Cobblestone Magazine: One Path to Learning History by Mary Louise Sanchez

For the past thirty or so years, each month I experience the same thrill I had as a child, when a magazine, addressed to my sister and me, came in the mail. The thrill is even more compounded now because Cobblestone Magazine fuels my passion for learning American history. 

The award winning Cobblestone Magazine has been making American history come alive for students, primarily ages 9-14, for thirty six years.

Through the featured short articles, readers learn about civics, economics, geography, and history, while using primary and secondary sources. Even though the magazine is geared towards children, I find it enlightening and entertaining as an adult. I learn so much in every issue and have saved each one for my family's own personal history library. The magazine even has indexes which I use to find the issues I want to use for lessons with students. 

As a teacher/librarian, I also purchased the magazine for the school library and purchased class sets of various themes and topics that fit our curriculum. Teachers used plastic overlays for students to highlight main ideas, for close reading purposes, and to study text features. 

In forty eight pages each issue provides various articles that address the chosen American history theme from various decades of our country's history. For instance, the March 2016 issue is entitled, REVOLUTIONARY WOMEN-Our Founding Mothers. There are articles about Abigail Adams; the spectacular ride of sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington on April 16, 1777 who warned the colonists about the impending British; how Martha Washington and other officers' wives brought cheer to their husbands at Valley Forge; women of color during the Revolutionary War; the legend of Molly Pitcher; secret soldiers; a young poet, Phyllis Wheatley; and others.

 Various consulting editors are chosen for each issue because of their expertise with the topic and theme. Each issue always has the "child's interests, questions, and knowledge in mind."

There are true stories, taken from the rich diversity of our people, who have influenced our country's history.

Fun puzzles and Did You Know facts are in each issue, as are multiple sources of information in the form of maps, captions, highlighted vocabulary, and cartoons. The magazines also include recommended websites for additional resources. Older issues had a feature called "Digging Deeper" which suggested books to read and places to visit. 

The magazine is in print and/or digital format for nine issues each year, coinciding with the school year. Themes are selected by first studying recommended national standards and state curricula, major anniversaries of historical events or people. The scope and depth of each issue truly adds to a unique history experience for young and old.

Have you read this magazine? I hope I've motivated you to take a look at Cobblestone.