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Historical Fiction
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Detail from Student Project: Master Puppeteer Diorama
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"I liked reading this book because it let me learn how people lived during the Revolution and it wasn't boring because it was a story," comments an
eighth grade student.
"I liked the characters and action in this book but I also learned about the Kurds," remarks a seventh grade student.
Historical fiction is a marvelous tool for the classroom teacher. It helps the
reader learn about the intricate details of time and place. As we become more aware of different learning styles and plan our curriculum accordingly,
supplementing textbooks with historical fiction, video, arts and music of the times and place makes sense. Besides it works!
I well remember my first trip to Japan; we were in a tour bus in the far reaches of Honshu in Yamaguchi
Prefecture. When we passed a shrine to Antoku, the Child Emperor, I explained the history of Antoku
and the great sea battle, which took place in the strait across from the shrine. The other educators on the bus looked at me like I was a total genius. Little did they know that the history I was recounting to
them was from a young people's novel, Of Nightingales that Weep by Katherine Paterson, which I had just finished reading with my middle school students! I didn't tell!
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Detail from Student Project: Master Puppeteer Diorama
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Katherine Paterson's novels, Master Puppeteer, Of Nightingales that Weep, and Sign of the Chrysanthemum, have become my favorites for
helping to teach about ancient Japan. I particularly like Master Puppeteer, because students are fascinated by the puppets, the Robin Hood
character, and the mystery in the novel. Students make a diorama about an important scene in the book including accurate depiction of costumes and architecture.
This year I combined an American classic, Johnny Tremain, with ideas from a new book, Once Upon a Time Map Book by B.G. Hennessy. It
turned out to be one of the best projects of the year. I had the students map the eight most important events in the story and pinned them down to some excellent literary analysis with other questions.
In Kiss the Dust students learn of the history of the Kurds, the political unrest of the Middle East, and
the dehumanizing effects of becoming refugees. The reader becomes engrossed in a story which
starts out with a young woman going to an urban school much like many of theirs. When her family must flee the secret police by returning to their ancestral village and things start changing for her,
students begin to understand what is happening to her and her family as they move from village to refugee camp. With this book, I lead classroom discussions comparing life styles, finding similarities
and differences, discussing the changes happening to the family, and discussing how difficult the changes are for the father of the family. Other questions which the students address could be the
difficulties the family has settling in England. This is a great novel for discussions.
Bat 6 is one of my favorite read alouds. Set in rural Oregon in 1948, the story is told in the strong
voices of the girls on two rival softball teams. This is a great book to start discussions of the Japanese Internment, the effect of prejudice, and how it is passed from generation to generation. It also can
spark some very interesting discussion of the problems in a community when a child is seriously disturbed. What is the right thing to do? How patient should people be? Or is it better to not be patient
at all? My middle school students have had a lot to say about this book.
As I select historical fiction, I look for books which I know are historically accurate, tell a good story,
and are written well. I look for a book which enables me to teach to literary analysis, or writing skills as
well as history. It is important to me that the author be knowledgeable about the subject and write accurately, so I read authors notes, end notes, and bibliographies . I also use the Notables list,
friends, my school librarian and the children's department clerk at my local bookstore. They all help feed my addiction to books and help me find excellent historical fiction for my students.
Sample Student Projects for Johnny Tremain.
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Left: Front and Back Jacket Art for Book Report.
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Right: Map of Boston from Student Book Report
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Forbes, Ester. Johnny Tremain
Hennessy, BG. Once Upon a Time Map Book
Laird, Elizabeth. Kiss the Dust
Paterson, Katherine. Master Puppeteer
Paterson, Katherine. Of Nightingales That Weep
Paterson, Katherine. Sign of the Chrysanthemum
Wolff, Virginia. Bat 6
Oralee Kramer has been teaching at Chinook Middle School for eighteen years where she now teaches
eighth grade Language Arts and Social Studies. She has served as President of the Washington State Council for the Social Studies and was selected Washington State Social Studies Teacher of the Year
in 1992-93. Ms. Kramer has traveled in Japan, China, India, and Thailand. She is just finishing her term serving on the Children's Book Council's Notable Book Committee.
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