Read+180+-+Dare+to+Lead

I am using the following non-fiction books and websites for our culminating project that correlates with our unit about leaders. In our rBooks for Read 180, we have read and discussed Nelson Mandela, Cesar Chavez, Vandana Shiva, youth leaders, and others and what qualities a good leader possesses. Therefore, their final project will be to research a leader of their choice and write about whether or not they feel that person is/was a good leader and why.
 * Unit: Dare to Lead: Leaders of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Sara Kolo)**

My classes are made up of sophomores, juniors and seniors of varying reading levels. Within these classes, I have students with special needs as well as ESL students; therefore, I have chosen a variety of reading materials to fit their varied reading abilities. The non-fiction books and websites provided below can be used as their resources to aid them in their research but students are also free to choose other books to help them in their research if they so choose. Since a research assignment can often seem daunting, this list is a great starting point for my students to begin their search for information on the leader of their choosing.

Freedman, R. (2006). Freedom Walkers: The story of the Montgomery bus boycott. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. (Lexile 1100) Discusses how and why black citizens in Montgomery, AL rose up to protest racial segregation in the United States and why it all started with the bus boycotts. George, L. A. H. (2003). Civil Rights Marches. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. (Lexile 890) In this story about the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King, Jr. is highlighted. It details how civil rights activists sough to bring about justice through nonviolent protest. Jones, L. (1994). Five Famous Writers. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. (Lexile 700) This book details the lives of great black writers: Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Walter Dean Myers, and Virginia Hamilton. Keller, B. (2008). Tree shaker: the story of Nelson Mandela. Boston, MA: Kingfisher. (Lexile 1270) Keller describes Nelson’s life and his accomplishments. He also describes his political protests, imprisonment, and his time as president of South Africa. McCollum, S. (2010). Stalin. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. (Lexile 970) Informs readers about how Joseph Stalin turned the USSR into a world power and at what cost. McKenna, A. (2010). The 100 Most Influential World Leaders. (1st ed.). New York, NY: Britannica Educational Publications. (Lexile 1020) This book provides biographical and career information on one hundred of the most influential world leaders throughout history. Myers, W. D. (1993). Malcolm X: by any means necessary. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. (Lexile 1050) A biography on Malcolm X that describes his upbringing and what caused him to decide to become an activist for African American rights. Olson, T. (2008). Leopold II: Butcher of the Congo. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. (Lexile 750) Leopold II, as king of Belgium, took advantage of its colony in the Congo. This book depicts his brutal reign over the people in that region. Schraff, A. (2008). Mahatma Gandhi. Irvine, CA: Saddleback Educational Publications. (Lexile 740) A brief description of Gandhi’s life that discusses his childhood, education, arrests, and beliefs. Yousafazi, M. (2013). I Am Malala. (1st ed.). New York, NY: Little Brown & Co. (Lexile 1000) Malala describes her fight for education for girls under Taliban rule in Pakistan and how the Taliban retaliated against her by trying to kill her.
 * Nonfiction Books**

http://www.onlinecollege.org/2012/08/28/50-famous-leaders-career-advice-that-shaped-them/ This website offers advice or words of wisdom on how to lead or be successful from our country’s best-known leaders in various positions around the country. http://www.biographyonline.net/people/famous/leaders.html This offers biographical information about famous leaders throughout history. It also provides the reason for why they are significant. http://gardenofpraise.com/leaders.htm This Biographies for Kids webpage offers easy to read information on all types of leaders. It is organized in a way that makes it easy for students to choose the type of leader they would like to read more about such as presidents, inventors, etc. http://www.biographyonline.net/people/women-who-changed-world.html This website gives readers biographical information solely on female leaders throughout history. It also provides the reason why they are significant in world history. http://www.youthtoleaders.org/home.html This site offers youth the tools they need to become leaders. It also highlights various teen leaders and how they became well-known for their actions. http://www.thefamouspeople.com/political-leaders.php This site focuses on only political leaders throughout history and offers some biographical information on them as well as why they have risen to fame.
 * Websites**