The People And the President. It was in my office, tucked away in a corner where the graphic novels usually hang out. It’s a mystery how it ended up there that I attribute to my youngest son cleaning the office that I should’ve tidied before this time. I say this as a sense of surprise because this is an engaging, easy-to-read reference book that offers up tidbits of government information on every page.
To an extent, it offers up the same bite-sized nuggets of infotainment that Nat Geo Kids does so well. You’ll find countless examples of ways that you’re able to learn something about the governing system and Presidents that have held office in the United States. To fully appreciate how elementary and lower middle school students can best use the book we need to look at its official title. We The People And The President, An Infographic Look at the American Presidency. The keyword in that last sentence is ‘infographic.’
@daddymojoblog We The People And The Presidents An Infographic Look at the American Presidency, info charts that break down the government of the United States. And makes it interesting. #government #middleschool #booktok ♬ Lump – The Presidents Of The United States Of America
Every two pages has a different infographic on it that has something new and educational on it for every age reader. Martin Van Buren was the first president that was born as an American citizen. Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt were fifth cousins. There are color-coded charts and various geographic shapes that are on every page to help illustrate something that you didn’t know. For example, there’s a great display on gerrymandering, trivia on how long their inauguration speech was, examples of letters that were written to them, and more.
This is soft learning. You’ll try not to learn something and fall short of that goal. The pages in We The People and the President start out at a more basic level of U.S. government and then bridge into the Periodic Table of the Presidents. The book’s jacket doubles as a poster for that same table, which is a great way for kids to learn their names. There are also appearances by historical figures that are leaders in their own right that motivated change or progress in one way or another.
We The People and the President is also fun to look at. Certainly, its purpose is to educate grades four through eight about American Presidents, but who, aside from students in my classes says that education can’t also be fun? It’s a great go-to for those presidential biographies or government primers for kids who need a more visual way of digging their information.
We The People And The President, An Infographic Look at the American Presidency is by PJ Creek and Jamie Creek and is available on Roaring Brook Press an imprint of Macmillan Publishing.
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