5 Reasons I Love Carole P. Roman Books and A Chance to Win Your Own
Picture books are one of my favorite mediums to teach with, even at the high school level. Any book with pictures is interesting to me, and I know the same goes for my students. As a parent and social studies teacher, I am always on the lookout for picture books that are more than just stories. I love the stories too, but informational texts grow more than just our imaginations, so when I discovered Carole P. Roman's series "If you were me and lived in..." I knew these were perfect for my kids, my nephews, and my classroom.
I have received complimentary copies of this book to review. The opinions here are 100% mine! This post contains affiliate links.
2nd Person Narration
Each of these books is written addressed to the reader. It puts the reader right in the middle of the action and helps students (and adults) relate directly to the ways they would live their lives during that period.
The Glossary
Each of the nonfiction texts has a glossary with pronunciations. This makes my English teacher heart soar. You can easily find how to say new words and what they mean. This is one of the features of nonfiction texts that students should be aware of and know how to use. As a teacher, I like that it helps me with preteaching before a unit because Ms. Roman has already pulled out the words that are new.
Each of the nonfiction texts has a glossary with pronunciations. This makes my English teacher heart soar. You can easily find how to say new words and what they mean. This is one of the features of nonfiction texts that students should be aware of and know how to use. As a teacher, I like that it helps me with preteaching before a unit because Ms. Roman has already pulled out the words that are new.
The Biography Index
Right before the glossary in the back of each of these texts is another great nonfiction text feature: the biography index. Now it isn't called that; it is listed as Important People to Know. There is a short paragraph about each historical figure and a picture or drawing too.
Right before the glossary in the back of each of these texts is another great nonfiction text feature: the biography index. Now it isn't called that; it is listed as Important People to Know. There is a short paragraph about each historical figure and a picture or drawing too.
Topics Kids Have Interest In
The texts are written with students in mind. Kids want to know what names people had, what they ate for dinner, and what they did for fun. With topics that relate to activities students do already, these books help students imagine how life was different.
Go Beyond the Textbook
Textbooks are great for listing changes in governments, legal documents, and sources of income; however, they don't, in my experience, give students or teacher much on daily life. The daily life of people from past times are what makes history interesting. Let's create a read picture of life in Colonial America for students not just talk about the colonists issues with Great Britain.
My favorite activity for these texts is to have students create dioramas either in shoe or paper boxes or in a corner folded piece of paper. Have students select and recreate their favorite aspects of that historical period to give them a glimpse into the past.
Also, Carole has a series of books about living in nations around the world, which are perfect for any world studies, world history, or geography class.
There is also a great set of stories on Captain No Beard, a pirate. I know my nephews will love this series.
Or check out all her books on Carole P. Roman's Amazon Page.
I am giving away some great prizes from Carole P. Roman.