Children's+Trade+Book+Review

=Children's Trade Book Revie w=



 //A River Ran Wild //is the true story of the Nashua River, including its history and the polluting of the river, as well as its cleanup. The book has gorgeous illustrations that show the beautiful river, as well as the awful pollution it underwent. The book chronicles the journey the river went through, from the time when the Indians settled around it to the settlers who came, through the pollution of the Industrial Revolution and then the eventual cleanup. It is obvious the author has done her research and has presented it in a way that is easy for children to understand. It is a great way to show children the effects of water pollution.  This book falls under the subject area of Time, Continuity, and Change, because it deals with how the river has changed over time. It follows how the river changed due to the various influences of the people who settled around it. The book could also fall under the subject area of Science, Technology, and Society because again, it deals with how technology, in this case, the increase in factories, influenced the river. Because of the factories, the river ended up being polluted.
 * Introduction: **
 * Title: **//A River Ran Wild //**
 * Author: Lynne Cherry
 * Illustrator: Lynne Cherry
 * Publisher: Trumpet Club, Inc. 
 * Copyright Date:1992
 * What is the book about? **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">What subject areas, content concepts, NCSS themes, and Pennsylvania social studies standards does it cover? **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">

H. 8.1.6.C Understand Fundamentals of Historical Interpretation – Causes & Results H. 8.3.3 A Identify contributions of individuals and groups to United States history. (eg. The Nashua Indians, settlers) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">H. 8.3.3 C Identify important changes in United States history (eg. American settlement, Industrial Revolution, pollution)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">PA Standards: **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">

This book is appropriate for 5-6th graders for independent reading. However, this book is also very appropriate for a read-aloud to the class, which would range from 2nd grade to 4th grade, I believe.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Which grade level is it appropriate for? **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">

My suggested method for using this book would be to introduce a unit on river communities. I would do a read aloud to the whole group, and then have the students fill in a graphic organizer on how the river affected the people and how the people affected the river. As a class, we would talk about how pollution can affect rivers, which in turn affect us. As a culminating activity, we would take a trip to a river so that the students can explore and see the surrounding environment. Or, if a field trip is out of the question, we could watch a video instead.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">What is your suggested method to use this book in the classroom? **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">