Changing Laws

Politics of the Civil Rights Era

In Changing Laws: Politics of the Civil Rights Era, middle graders explore the key legislative and judicial victories of the era that spanned from 1954 to the early 1970s, including Brown v. Board of Education, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, all...

Singing for Equality

Musicians of the Civil Rights Era

Singing for Equality: Musicians of the Civil Rights Era introduces middle graders to the history of the Civil Rights Movement and explores the vital role that music played in the tumultuous period of American history during the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s. The heart of the Civil Rights Movement beats in the music and musicians of the...

Sitting In, Standing Up

Leaders of the Civil Rights Era

Sitting In, Standing Up: Leaders of the Civil Rights Era, tells the story of one of the most tumultuous and important eras in American history through the lives of five major figures of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s: Thurgood Marshall, Fannie Lou Hamer, Martin Luther King, Jr., Ella Baker, and John...

Reconstruction

The Rebuilding of the United States after the Civil War

How does a country rebuild the infrastructure, government, and economy of a huge region while taking steps to resolve the status of 4 million newly freed people? In Reconstruction: The Rebuilding of the United States After the Civil War, middle schoolers examine the era from 1865 to 1877, a time when the United States wrestled with...

World War I

The Great War to End All Wars

World War I sustained these staggering casualties: 9 million dead soldiers, 12 million or more civilian lives lost, millions more wounded. But those numbers only hint at the devastation, both political and personal, that lies at the heart of the Great War. World War I: The Great War to End All Wars brings to light the key...

Global Citizenship

Engage in the Politics of a Changing World

The right to grow and thrive in a safe environment. The right to a name and an identity. The right to the free expression of ideas. The right to an education. These are just a few of the basic human rights guaranteed to children all around the world. Global citizens work for and defend these rights, not just...

The Universe

The Big Bang, Black Holes, and Blue Whales

What exactly is the universe? How did it begin? How will it end? Explore these questions and more in The Universe: The Big Bang, Black Holes, and Blue Whales. Readers ages 12 to 15 embark on an exciting journey that starts with the Big Bang and takes them all the way to the end of the...

The Human Genome

Mapping the Blueprint of Human Life

Have you ever wondered why you look the way you do? The answer lies in your human genome, the code of life. The Human Genome: Mapping the Blueprint of Human Life investigates the fascinating world of genetics and the human genome. Kids ages 12 to 15 learn the basics of how genes work, how DNA is...

Inside the Human Body

What is the most complex machine on earth? The human body! With Inside the Human Body, readers ages 12 to 15 peel back the layers to take a look inside this amazing machine and learn basic anatomy—bones, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, and organs. We also explore the body’s physiology and how its organs work together to...

Psychology

Why We Smile, Strive, and Sing

Psychology: Why We Smile, Strive, and Sing introduces students to the science behind behavior. From the developing teenage brain to genetics, psychology, and social environments, readers ages 12 to 15 gain a greater understanding of the complexities behind human behavior. Why does one person react to test anxiety by studying harder while another person gives up?...

Gender Identity

Beyond Pronouns and Bathrooms

What does it mean to think of gender as being a range instead of simply male or female? Gender Identity: Beyond Pronouns and Bathrooms invites readers to consider the cultural significance of gender identity in the United States and beyond. Middle and high schoolers learn about the history of LGBT rights, with a particular focus on transgender...

Feminism

The March Toward Equal Rights for Women

Why are women treated differently from men? What is feminism? Why is this movement such an important part of the history of civic rights, and why is it still important today? Feminism: The March Toward Equal Rights for Women invites middle and high schoolers to examine the different stages of the feminist movement, from early mentions in...

Immigration Nation

The American Identity in the Twenty-First Century

What does it mean to be an immigrant today? Has the immigrant experience changed since the last century? Immigration Nation: The American Identity in the Twenty-First Century invites middle and high schoolers to explore the history of immigration in the United States, along with immigration law and statistics through the perspectives of immigrants, citizens, policy makers,...

Big Data

Information in the Digital World with Science Activities for Kids

Have you watched videos online today? Did you post photographs on social media? Did you upload your English essay to Google docs? All of these are questions about data! In Big Data: Information in the Digital World with Science Activities for Kids, readers ages 10 to 15 explore the definition of data and learn how essential...

Epidemics and Pandemics

Real Tales of Deadly Diseases

Feel a tickle in your throat? Do you still have that headache? Could you be falling victim to a deadly virus? From history's earliest days, bacteria and viruses have stalked humans. Stowing on wagons, ships, and airplanes, these diseases traversed the globe, infecting people in city streets and isolated hamlets. Epidemics and Pandemics: Real Tales of...

The Civil War

The Struggle that Divided America

Slavery or freedom? The question of whether the United States should continue to allow slavery or make all people free was the question that pitted the states against each other in a brutal war. In The Civil War: The Struggle that Divided America, readers ages 12 to 15 explore America's Civil War through the eyes...

Evolution

How Life Adapts to a Changing Environment

Why do humans walk on two legs? Why do fish have gills? Life on Earth is incredibly diverse and part of the reason for this is evolution, or the theory that living things change with time. Evolution: How Life Adapts to a Changing Environment explores the theory of evolution, its history, how we think it...

Terrorism

Violence, Intimidation, and Solutions for Peace

Why did terrorists attack the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001? The answer to that question is ancient, complicated, and crucial to a perceptive understanding of the global community we live in today. In Terrorism: Violence, Intimidation, and Solutions for Peace, readers ages 12 to 15 explore the history, causes, psychology, and potential solutions...

The Holocaust

Racism and Genocide in World War II

About 11 million people were killed during the Holocaust, when the Nazi regime carried out systemic mass murder of Jewish people, Soviet civilians, criminals, the disabled, mentally ill, and other groups of people. In The Holocaust: Racism and Genocide in World War II, readers ages 12 to 15 learn about the long history of anti-Semitism...

The Human Body

Get Under the Skin with Science Activities for Kids

Did you know that your brain has up to 100 billion nerve cells? Wow! What else is going on in your body? In The Human Body: Get Under the Skin with Science Activities for Kids, middle schoolers learn about the different bodily systems that keep people breathing, moving, thinking, and staying healthy! Kids get a good...