Historical fiction is an excellent tool in children's literature and is one of the most powerful literary resources in getting students acquainted with their heritage and the heritage of others. Historical fiction can expose children to events and people that helped influenced how they think and their culture. A student can be taken to the tropical kingdoms of West Africa to see the conflict that led to the slave trade, they can be taken to ancient China to see the rise and fall of powerful dynasties, they can be taken to colonial America during the rise against British control, and then taken to Kansas during the move of many blacks to the state as Exodusters. Children get to realize that while history is usually presented as events it is actually the actions of people that make history and not the other way around. When evaluating choices for historical fiction the reader wants to ensure that it is accurate, conveys the characters are people and not just stereotypes or caricatures, have detailed settings, and a strong cohesion between the theme, setting, plot, and characterizations. More so than most other genres the settings and details of historical fiction is integral to the story being told and authors of historical fiction do well to ensure that their characters are not simply individuals from our modern times being written in a past environment but think and act as most did back then unless they were truly an exceptional individual.
Themes of historical fiction reflect the time period they were written in. Usually the theme was in opposition to the misdeeds and wrongs that were being committed at a particular time. Such as during the time of slavery, the Civil War, and the subsequent segregation and institutional discrimination that followed the themes of many stories then focused on how destructive hatred and prejudice are, how people search for freedom, war creates tragedy, how a person should be judged by their character and not the color of their skin, and how we as humans have a moral obligation to come to the defense of others. These were all issues during the time before and after the Civil War such as blacks and other non-white groups being judged by the color of their skin as opposed to their character, the large amounts of blacks that fought for and desired freedom, the destructiveness that was caused by hatred and prejudice and still is in many aspects, and the moral obligation those in the Union Army felt to in part help cease slavery in the southern states. Students are able to see that the values that many possessed back then are still very similar to the values that are possessed by humanity in general. Changes in themes are evident in different time period such as the Salem-Witch Hunts, the Early 20th Century, and World War II.
Historical fiction lends itself as a valuable instructional tool since it can act as a bridge between language arts and history or some other feature of social studies. Children can role play possible scenes that depicted conflicting feelings from the past, write letters that expressed the feelings of characters from the past, and even design replicas of lodgings and dwellings from the past. One example that I did involving history was to have students write and deliver speeches that spoke out against Britain as would have many colonists during the American Revolution. Students also had to design poster boards to hold in protest with slogans taken from the time of the American Revolution such as "no taxation without representation" and "if this be treason make the most of it". On the other hand a group of students pretended to be the British Parliament and discussed how to respond to the situation and students had to imagine how the British must have felt about the matter. It was an excellent assignment that gave students many opportunities to interact with what they were learning and merged the areas of social studies and language arts.
Gregg, I agree with your statement that historical fiction can be a wonderful "bridge" between literature and other subjects. I think, in particular, that history lends itself to being supplemented by historical fiction because it puts a face and character to many of the conflicts that our country, and world, has faced throughout the years.
Personally, I think that a well-written historical fiction novel that is complemented by true events can be an excellent learning tool for a social studies class. Plus, it adds another element of interest to history classes.
In Chapter 10, historical fiction was discussed. This is perhaps my favorite type of fiction, because as you engage in the story you are simultaneously learning historical facts, that in many cases spur the desire to learn more about a certain period in our society.
I think the elements of good historical fiction outlined in the chapter will be particularly beneficial for the classroom. There were great suggestions that will assist in finding literature that bridge to other subjects in the classroom, including art, science, and history.
It is one thing to learn history in a factual context, but when it supplemented with a story about a child that students can relate to, it puts a different spin on the learning process. For instance, learning about the post-Civil War era is one thing, but to supplement those lessons with books by Mildred Taylor about the Logan family adds something special for the child. As they can see the events through the perspective of children their on age, which will give them more interest in the subject. In many cases, particularly with Civil Rights, many children become very indignant and incredulous of the fact that this type of racism and prejudice occured in our history. Giving them that foundation lends itself to teaching the facts about the Civil War and the Civil Rights era in our nation's history.
One of the books that I recently completed is William Steele's Flaming Arrows. It focuses on a family of settlers in Tennessee who has to take refuge in a fort along with rest of the community when they come under attack by a tribe of hostile Native Americans. The novel was an excellent piece of literature since it focused, albeit mainly from the perspective of the white settlers, on the conflict that the Native Americans and white settlers experienced as America moved West. The books lends itself to being used as an excellent device to use in language arts, social studies, science, and even math. Students can explore the history of the Frontier Age and the challenges that were faced by all groups as the US expanded its borders. Historical fiction is an excellent resource in the classroom.
Linda I would say that historical fiction is probably one of the easier genres to incorporate into the classroom. It can be engaging for the students and yet so informative as well. Historical fiction books are a way for the past to become more real and easily understandable for the students. I enjoy the genre because when it is well written I feel like I am there, in the place with the characters and I am experiencing the past for myself. I recently read Sarah, Plain and Tall and even though it is a very easy read, it was descriptive and heart-warming. I think the book gives a good look into the life and times of people or the prairie days. It is much more interesting to learn about the past when the characters are fictional and exciting versus reading a textbook account of how life in the past was for the people. I think that fiction can be just as informative, but way more entertaining. When facts can be hard to follow, fiction can peak the reader’s interests and make the details important and memorable. There are so many various ways to use historical fiction in the classroom. The possibilities are endless and the number of quality books suggested in the chapter shows that the choices are abundant.
Annie and Greg-I also appreciate that the chapter addresses how to use the genre in other areas of curriculum, not only history. When people seem to be becoming desensitized to the people around them-because of technology, lack of empathy, whatever, I think that good books that have well crafted characters can help students relate to people of other worlds. We can learn the differences between us and help us understand each other's pasts.
6 comments:
Historical fiction is an excellent tool in children's literature and is one of the most powerful literary resources in getting students acquainted with their heritage and the heritage of others. Historical fiction can expose children to events and people that helped influenced how they think and their culture. A student can be taken to the tropical kingdoms of West Africa to see the conflict that led to the slave trade, they can be taken to ancient China to see the rise and fall of powerful dynasties, they can be taken to colonial America during the rise against British control, and then taken to Kansas during the move of many blacks to the state as Exodusters. Children get to realize that while history is usually presented as events it is actually the actions of people that make history and not the other way around. When evaluating choices for historical fiction the reader wants to ensure that it is accurate, conveys the characters are people and not just stereotypes or caricatures, have detailed settings, and a strong cohesion between the theme, setting, plot, and characterizations. More so than most other genres the settings and details of historical fiction is integral to the story being told and authors of historical fiction do well to ensure that their characters are not simply individuals from our modern times being written in a past environment but think and act as most did back then unless they were truly an exceptional individual.
Themes of historical fiction reflect the time period they were written in. Usually the theme was in opposition to the misdeeds and wrongs that were being committed at a particular time. Such as during the time of slavery, the Civil War, and the subsequent segregation and institutional discrimination that followed the themes of many stories then focused on how destructive hatred and prejudice are, how people search for freedom, war creates tragedy, how a person should be judged by their character and not the color of their skin, and how we as humans have a moral obligation to come to the defense of others. These were all issues during the time before and after the Civil War such as blacks and other non-white groups being judged by the color of their skin as opposed to their character, the large amounts of blacks that fought for and desired freedom, the destructiveness that was caused by hatred and prejudice and still is in many aspects, and the moral obligation those in the Union Army felt to in part help cease slavery in the southern states. Students are able to see that the values that many possessed back then are still very similar to the values that are possessed by humanity in general. Changes in themes are evident in different time period such as the Salem-Witch Hunts, the Early 20th Century, and World War II.
Historical fiction lends itself as a valuable instructional tool since it can act as a bridge between language arts and history or some other feature of social studies. Children can role play possible scenes that depicted conflicting feelings from the past, write letters that expressed the feelings of characters from the past, and even design replicas of lodgings and dwellings from the past. One example that I did involving history was to have students write and deliver speeches that spoke out against Britain as would have many colonists during the American Revolution. Students also had to design poster boards to hold in protest with slogans taken from the time of the American Revolution such as "no taxation without representation" and "if this be treason make the most of it". On the other hand a group of students pretended to be the British Parliament and discussed how to respond to the situation and students had to imagine how the British must have felt about the matter. It was an excellent assignment that gave students many opportunities to interact with what they were learning and merged the areas of social studies and language arts.
Gregg,
I agree with your statement that historical fiction can be a wonderful "bridge" between literature and other subjects. I think, in particular, that history lends itself to being supplemented by historical fiction because it puts a face and character to many of the conflicts that our country, and world, has faced throughout the years.
Personally, I think that a well-written historical fiction novel that is complemented by true events can be an excellent learning tool for a social studies class. Plus, it adds another element of interest to history classes.
In Chapter 10, historical fiction was discussed. This is perhaps my favorite type of fiction, because as you engage in the story you are simultaneously learning historical facts, that in many cases spur the desire to learn more about a certain period in our society.
I think the elements of good historical fiction outlined in the chapter will be particularly beneficial for the classroom. There were great suggestions that will assist in finding literature that bridge to other subjects in the classroom, including art, science, and history.
It is one thing to learn history in a factual context, but when it supplemented with a story about a child that students can relate to, it puts a different spin on the learning process. For instance, learning about the post-Civil War era is one thing, but to supplement those lessons with books by Mildred Taylor about the Logan family adds something special for the child. As they can see the events through the perspective of children their on age, which will give them more interest in the subject. In many cases, particularly with Civil Rights, many children become very indignant and incredulous of the fact that this type of racism and prejudice occured in our history. Giving them that foundation lends itself to teaching the facts about the Civil War and the Civil Rights era in our nation's history.
Annie,
One of the books that I recently completed is William Steele's Flaming Arrows. It focuses on a family of settlers in Tennessee who has to take refuge in a fort along with rest of the community when they come under attack by a tribe of hostile Native Americans. The novel was an excellent piece of literature since it focused, albeit mainly from the perspective of the white settlers, on the conflict that the Native Americans and white settlers experienced as America moved West. The books lends itself to being used as an excellent device to use in language arts, social studies, science, and even math. Students can explore the history of the Frontier Age and the challenges that were faced by all groups as the US expanded its borders. Historical fiction is an excellent resource in the classroom.
Gregg
Linda
I would say that historical fiction is probably one of the easier genres to incorporate into the classroom. It can be engaging for the students and yet so informative as well. Historical fiction books are a way for the past to become more real and easily understandable for the students. I enjoy the genre because when it is well written I feel like I am there, in the place with the characters and I am experiencing the past for myself. I recently read Sarah, Plain and Tall and even though it is a very easy read, it was descriptive and heart-warming. I think the book gives a good look into the life and times of people or the prairie days.
It is much more interesting to learn about the past when the characters are fictional and exciting versus reading a textbook account of how life in the past was for the people. I think that fiction can be just as informative, but way more entertaining. When facts can be hard to follow, fiction can peak the reader’s interests and make the details important and memorable.
There are so many various ways to use historical fiction in the classroom. The possibilities are endless and the number of quality books suggested in the chapter shows that the choices are abundant.
Annie and Greg-I also appreciate that the chapter addresses how to use the genre in other areas of curriculum, not only history.
When people seem to be becoming desensitized to the people around them-because of technology, lack of empathy, whatever, I think that good books that have well crafted characters can help students relate to people of other worlds. We can learn the differences between us and help us understand each other's pasts.
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