Acorn Circle Virtual Educational Programs & Student Reader Booklets
" Student Readers & Virtual Programs that Educate!"
by Jeff Bennett,
Independent Historian & Educator
jeffb97@acorncircle.com
518-669-7227
The Student Reader booklets are designed to assist students with reading comprehension and learn about geography and history of New York State.
Student Reader Cost: $6.99 each (25 reader minimum for each).
* Discounts available for higher quantities:
10% off ($5.89 each) with a 50-75 reader order for each title
20% off ($5.24 each) when over 75 or more readers are ordered
for each title with Free Shipping.
* Order the student readers by email, contact: jeffb97@acorncircle.com
People, Lakes & Land is a student reader that covers the natural geography of New York State. Students will learn about the purpose of a compass rose on a map, the natural and man-made borders, and the major rivers, mountains, lakes and islands of New York. Maps are used throughout the reader to show the locations of these natural features. Students will be introduced to the last glacier that formed much of the landscape of the state. They will also learn about the hunter-gatherers arrival and the subsequent Iroquois and Algonquian cultures. Questions are throughout the reader to assist student with reading and comprehension.
NYS Learning Standards: #1 & 3. Themes: TCC & GEO).
Wigwams along Waterways educates students on the numerous Algonquian nations who settled on Long Island and throughout the Hudson Valley. The student reader covers the arrival of the first hunter-gatherers after the last ice age in New York. It then looks at the different Algonquians regions and the ways they used their local environment. The reader contains maps to assist the students in learning about the Native people who lived in eastern New York. Questions in each section and at the end of student reader are included to assist with reading and comprehension.
(NYS Learning Standards: #1, 3 & 5; Themes: ID, MOV, GEO, GOV)
Wigwams & Longhouses is a student booklet that addresses the NYS Learning Standards. The reader focuses on the culture of the two Native American groups in New York. The similarities and differences of the various Native communities from Long Island to Lake Erie will be a major part of the Wigwams & Longhouses reader. Students will learn about the various ways the Iroquois and Algonquians used and adapted their local environment for food, shelter and tools. Suggested questions are throughout the reader to assist students in reading comprehension.
(NYS Learning Standards: #1,#3 & #5; Themes: ID, MOV, GEO, GOV)
Beaver Furs & Boweries is a student booklet on the Dutch colony of New Netherland during the years before it became New York. It begins with the discovery of the colony by European explorers and the establishment of the fur trading posts of Forts Amsterdam and Orange. The growth of Dutch colony with the villages of New Amsterdam (New York) and Beverwyck (Albany) and others will be a focus of Beaver Furs & Boweries. The population with its diverse ethnic groups and the Dutch culture will also be part of the reader.
(NYS Learning Standards: #1,3 & 4; Themes: GEO, MOV, GOV, TCC & SOC)
Cobblers & Coopers: Craftsmen, Farmers and the Growth of Colonial New York, 1664-1765 covers the post-Dutch period of Colonial New York from 1664 until 1765. A focus of the reader is on the important craftsmen and nearby farmers in Colonial New York City, Albany and Kingston who contributed to the economy of the colony. The role of the new colonists (French-Huguenots, Palatine Germans and Scots-Irish) will be part of the reader. The various communities the new colonists established in the Hudson, Schoharie and Mohawk Valleys will also be included. Suggested questions are throughout the booklet to enhance student reading and comprehension of this period of development in New York..
(NYS Learning Standards: 1,3 & 4; Themes: MOV, TCC, GEO, SOC & GOV)
Patriots of Liberty are two student booklets on the American Revolution in New York. Patriots looks at the divisions in New York and the war by year and region. Volume I covers the protests by the Sons of Liberty 1765 to the end of 1776 with Thomas Paine's pamphlet, The Crisis. The second volume picks up with the British Plan to conquer New York in 1777 and concludes with the evacuation of NYC in 1783. The Patriots of Liberty readers can be purchased either together or separately.
(NYS Learning Standards: #1, #3 & #4; Themes: MOV, TCC, GEO, SOC & GOV)
The Blessings of Liberty student reader booklet teaches students about the three branches of the US federal government. Historical background is provided throughout the reader on the Articles of Confederation, the Constitutional Convention, the 1787 Constitution, and its ratification process. A focus of the reader is to help students learn about balance of powers and checks & balances in government. Suggested questions for the students are throughout and at the end of the booklet.
(NYS Learning Standards: #1 & #5; Themes: GEO & GOV)
"New"
A Most Difficult Feat: Colonel Knox and the Winter Cannon Train (November, 1775-March, 1776) tells the tale of a major accomplishment by the patriot forces in the first year of the American Revolution. Students will learn about young Colonel Henry Knox and his men transporting 60 tons of cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston during the winter of 1775-1776. A focus will be on the New York part of of the journey.
(NYS Learning Standards: #1, #3 & #4; Themes: MOV, TCC, GEO, SOC & GOV)
Excelsior! is a student reader that covers the three branches of government in New York State. Students will learn about the separation of powers with the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches as a way of protecting liberty and to insure justice for its citizens. Voter registration and the importance of voting are discussed as part the responsibility of citizenship in New York. Questions are throughout the reader and at the end to assist with students' reading and comprehension.
(NYS Learning Standards: 1,3 & 5; Themes: GOV, CIV & GEO)
Turnpikes West to the Genesee Country is a student reader on the Turnpike Era and the Westward Migration in New York State from 1790-1825. The building of turnpikes was an important part of improving transportation before the opening of the Erie Canal. The primary focus of the Turnpikes West reader is on the network of turnpikes that led to the growth in population and development of the Finger Lakes region and western New York. In addition to these toll roads, the creation of new counties, towns and villages by the New England settlers in the Genesee Country will be discussed. The growth of stage coach lines, taverns, inns and hotels will be part of the student reader. Maps, graphs, illustrations and student questions are throughout the booklet to enhance students' reading and comprehension.
(NYS Learning Standards: 1,3, & 4; Themes: MOV, TCC, GEO, ECO & TECH)
"New"
Looms & Ladies is a student reader about the Industrial Revolution in New York State. It looks at the change to waterpower in weaving textiles and mills in the early 1800s. Students will also learn about the social changes that took place during this time. A specific focus will be on the young ladies who operated the machinery in the cotton mills of New York. The growth of the textile industry and New York's industrial centers in New York up to 1860 will be part of the reader.
(NYS Learning Standards: 1,3, & 4; Themes: MOV, TCC, GEO, ECO & TECH)
Towpaths & Lock Tenders is a student reader on the Original Erie Canal in New York State. Students will learn about how the engineers overcame the many obstacles in its construction. The dimensions of "Clinton's Ditch", the technology of locks and aqueducts will be a focus of the reader. Students will learn about the "Wedding of the Waters" celebration and the subsequent success in the growth of the communities along the Grand Erie Canal. Questions are throughout the reader to assist students in reading and comprehension.
(NYS Learning Standards: 1,3 & 4; Themes: MOV, TCC, ECO, GEO, TECH)