YWAM Publishing

 

I received this complimentary product through the 

Homeschool Review Crew.

YWAM Publishing  has a collection of amazing books entitled Heroes of History. Over the past weeks both my daughter and I have enjoyed reading about Clara Barton: Courage under Fire. We have read many of the books in this series and have enjoyed all of them. The book is intended for ages 10 and older. 

Clara Barton was truly a woman of determination. Despite being very shy as a child she was determined to  prove to her family, herself, and the world that she was going to make a difference in the lives of others. Clara was a very bright child and loved learning. She also loved hearing about the stories of her father's wartime days. At the age of 18 Clara took her first job, teaching summer school. She was very successful and went on to teach for many years. She transformed the lives of many hard to reach students and was praised by parents and educational leaders. Her brother got sick and she cared for him for several years. Clara began to get restless teaching and wanted a change. She moved to Washington D.C. and soon got a job working at the Patent Office for Judge Mason. The Civil War officially began on April 12, 1861. Early on Clara met with Union soldiers vowed there and then to do whatever she could to help the Union cause. She said, "As far as my small efforts can stretch, she pledged to herself, these soldiers will never lack a kindly hand or a sister's sympathy." This would begin Clara's personal efforts and help throughout the whole Civil War. She soon began writing letters to ask for donations for the soldiers. Packages soon filled Clara's room. Clara wanted to get the the front lines of the battle's. This would be hard because no woman was ever allowed on the frontline. After many refusals, Clara finally got a go ahead from Major Rucker. When he heard about all of the supplies she had he ordered wagons to transport the goods for the men on the front lines. This would begin Clara's frontline war efforts to help the wounded soldiers. She would work alongside doctor's and help care for the wounded soldiers. She would continue to gather supplies. She would make food and feed the troops. She soon became a vital part of the war effort. Soon, she was being called upon to help. She always willingly came no matter the situation or danger involved. Clara would record soldiers last words to their families. A huge opportunity would come when Clara was in Geneva, Switzerland staying with friends. Dr. Louis Appia introduced Clara to a new movement that was set into place at the Geneva conference in 1863, the Red Cross. This would change the trajectory of Clara's life for years to come. The United States was not on board with the idea and Clara had to work hard to convince the United States of it worth. Clara started chapters of the Red Cross in the United States and would go on to help with fires, floods, various disasters. She would travel to Cuba and Russia. Clara worked until the age of 83. It was then that she finally decided to retire. Clara wrote an autobiography as well as a poem entitled, "The Women Who Went To The Field" to honor all of the under appreciated women that had served in the Civil War. 

The Study Guide is wonderful! It covers most all areas of academia. There is content for both young students as well as more advanced students. The study guide is 77 pages in length. 

I read the book ahead of my daughter and this enabled me to have some great discussions with her along the way. 

There are comprehension questions for each chapter.

There is a section entitled Terms/Vocabulary that contains a list of words found in the book that your student may be unfamiliar with such as: sanatorium, tariffs, sympathizer, relief societies, and Emancipation Proclamation. The page numbers are added behind the vocabulary so that the student knows where it is found in the book. 

After following Clara as she journeyed from place to place helping injured men during the Civil War from beginning to end, I plan on taking this opportunity to do a unit study on the Civil War with my daughter. 

I had no idea how the Red Cross got it start. I found this so interesting. Suggestions for timelines, following the places Clara traveled to using a map, researching music/food/clothing of the era, and so much more can be found in the study guide. 

Be sure to read what my Fellow Crew Members had to say about the various books in this series. I would highly recommend the Heroes Of History series for both educational and leisure reading. The books are uplifting and portray incredible people. The study guides covers all academic subjects and gives students of all ages assignments, projects, challenges, and resources. The study guide does an amazing job at covering the book as well as branching out on subjects within the book for further study. 

  

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