Reason #17: Good citizens aren’t born. They are taught.

How a Gelato Cart and a Revolutionary War Mystery Can Teach Citizenship

At 241 Books, we believe something powerful: good citizenship isn’t just inherited—it’s taught. Kids don’t automatically grow into thoughtful, active members of their communities. They need practice. They need purpose. And they need stories that show them how it’s done. That’s where we come in.

Our reading + social studies books and lesson bundles are designed to spark curiosity, build understanding, and model what it means to be a good citizen—one thoughtful, real-world challenge at a time.

Take Y Street Trio: Gelato Showdown, a short chapter book about three brave kids, a beloved gelato cart, and a neighborhood conflict that’s heating up. The gelato on Nonna’s cart is wildly delicious—but it’s also become a problem for some neighbors. It takes up parking space and contributes to trash issues. 

With tensions rising, the Y Street Trio, a group of regular but brave kids, steps in—not with superpowers, but with empathy and initiative. They listen, investigate, and help Nonna and an unhappy neighbor find compromise. In the end, the trio doesn’t just save the gelato cart—they strengthen their community. That’s what civic action looks like: listening, problem-solving, and working together for the common good.

In 100% History Detectives: The Mysterious Molly P., citizenship takes a different form—this time, in a journey into the past. When Miss Flash and her students, Tito and Bella, begin exploring the story of Molly Pitcher, they enter one of history’s most puzzling debates. Molly Pitcher is the most famous woman of the American Revolution—but was she real or a legend? Students follow along as the young detectives dig into primary and secondary sources, analyze evidence, and join the debate themselves. Along the way, they learn how to separate fact from fiction and form reasoned conclusions based on evidence. In short, they learn the kind of critical thinking that every citizen needs. And they earn their 100% History Detective certificate for analyzing multiple sources along the way.

Both books model how students can develop the skills of citizenship: collaboration, empathy, investigation, and critical thinking. Whether solving a neighborhood problem or puzzling through a historical mystery, our characters show readers what it means to care, to question, and to contribute.

We believe the classroom is one of the best places to build the next generation of citizens. And it starts with stories—funny, thoughtful, surprising stories that reflect the real challenges and opportunities of living in a community or being a part of history.

Because good citizens aren’t born. They’re taught. And with the right books and materials in their hands, students can learn how to make a difference—starting now.

Want to give 241 Books lesson bundles a try? Three free ones, including the two mentioned in this blog, can be found at 241books.com.

Reason #1001: Social studies is a collection of life’s greatest untold stories.

Elementary Social Studies and Famous American Heroes

When I was in elementary school, my teachers exposed me to the stories of many famous Americans, people like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Frederick Douglass. These Americans stood out, made a difference. Learning about them made me want to be a difference maker too. 

One courageous individual who captured my attention was Harriet Tubman. Her story amazed me then. Still does. But it turns out there was more to her story than was shared. I think that one of the best parts of her story is seldom told. And that’s one reason why social studies matters so much. Untold stories are some of the best stories. 

Harriet Tubman: A Conductor on the Underground Railroad

This is the story I remember about Harriet from elementary school. And it is certainly compelling. Maybe you've heard it too. 

She had no school, no books, no time to be a child. At three, she watched her sisters get sold away like bales of cotton. She cried. Most everyone did. At five, she was sent to care for a baby. When the baby cried, she was whipped. Once five times before breakfast.

At twelve, she saw a man running, trying to escape. She stepped in the way. A weight thrown by her owner, struck her in the head, knocking her down, nearly killing her. For the rest of her life, she would suffer headaches and she would faint, sometimes at the worst moments.

Despite her disability, she bravely ran away from her so-called owner. She reached the North where she was free if not equal. But her own freedom wasn’t enough. How could it be when so many were still enslaved? She went back, again and again. Eleven times she risked arrest and execution. She led at least seventy-five people to freedom. 

She traveled in disguise or by night, living in constant danger. She may have had moments of great fear, but she did not give into it. She was an American hero. 

And that was the end. That was all my teacher told me about Harriet. She was Harriet Tubman, a brave Conductor on the Underground Railroad, which is awesome. 

Put that on a flash card and memorize it for Friday’s quiz. 

A Mostly Unknown Story About Harriet the Spy and Soldier

There is another story I learned about Harriet only recently. Not for a quiz, but just because. I thank social studies for this story. Because it makes Harriet’s work on the Underground Railroad even more amazing. 

In 1861, the Civil War began, and Harriet did what she had always done. She fought for others’ freedom. She started as a nurse. She fed the sick, cared for the wounded. But the Union Army saw what she was capable of. She could move unnoticed. She could listen. She could lead.

She became a spy. She commanded ten men, scouts who went behind enemy lines, gathering what they could—information, maps, the knowledge that wins wars.

In 1863, she led a raid, the first woman in American history to do so. She guided 150 Black soldiers down the Combahee River, leading their boats past the mines hidden beneath the water. They destroyed bridges, railroads, Confederate supplies and plantations. And they freed 700 enslaved men, women and children, nearly five times more than she had freed on the Underground Railroad.

The raid had a huge secondary effect. It helped convince President Lincoln that Black men should fight in the war, not just for the Union, but for themselves. By the time the war ended, 200,000 African Americans had fought. By the time the war ended, slavery was no more.

Harriet Tubman had lived to see it. And she had helped make it so.

Social Studies Matters!

Most people know the story about Harriet the Conductor on the Underground Railroad. I’m glad. It's an amazing story. But how many know about Harriet the spy? Harriet the soldier? 

Today, there is a bridge on Highway 17 not far from Beaufort, South Carolina that crosses the Combahee River. It's the Harriet Tubman bridge. It marks the place where she led the raid in 1863. And, if you continue into Beaufort, you can see a statue of Harriet in town designed by Ed Dwight, African American NASA astronaut and sculptor. In it, she’s depicted at the head of a group of African American soldiers–Harriet Tubman, leader of men. 

Social studies tells the stories we think we know, but it also uncovers the ones we don’t. The ones buried in overlooked corners of history. These are the stories that change how we see the past, how we understand others and ourselves. And that is Reason #241 why social studies matters!

Reason #57: You can’t know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been.

Have you ever been lost? Like, really lost? I have, and it's zero fun. In fact, if you don’t panic and pee a little when it happens, you’re a calmer person than me. 

I got lost in a forest once. 

Our home was near a huge hill covered with Douglas fir trees. My brothers and I built forts there and threw dirt clods and rocks at each other. Like getting lost, I don’t recommend that. 

One day I decided to adventure off of the winding dirt road that curled through our woods to see what the rest of the forest looked like. My reason? I was a boy and I was six. Enough said.   

In that thick forest, It didn’t take long for me to lose my way. In every direction, there were trees. And every tree looked exactly like the one next to it. 

So, how do you get unlost? Well, you can’t know where you are going unless you know where you’ve been. 

What you need is social studies: geography, history, or maybe, a little sociology.  

Geography

Want to get unlost? Find a landmark and use it to guide you. Native Americans were great at this. They changed the shape of select trees so they could find them on later journeys. One in Alabama was made to look like a goal post on a football field. They also planted rock markers and decorated them with stunning designs called petroglyphs. This was ancient and brilliant geography. 

Look at maps today. They are filled with landmarks–monuments, parks, buildings or even red stars and the phrase “You are here” on them. A landmark like that would have been a lifesaver when I was lost in my neighborhood forest. And, believe me, I was desperately looking for one. 

History

Another way to get unlost is to retrace your steps and follow them to a familiar place. To go forward you have to go back. That’s history. The study of where we’ve been can be super helpful in deciding where we are going next. 

Well, how do you think I got unlost? Geography? History? 

Neither. I yelled louder than a jet plane and my brothers found me. Sociology. 

So, if you are feeling a little lost today, look for a familiar landmark, a place you love. It might comfort you. Or retrace your steps to find out where you went wrong or what you left behind that might help. Or, lean on your family or community. 

Whatever you do, it's social studies. Social studies matter!