SOL Alignment.
Aligned to Virginia’s brand-new 2025–2026 standards.
Read across the series and you cover nearly the entire Grade 4 Virginia Studies course (VS.1–VS.9, VS.11–VS.13) — and the reach grows with the reader, K–12. This crosswalk maps every book to the 2023 History & Social Science SOL and the 2024 English SOL now rolling into Virginia classrooms.
The series grows with the reader
Twelve books that support standards-based instruction from read-aloud through high-school survey. (Trade novels support the curriculum — they don’t replace it.)
| Grade band | Course | How the series connects |
|---|---|---|
| Grades 1–2 | Commonwealth / United States | Read-aloud support for the “changemakers” — Jamestown, Pocahontas, Washington, Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Barbara Johns, Maggie Walker, Neil Armstrong, Mary Jackson |
| Grade 4 | Virginia Studies | The core — near-complete course coverage (see master table below) |
| Grade 5 | U.S. History to 1865 | Jamestown, exploration, colonial life, the Revolution, the Civil War |
| Grade 6 | U.S. History: 1865–Present | Reconstruction/Jim Crow roots, the Civil Rights Era, the Apollo program |
| Grade 7 | Civics & Economics | The legislative process, the role of the press, citizens working for change |
| Grade 11 | Virginia & U.S. History | Founding-era and civil-rights content at survey depth |
Grade 4 Virginia Studies · VS.1–VS.13
● strong / bullseye match · ○ supporting match. The single genuine gap is VS.10 (Virginians in WWI & WWII).
| Standard | Topic | Books |
|---|---|---|
| VS.1 | Physical geography — Virginia’s five regions & waterways | ● Summer of the Woods, Midnight at the Mansion, Pirates on the Bay |
| VS.2 | Indigenous nations; archaeology | ● Shadows at Jamestown · ○ Pirates on the Bay |
| VS.3 | 1607 Jamestown — colonization, Smith, Powhatan, tobacco | ● Shadows at Jamestown |
| VS.4 | Colonial life; capital Jamestown→Williamsburg | ● Mystery on Church Hill · ○ Shadows at Jamestown |
| VS.5 | The American Revolution — Declaration, leaders, Yorktown | ● Mystery on Church Hill, Spies at Mount Vernon, Escape from Monticello, Pirates on the Bay |
| VS.6 | New nation — Religious Freedom, western movement | ● Escape from Monticello, Mystery on Church Hill · ○ Danger on the Stage |
| VS.7 | Civil War & Virginia’s role | ● Ghosts of Belle Isle · ○ Danger on the Stage, Secret of the Staircase |
| VS.8 | Reconstruction — Amendments, Jim Crow | ○ Pictures at the Protest |
| VS.9 | Railroads, industry, growth of cities (late 1800s) | ● Midnight at the Mansion · ○ Secret of the Staircase |
| VS.10 | Virginians in WWI & WWII | — gap (no current title) |
| VS.11 | Civil Rights Movement in Virginia | ● Pictures at the Protest |
| VS.12 | “Mother of Presidents” | ○ Escape from Monticello, Spies at Mount Vernon |
| VS.13 | 21st-century global economy; Virginian innovation | ● Conspiracy at the Launch · ○ Pirates on the Bay |
Primary standards for each title
The bullseye matches per book. ★ marks the three flagship curriculum titles.
Piedmont geography & early coal-mining history; the series’ strongest read-aloud — lead with English/Reading.
Patrick Henry, the 2nd Virginia Convention, Williamsburg as colonial capital — the road to independence.
The Civil War in Virginia — Belle Isle prison camp, the James River, Richmond.
Gilded-Age Richmond & the growth of the city (the Jefferson Hotel); a Tredegar Iron Works thread.
Blue Ridge geography & the Dooleys’ railroad/banking fortune (Maymont, Swannanoa); bald-eagle conservation.
1607 Jamestown & real archaeology — the single most curriculum-aligned title in the catalog.
Washington & the Revolution — including James Armistead Lafayette, the enslaved Virginian spy now named in VS.5b.
Jefferson & the Declaration; the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom and the founding of UVA.
Massive Resistance, Barbara Johns & the Moton Museum — curriculum-relevant in three different grades at once.
Tidewater/Chesapeake geography and the American victory at Yorktown; Blackbeard fact vs. legend.
Westward movement — Daniel Boone, the Cumberland Gap, the Wilderness Road; Abingdon’s Barter Theatre.
The Apollo missions & moon landing; Virginia aerospace innovation; the role of the press.
English & cross-curricular
A Grade 4 teacher doing Virginia Studies is also teaching reading — the series serves both.
English (2024 SOL)
Every title supports, at grade level:
- Reading Literary Text (
.RL) — character, real-Virginia settings, problem/solution, theme, mystery/adventure genre features, sensory language. - Skilled Readers / stamina (
.DSR) — short chapters & cliffhangers build fluency; reluctant readers finish in days. - Communication (
.C) — the per-book discussion questions are ready-made speaking & listening prompts. - Writing (
.W) — “what would you do?” and “write the next chapter” prompts.
The social-studies Skills strand (primary & secondary sources, fact vs. opinion, cause & effect, timelines) runs through the whole series — the kids are constantly doing historical & archaeological inquiry.
Science & STEM links
- Pirates on the Bay — tides & the tidal Chesapeake; lighthouse engineering; marine biology.
- Midnight at the Mansion — wildlife conservation & the bald eagle’s recovery; Blue Ridge ecosystems.
- Conspiracy at the Launch — Earth & Space Science; rocketry; the Hidden Figures STEM-careers tie-in.
- Summer of the Woods — basic geology/mining (Midlothian coal seams) and local ecology.
An honest note for schools. These matches are tied to the official 2023/2024 SOL standard statements. The ● matches are safe to feature prominently; treat ○ matches as “supports/reinforces” rather than “teaches.” For airtight classroom claims, confirm against VDOE’s Curriculum Framework / Instructional Guide sub-bullets for each code.