Historical fiction offers a window into the past through literature. What a wonderful way to inform an audience of what occurred in a particular time during history than through a captivating piece of literature. One of my favorite types of novels and books to read growing up were written either about The Titanic or The Holocaust. I found both historical subjects absolutely captivating. I have always had curiosity about the past, mainly about how people lived their day-to-day lives. I was very rarely interested in reading a history textbook or sitting through a history lesson, but if I was able to read a book that was well written and told a story of the characters lives, I would instantly begin to feel interested in that time period or even of history.
Knowing this I would like to run with that idea in my classroom. I have always been someone who believes integrating multiple subjects into one big unit is a very effective way of teaching. I feel that it would be beneficial for the students to read a historical fiction book (or any book depending on the unit!), learn about a period of history, complete art and creative writing projects about the period of history, and even possibly involve math and science within the same unit.
Even though historical information can be gained and learned through the reading of historical fiction texts, the first purpose of historical fiction is to be a story that is created with a sense of realism to bring the time period alive. Historical fiction has not been a popular genre with children, but has recently began to increase in popularity, being called the "new fantasy".
Some benefits of historical fiction include:
- conveys a sense of life as it was lived
- happens to ordinary people
- broadens perspectives
- helps children understand that the present and the future are linked to actions of the past.
Historical fiction can help children to understand that everyone plays a role in shaping history, and can help them determine their own role in what will become history.
When selecting historical fiction texts for student's to read, the teachers should make sure that the book includes strong character development, an engaging plot that is credible, effective writing style, detailed setting, and a relevant theme. All of these aspects should come together to develop a story that brings the period of history to life. Historical fiction can be used in conjunction with a history or an art history lesson and history textbooks. It can also be used to provide historical backgrounds for discoveries and advances in math and science.
Top 10 Read Alouds for Historical Fiction:
- Blood on the River: Jamestown 1607 by Elisa Carbone
- Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
- Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
- Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz
- I Am the Mummy Heb-Nefert by Eve Bunting
- The Legend of the Bass Reeves: Being the True and Fictional Account of the Most Valiant Marshal in the West by Gary Paulsen
- The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick
- One Crazy Summer by Rita Garcia Williams
- Whittington by Alan Armstrong
- Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
I hope to include historical fiction books in my classroom library and use them to direct class read alouds and discussions about particular time periods in history. How do you think you would use historical fiction in your classroom?
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