Social Studies

Pedal Power: How One Community Became the Bicycle Capital of the World

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Copies: 6

Today if you visit Amsterdam, you'll see bikes everywhere - they rule the road! But that wasn't always the case. Fifty years ago, Amsterdam was so crowded with vehicles that bicyclists could hardly move. But moms and kids relied on their bike to get from place to place in the city. What were they to do? Women like Maartje Rutten and her friends led protests against the unsafe streets, and one day a whole swarm of women and children took over the big new tunnel meant just for vehicles to show what a little pedal power could do.

Pedal Power: How One Community Became the Bicycle Capital of the World

Alexander Hamilton: The Making of America

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Copies: 6

Here is the story of Alexander Hamilton, America's first Secretary of the Treasury, the founding father who is on the ten-dollar bill - a brash and brilliant man who died in a duel and left a legacy that continues to this day.

Alexander Hamilton tells of his impoverished upbringing in the West Indies, journeying to New York City to attend college just before the Revolutionary War, writing in defiance of the king of England, acting as senior aide-de-camp to General George Washington, and helping to create a stable government for the new nation.

Lexile: 
1170
Alexander Hamilton: The Making of America

Dazzle Ships: World War I and the Art of Confusion

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Copies: 6

"During World War I, British and American ships were painted with bold colors and crazy patterns from bow to stern. Why would anyone put such eye-catching designs on ships?

Desperate to protect ships from German torpedo attacks, British lieutenant-commander Norman Wilkinson proposed what became known as dazzle. These stunning patterns and colors were meant to confuse the enemy about a ship's speed and direction. By the end of the war, more than four thousand ships had been painted with these mesmerizing designs.

Author: 
Lexile: 
990
Dazzle Ships: World War I and the Art of Confusion

The 46ers: Can You Hear Them Calling (2015)

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In August of 2012, Director Blake Cortright summited Mount Marcy (New York's tallest peak) for the first time. The view from the mountaintop captivated his imagination, inspiring him to create a film about the Adirondack High Peaks.

Grade Level: 
Elementary
Middle
High
Length: 
1:05
The 46ers: Can You Hear Them Calling

This War of Mine

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This War Of Mine: The Board Game is the tabletop adaptation of the award-winning video game that pictures the drama of civilians trapped in a war-torn city.

Grade Level: 
High
Content Area: 
Social Studies
Play Time: 
90 min.
This War of Mine

League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis (2013)

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The National Football League, a multibillion-dollar commercial juggernaut, presides over America's indisputable national pastime. But the NFL is under assault as thousands of former players claim the league has covered up football's connection to long-term brain injuries.

Grade Level: 
High
Length: 
02:00
League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis

Rise Up: The Game of People & Power

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Lead a march of thousands of people. Write a protest song that goes viral. Fight for what you believe in. Rise Up is a cooperative board game about building people power and taking on oppressive systems to create change.

Grade Level: 
Middle
High
Content Area: 
Social Studies
Family/Consumer Science
Play Time: 
60 min.
Rise Up: The Game of People & Power

The Bomb (2015)

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The Bomb tells the story of the most powerful and destructive device ever invented. Learn how humans harnessed this incredible power and what challenges we have faced living with it since 1945.

Grade Level: 
High
Length: 
02:00
The Bomb

Nuclear Meltdown Disaster (2015)

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NOVA reveals the minute-by-minute story of the Fukushima nuclear crisis—the one you know about, and the one you likely don't; the perilously close call at the other Fukushima nuclear power plant a few miles away from the meltdowns.

Grade Level: 
High
Length: 
01:00
Nuclear Meltdown Disaster

Flags of Our Fathers

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In this unforgettable chronicle of perhaps the most famous moment in American military history, James Bradley has captured the glory, the triumph, the heartbreak, and the legacy of the six men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima. Here is the true story behind the immortal photograph that has come to symbolize the courage and indomitable will of America.

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Grade Level: 
Flags of Our Fathers

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