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| Student projects based on The Well of Sacrifice |
Teachers and librarians know the way to get kids excited about reading and learning is to make reading and
learning fun. When teaching history, this means telling exciting stories, not merely
teaching boring lists of names and dates.
One teacher used my Egyptian mystery, The Eyes of Pharaoh, in a gifted class of fourth and fifth graders
in New Mexico. She said, “Using this historical fiction has been a window into
Ancient Egypt – its people, culture, and beliefs. My class enjoyed doing
research on Egyptian gods and goddesses, and hieroglyphs. Projects extended
their knowledge of this fascinating time and place.”
I
often get e-mails from teachers who are using one of my historical novels in
the classroom, and they report enthusiasms from the students. A teacher at a
middle school in Washington state once
told me, “We have been using your book, The
Well of Sacrifice, as one of our lit circle books this year. Your book has
been a very popular one for the kids … all levels of reading ability, and
strongly supports our social studies theme.”
Social Studies and
More
Using historical fiction in the classroom can have many
educational benefits. First, and most important, many historical novels are a
lot of fun. This makes learning easier! In addition, historical fiction can
lead to great discussions about fact versus fiction, cause and effect, and viewing
history through different perspectives (modern ideals versus the standards of
the time, winners versus losers of a conflict, etc.).
These discussions go beyond social studies and can actually
contribute to preparing for standardized testing. One positive to the Common
Core is that the standards do, in theory, ask students to understand the why and how of events, and not just the factual what. They also ask students to judge between facts and opinions,
and to know whether statements are backed by evidence. Historical fiction,
perhaps paired with nonfiction, can help introduce these concepts.
Enthusiastic teachers get students involved with the text through
a wide variety of projects, some clearly academic and some that appear to be
mainly for fun. Students enjoy drawing cartoons or developing skits of scenes
in the book. Persuasive letters or group discussions get a playful boost by
having the students write or speak from the point of view of one of the book’s
characters. Some teachers plan a party (perhaps with accompanying author visit)
to wrap up use of the book. Parents may send in appropriate snacks, and the
kids give presentations, using posters or dioramas to illustrate their areas of
research.
Something for Every Student
To some, this may not look
as educational as reading textbooks and memorizing information. However, people
learn
in a wide variety of ways. Some are more visual, benefiting from seeing
lots of images. Others are verbal, learning well from words in speech and
writing. Yet others need physical activity to help lock in information. Some
students may learn better in social groups, while others work better on their
own. Using a variety of projects in the classroom offers something to all of
the students.
Historical novels can be used to teach almost any concept
you can find in the classroom. Another teacher who used The Well of Sacrifice
in her fourth/fifth grade classroom said, “This book is not only a great
adventure for middle grade readers, but it is a useful tool for classroom
teachers…. We used the book as the backbone of several language arts exercises
such as: written and oral reports about the Maya; literary criticism of
characters, plot, and sequence; persuasive essays on human sacrifice vs. murder
and Mayan culture vs. our own culture; and art projects from wood burning to
mapping. We studied geography and the rainforest. The students’ enthusiasm for
this book pushed our curriculum into other disciplines including math.”
Wow, what lucky students!
If you are a teacher or librarian (or a parent), I hope you had a fun and relaxing summer.
Did you also use your “time off”
to prepare lesson plans, or at least read books that might work in the
classroom? If so, did you have any
historical fiction on your reading list?
Lesson plans
For lesson plans for The
Eyes of Pharaoh and The Well of
Sacrifice, visit my website’s “for teachers” page.
Chris Eboch’s novels for ages nine and up include The Eyes of Pharaoh, a mystery in
ancient Egypt; The Well of Sacrifice,
a Mayan adventure; and The Genie’s Gift,
a middle eastern fantasy. Her writing craft books include You Can Write for Children: How to Write Great Stories, Articles, and
Books for Kids and Teenagers, and Advanced
Plotting. Learn more at www.chriseboch.com
or her Amazon page,
or check out her writing tips at her Write
Like a Pro! blog.
