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Empowering ESOL social studies students 

with historically based children’s literature 
By Aubrey Brammar Southall 

Georgia State University (Ph.D. Candidate) 
Atlanta, Georgia 

aubrey.southall@gmail.com 
 

In this self-reflective essay, an experienced secondary social studies educator 
advocates for the use of historically based children’s literature in the high 
school ESOL social studies classroom. The teacher, who is certified to teach 
social studies and ESOL, explains the activities and lists the books she uses 
with her high school United States History students to make her classroom 
more culturally and linguistically relevant to her students. 

Keywords:  social studies, ESOL, children’s literature, historical text, culturally 
relevant 
 

Introduction to ESOL United States History 

The English language learner (ELL) population in the United States is 

increasingly growing in diversity and in numbers (Suárez-Orozco, Suárez-

Orozco & Todorova, 2008). As an English to Speakers of Other Languages 

teacher (ESOL) social studies teacher, I am constantly looking for ways to help 

students understand new concepts, especially ones that relate to United States 

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mailto:aubrey.southall@gmail.com


History. Each year there is a new set of students, new languages, and new 

stories to pair with the state standards and the state United States History 

exam. Difficult concepts such as the half-way covenant and the Federalist 

Papers are introduced early in the curriculum. While ideas like social mobility 

and individualism are also taught in United States history courses, they are 

often paired with figures like Benjamin Franklin as the example (Georgia 

Standards, 2012). My job is to find an empowering way to teach students 

United States History and English simultaneously.  

The ESOL United States History classroom reveals many triumphs and 

challenges. ELLs come with a variety of valuable experiences and content to 

share with their peers. Students have the opportunity to share their 

perspectives and rich culture with their classmates even when confronted 

with an unfamiliar curriculum that often devalues their background 

(Fernández-Armesto, 2014). Students’ language, culture, and experiences 

should be included in the curriculum (Cummins, 2001). From my own 

experience, many of my ELLs have never studied United States history prior to 

entering my high school classroom. Often times before entering eleventh 

grade United States History, American born students have studied United 

States history up to seven different times (Georgia Standards, 2012). Students 

in Georgia study United States history concepts in each year of elementary 

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school and the content is also embedded in their state history course in eighth 

grade (Georgia Standards, 2012). The United States history lessons start in 

kindergarten with national holidays, American symbols, and good citizenship. 

Presidents, wars, laws, and founding documents are recurring themes 

throughout social studies courses. Newly arrived high school ELL students 

enrolling in United States History can become overwhelmed due to the 

unfamiliarity of the content. 

Additionally, ELLs are quickly trying to grasp concepts familiar to 

American born students in the classroom. Students who have been through 

American schools can often recall founding fathers, presidential names, 

national holidays and major wars. However, United States History is regarded 

as one of the hardest courses for recent immigrants to achieve success (Dunne 

& Martell, 2013). The high number of intangible key terms such as 

mercantilism, sectionalism, infrastructure, and referendum paired with over 

200 people and places make United States History difficult for all students. 

The course is especially challenging for students exposed to United States 

History curriculum for the first time. 

  

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My Classroom Experience  

 As a high school ESOL social studies teacher, I encourage my students 

to think critically on their own background and reflect on the culture of 

American society (Cummins, 2001), in order to build a solid foundation for the 

high school United States history content. I have found that when my students 

understand the historical underpinnings of the United States and can compare 

those to their home countries, they are able to better understand content 

knowledge. Additionally, in my own classroom my students are much more 

engaged whenever they are sharing information about their home country. 

Furthermore, my students have been able to participate more actively in class 

discussions whenever they are able to relate United States history topics back 

to their home countries. The reflection on their background has also increased 

student-reported parent involvement project research. In Table one, I have 

provided an outline of a children’s book project I created for my eleventh 

grade push-in and sheltered United States History classes.  

  

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Table 1 

Home Country Comparisons Children’s Book Outline 
 

 
Topic 

Home 
Country 
History 

United States 
History 

1.Colonial Era 
• Was your home country ever a 

colony? 

  
 

2. Slavery 
• Did your home country ever use 

slavery? 

  
 

3.Constitution (Law document) 
• What set of laws does your 

home country have? 

  
 

4.Creation of Public Schools 
• Does your home country have 

public schools? If so, when were 
they created? 

  
 

5.Industrial Revolution 
• Did your home country have an 

Industrial Revolution? Or was 
your home country impacted by 
an Industrial Revolution? 

  
 

6.Women’s voting 
• Do women get to vote in your 

home country? If so, when did 
they get the opportunity to do 
so? 

  
 

7. Temperance  
• Has your home country ever 

had laws banning alcohol? 

  
 

 

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As a monolingual ESOL teacher, my first instinct to help teach my 

students social studies content is to care for them. The classroom 

environment can benefit by adding themes of care into the fast paced high 

school curriculum (Noddings, 2005). I have never been in their shoes, and I 

cannot imagine what it is like to move to a new country in high school without 

knowing the language. “Caring involves stepping out of one’s own personal 

frame of reference into the other’s” (Noddings, 2013, p. 23). Through caring, I 

began to search for a way to make my students’ transition to American high 

school more enjoyable and impactful. I helped start ELL bingo night at the 

high school where I teach. The rationale for the event was to bring the families 

of the ELL students together to meet other families, teachers, and 

administrators in a fun atmosphere. Additionally, bingo can be played with 

limited English proficiency. The ELL students are also translators for their 

parents and siblings. ELL bingo night has helped the parents of my students 

know that our school is a safe place for them and their child. Additionally, I 

believe it has increased parent attendance at conferences and school events.  

Historically Based Children’s Books  

I have incorporated historically based children’s books into my 

curriculum to give students the ability to take ownership of their learning. The 

way my students enjoyed using visual text and stories during classroom time 

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made children’s books a natural progression. Many of these stories are 

written on a lower Lexile level and are accompanied with visuals. “Teachers 

must learn how to recognize, honor, and incorporate the personal abilities of 

students into their teaching strategies” (Gay, 2010, p. 1). The pictures allow 

students to make meaning of what is taking place. Additionally, stories help to 

break down barriers and create understanding and feelings of “kindredness” 

(Gay, 2010, p. 3). Furthermore, the use of children’s literature allows me to 

bring the students’ home culture into my classroom. “Culturally relevant 

teaching is a pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially, 

emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, 

skills and attitudes” (Ladson-Billings, 2009, p. 20). Once I began instructing 

with culturally relevant children’s books, I could see an excitement in my 

students. My students asked more questions, participated more in class 

discussions, and worked more independently.  

The use of historically based children’s books has helped to make my 

classroom more culturally and linguistically relevant. “Culturally relevant 

teaching uses student culture in order to maintain it and to transcend the 

negative effects of the dominant culture” (Ladson- Billings, 2009, p. 19). 

Children’s books allow me to bring in a variety of perspectives into my 

curriculum and stray from the white view of United States history. “There was 

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never a time when most Americans, or most people in what is now the United 

States, were white English Protestants” (Fernández-Armesto, 2014, p. 5). 

Neito (1999) states students will feel more empowered in classrooms when 

they are able to see themselves in the content of the course.  

Furthermore, historically based children’s books can be used for 

students at a variety of reading levels by differentiating activities based on the 

students’ L2, second language, level. According to one student’s experience, "I 

think it is really helpful for us because we learn new words and we learn 

about those people who fought for their freedom and rights” (personal 

communication, October 1, 2014). The use of historically based children’s 

books has helped my students take ownership and autonomy in the 

classroom. My students have become more independent learners and are able 

to lead group activities without constant prompting from me. While the idea 

of incorporating children’s books may seem elementary, the use of high 

content and low reading level books has allowed my students to develop a 

stronger sense of the curriculum and gain necessary reading skills.  

Furthermore, reading is an essential skill needed for all students to gain 

high school social studies concepts. Reading and writing skills acquired 

initially through the native language provide a foundation upon which the 

English language development can be built (Cummins, 2006). The reading text 

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must be of the appropriate Lexile level in order to engage the student in new 

concept matters. Often times, ESOL students are overwhelmed by the 

information in the textbook, as they learn to write and read in English. 

Intimidation in the classroom plays a key role in the ESOL dropout rate. 

“Among eighth graders who reported in the 2000 U.S. Census that they spoke 

English with difficulty, only 49 percent went on to earn a diploma four years 

later” (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2012). ELLs need a curriculum that 

allows them to share their valuable experiences and study culturally relevant 

content.  

I use historically based children’s books in a variety of ways in my 

classroom. I use the books throughout units and themes on United States 

history. Some students prefer for me to read to the entire class as they sit in 

their seats and examine the pictures, while most of my students enjoy reading 

the book themselves or in a small group. The use of historical children’s books 

has created powerful learning experiences in my classroom. Although 

children’s books have not been created for every time period and perspective 

of history, we use this lack of resources to our advantage. We create our own 

books to fill the missing gaps. This activity allows for students to draw on 

higher-level research skills. In the following pages, I will show some examples 

of student-created books.  

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Figure 1.   Students created a book focusing on their own heroes. Students wrote entries about friends and 
family members who had impacted their lives after studying English language learner advocators.  

 

Figure 2.   Students analyzed films and books made about major American historical events and made more 
historically accurate books.   

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Figure 3.  Students made books on hard to find children's literature topics. This student chose the Incas to 
study. 

 

Figure 4.   Students were asked to make children's books after learning about major world religions. This 
student compared and contrasted major world religions after learning the similarities and differences.  

11                                                                      GATESOL in Action, Vol. 1, Fall 2015 
 



 

Figure 5.   Students were given the opportunity to learn about the historical meaning of many American 
sports team names. This student created a children’s book to teach the history behind major professional 
sports team names.  

I have compiled a list of my students’ favorite children’s books activities. 

The activities listed in the next section help to build English proficiency by 

incorporating reading, listening, speaking and writing.  

Historically Based Children’s Book Lesson Ideas:  

1. Read a book to start a unit. 

2. Compare and contrast books on the same time period. 

3. Compare and contrast books on the same person. 

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4. Compare and contrast your experiences with the main character of 

the story. 

5. Critique the book and determine its accuracy.  

6. Create a more historically accurate version of a book. 

7. Analyze and discuss the illustrator’s choice of drawings for the story. 

8. Create a timeline of happenings in the book. 

9. Incorporate bilingual books to allow students to share their language 

with the class. 

10. Write a book to share a different perspective of a historical event.  

In my classroom, over two-thirds of my students identify themselves as 

Latino or Hispanic. It is important for me to bring in historical figures of 

Latino and Hispanic descent into my classroom. “Hispanics belong in the 

entire story of the country— as part of its origins and part of every important 

episode in its unfolding” (Fernández-Armesto, 2014, loc. 240). Additionally, I 

try and bring in books that represent all of my students. My goal is that each 

student will see himself or herself in my classroom. My favorite books with 

Latino and Hispanic voices are listed below.  

 

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Books with Latino and Hispanic Voices: 

• Dolores Huerta, A Hero to Migrant Workers (Sarah Warren) 

• Harvesting Hope: The story of Cesar Chavez (Kathleen Krull) 

• Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes (Juan Felipe Herrera) 

• Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates (Jonah Winter) 

• Separate is Never Equal, Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for 

Desegregation  (Duncan Tonatiuh) 

• Si, Se Puede! Yes, We Can!: Janitor Strike in L.A. (Diana Cohn)  

• Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows in the Bronx (Jonah Winter) 

• That's Not Fair! : Emma Tenayuca's Struggle for Justice (Carmen Tafolla) 

  Additionally, many of my students are new comers to the United States. 

Books about immigration allow my students to have crucial conversations 

about their experiences with their classmates. Furthermore, it allows for 

discussion on the theme of immigration throughout United States history. 

Books about Immigration: 

• I Hate English (Ellen Levine) 

• Grandfather's Journey (Allen Say)  

• One Green Apple (Eve Bunting)  

• Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote (Duncan Tonatiuh) 

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http://www.amazon.com/Diana-Cohn/e/B001JS25XW/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1417380663&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Carmen-Tafolla/e/B001HOQR28/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1


• Paper Son: Lee’s Journey to America (Helen Foster James & Virginia 

Shin- Mui Loh) 

• When Jesse Came Across the Sea (Amy Heist)  

• The Name Jar (Yangsook Choi)  

The perspective of minoritized people is often hard to find in the 

traditional United States history textbook. Often minoritized people are 

offered on a few glossy pages sporadically throughout the pages of the 

textbook and this is mirrored in many state standards as well. Culturally 

relevant teaching uses student culture in order to show the multiple 

perspectives of United States history (Ladson-Billings, 2009). I believe ESOL 

social studies teachers should push for a more inclusive curriculum or create 

one themselves. Successful teachers will take many different routes to ensure 

student success in the classroom (Ladson-Billings, 2009). 

United States History Books about the Perspectives of Minoritized 

People:  

• A Voice of Her Own: The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet (Kathryn 

Lasky)  

• Henry's Freedom Box (Kadir Nelson)  

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• Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans (Kadir 

Nelson)  

• Mei Ling in China City (Icy Smith)  

• Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom (Carole 

Boston Weatherford)  

• Phillis Sings Out Freedom: The Story of George Washington and Phillis 

Wheatley (Ann Malaspina)  

• Show Way (Jacqueline Woodson) 

• Sojourner Truth's Step-Stomp Stride (Andrea Davis Pinkney) 

• The Great Migration, Journey to the North (Eloise Greenfield) 

• This is the Rope: A Story From the Great Migration (Jacqueline 

Woodson) 

• Three Years and Eight Months (Icy Smith)  

• Vision of Beauty: The Story of Sarah Breedlove Walker (Kathryn Lasky)  

Each year the Civil Rights unit is my students’ favorite. Teaching the 

idea of progress in the United States has been empowering for my students, 

who sometimes comment that they feel like they are second-class citizens. We 

spend multiple weeks examining the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement 

and its ongoing strides.   

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http://www.amazon.com/Eloise-Greenfield/e/B001IXRWZE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1417381847&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Jacqueline-Woodson/e/B000APM3QO/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1417381877&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Jacqueline-Woodson/e/B000APM3QO/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1417381877&sr=1-1


Books about Civil Rights: 

• Back of the Bus (Aaron Reynolds)  

• Heroes for Civil Rights (David A. Adler) 

• I Have A Dream (Martin Luther King Jr.) 

• If a Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks (Faith Ringold)  

• I've Seen the Promise Land: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

(Walter Dean Myers)  

• Freedom Summer (Deborah Wiles)  

• My Brother Martin: A Sister Remember (Christine King Farris)  

• Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round: Stories and Songs of the Civil Rights 

Movement (Doreen Rappaport) 

• Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers 

of Change (Michelle Cook) 

• Rosa (Nikki Giovanni)  

• Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson (Sharon Robinson)  

• Through my Eyes (Ruby Bridges)  

• When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson (Pam Munoz 

Ryan) 

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http://www.amazon.com/Pam-Munoz-Ryan/e/B001HCV5NQ/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1
http://www.amazon.com/Pam-Munoz-Ryan/e/B001HCV5NQ/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1


• We March  (Shane W. Evans)  

• We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song (Debbie Levy)  

The use of historically based children’s literature has created an 

empowering learning environment for my students. “It (United States History) 

is arguably the single most important course ELL students take as it can serve 

as an introduction to American culture” (Cruz  & Thornton, 2013, p. 95). I 

believe culturally relevant teaching, high expectations, relationships and 

support are vital for successful ELL students and programs. When teachers 

use their craft to provide a transformative classroom instead of a 

transmissional classroom, students are prepared to be effective citizens in a 

changing society. As the number of English language learners grows in the 

American public school system, it is important to remember that all children 

have the right to a quality education. Education should not be hindered or 

withheld based on race, linguistic ability or socioeconomic status. 

  

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References 
 
Alliance for Education Excellence. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2013, from English  

Language Learners:   http://www.all4ed.org/about_the_crisis/students/ell 

Bernhardt, E. B. (2011). Understanding advanced second- language reading.  

Philadelphia, PA:  Taylor & Francis. 

Cruz, B. T. & Thornton, S. J. (2009). Teaching social studies to English language  

learners. Philadelphia, PA: Taylor & Francis. 

Cummins, J. (2001). Negotiating identities: Education for empowerment in a  

diverse society. Los Angeles, California: California Association for 

Bilingual Education. 

Cummins, J. (2006). Language, power and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the  

crossfire. England: Channel View Publications.  

Dunne, K. & Martell, C. (2013). Teaching America’s past to newest Americans:  

Immigrant students and United States history. Social Education, 77(4), 

192–195. 

Georgia Standards.  Retrieved October 30, 2014.  

http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-

Assessment/Curriculum-and-Instruction/Pages/CCGPS.aspx  

 

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http://www.all4ed.org/about_the_crisis/students/ell
http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Curriculum-and-Instruction/Pages/CCGPS.aspx
http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Curriculum-and-Instruction/Pages/CCGPS.aspx


Fernández-Armesto, F. (2014). Our America: A Hispanic history of the United  

States. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. 

Ladson-Billings, G. (2009). The dreamkeepers. (2nd anniversary ed.). San  

Francisco: Jossey- Bass Publishers. 

Nieto, S. (1999). The light in their eyes: Creating multicultural learning  

communities. New York City, NY: Teachers College Press. 

Noddings, N. (2005). The challenge to care in schools. An alternative approach  

to education. New York City, NY: Teachers College Press.  

Noddings, N. (2013). Caring: A relational approach to ethics and moral  

education. Berkley: University of California Press.  

Suárez-Orozco, C., Suárez-Orozco, M. M., & Todorova, I. (2008). Learning a new  

land, immigrant students in American society. London: Belknap Press. 

 

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