Most Popular Books by Monica Edinger

Seeking History is one of the first books about using primary sources in elementary and middle school classrooms to enhance and deepen students'' grapplings with history.

Inspired by a true story, the compelling tale of a child who arrives in America on the slave ship Amistad describes her capture, her witness to a mutiny and the Supreme Court trial that prompts her return to Africa.

Millions of Africans were enslaved during the transatlantic slave trade, but few recorded their personal experiences. Olaudah Equiano''s The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano is perhaps the most well known of the autobiographies that exist. Using this narrative as a primary source text, authors Monica Edinger and Lesley Younge share Equiano''s life story in "found verse," supplemented with annotations to give readers historical context. This poetic approach provides interesting analysis and synthesis, helping readers to better understand the original text. Follow Equiano from his life in Africa as a child to his enslavement at a young age, his travels across the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, his liberation, and his life as a free man.

Teacher Monica Edinger shares fantastic literature response activities that encourage students to dig deep into favorite books, mining them for meaning and connections to real life and other texts. As they analyze literary elements and interpret story events, students practice reading strategies and hone comprehension skills. Includes reproducible student response packets, discussion questions, literature connections, Internet links, and background information for units on Charlotte’s Web, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz. For use with Grades 3-6.

The ideas and strategies in this book are exciting and thoughtful, and the organization is well-designed for a quick-read and in-depth preparation. Internet addresses are included.