How to use Book Week to help you teach HASS

Book Week is an exciting time for any school and students just love getting dressed up. However, teachers often struggle with an over-crowded curriculum, so taking time out for a book study can be a challenge to say the least!

What I like to do is integrate my HASS subjects with Book Week through a Geography or History picture book. There are so many fabulous books for little learners but finding HASS-friendly picture books can sometimes be a challenge.

Here are some of my favourite HASS picture books I recommend for Book Week:

GEOGRAPHY

Me On The Map

A super-popular book for teaching Geography, Me On The Map is useful for teaching students about hierarchical levels of geography such as country, state, town and my home.

Animal Antipodes: Global opposites

I particularly like this book for teaching seasonal changes in different areas of the world. When it's summer here, it's winter in other parts of the world. If you dug down through the earth, where would you come out at the other side?

Got Geography! Poems

Who knew you could integrate Geography and English Language Arts? Does exactly what it says on the tin - Geography poetry for children. These would make fantastic wall displays!

Welcome to Country

Welcome to the lands of the Wurundjeri people. Explore Aboriginal connection to land and place in this beautiful picture book.

HISTORY

Timeline Illustrated History

This book has the most amazing illustrations of timelines! Explore the history of our world, culture, dinosaurs, Vikings, Azetcs and spaceships - each with their own timeline! Then make your own illustrated timeline for your classroom wall!

My Family Remembers: The 1960s

Perfect for exploring life in the past with today and making those important comparisons. This book has some great personal memories of people who were there. Also comes in 1950s and other decades.

In the New World: A Family in Two Centuries

This picture books follows the lives of two families, similar in so  many ways but separated by time. How are their lives and experiences different to ours today?

Australians All: A History of Growing Up from the Ice Age to the Apology

Australian History as presented by the wonderful Nadia Wheatley and Ken Searle.  A beautiful text with fantastic illustrations takes us through Australia's major historical milestones.

If you have used any of these books or can recommend some others, please leave your comments below!