Historical Fiction Makes Learning Fun! Enjoy #HistoricalFiction #MGLit novels and get #LessonPlans for #teachers and #homeschool on these #KidLit #history novels

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!

A New Semester

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.

Back to School: #HistoricalFiction Resources for the Classroom. Download #CCSS #lessonplans for #MGLit #homeschool #teaching⁠ of #history

Now that kids (and teachers) are back in the classroom, check out these historical fiction resources for your classroom or home school use.

Share My Lesson has thousands of items under the Historical Fiction heading, including general lessons for reading/understanding/writing historical fiction, and lesson plans for specific books. You can find my lesson plans for The Well of Sacrifice (pre-Columbian Mayan times), The Eyes of Pharaoh, and The Genie's Gift here as well. As a bonus, each of these lessons is free! Or you can download my free lesson plans for my books on my website.

Student cartoons illustrating scenes from The Well of Sacrifice.

The Curriculum Corner website offers a download of Historical Fiction Resources. Some of these sound really interesting, with lessons on Comparing Fact and Fiction, Visualizing the Time Period, comparing books, comparing the past to today, and thinking about how characters in the story might present themselves in modern social media. The package also offers journal response pages, a comic strip template, book club celebration ideas, and much more.

Teachers Pay Teachers offers a variety of lesson plans when searching for historical fiction. Prices vary from free to over $20. You can get lesson plans I've provided for free, including the ones mentioned above (A CCSS-Aligned Guide for The Eyes of Pharaoh, my middle grade novel set in ancient Egypt; Projects for The Well of Sacrifice, and a Teaching Guide for The Genie's Gift, a middle grade historical fantasy set in the time of the Ottoman Empire).

Teacher Vision has over a hundred items tagged as Historical Fiction, including many book discussion guides.

If you are interested in getting classroom sets of The Well of Sacrifice, The Eyes of Pharaoh or The Genie's Gift at a discount, contact me.

Chris Eboch is the author of over 100 books for children, including nonfiction and fiction, early reader through teen. Her novels for ages nine and up include The Eyes of Pharaoh, a mystery in ancient Egypt; The Well of Sacrifice, a Mayan adventure; The Genie’s Gift, a middle eastern fantasy; and the Haunted series, about kids who travel with a ghost hunter TV show, which starts with The Ghost on the Stairs. 

Chris's 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 https://chriseboch.com/ or her Amazon page.

Ancient Egyptian #Women Inspire Children Today #WomensHistoryMonth

Can reading about remarkable historical women inspire girls and women today?

Research suggests yes. In “How Knowledge of Ancient Egyptian Women Can Influence Today’s Gender Role: Does History Matter in Gender Psychology?“ published in Frontiers in Psychology, the authors report, “Several studies on gender psychology have revealed that social learning and cultural factors affect gender roles and gender behavior.” This study looked specifically at gender inequality in the Middle East. It declares, “Ancient Egyptian female pioneers in science, arts, and even in ruling Egypt as Pharaohs can improve today’s gender role in Egypt and Middle Eastern countries.”

Most teachers probably realize that all girls benefit from seeing female role models in history and in today’s society. However, some educators may tend to focus on European and American examples. This could be a result of unconscious bias, or because these examples are the easiest to find. Teachers may also promote their own childhood heroines, wanting to share the role models who inspired them.

However, seeking out a wider range of cultural examples has benefits. The paper’s authors quote a social learning theory that states, “Individuals are more likely to adopt a modeled behavior if the model is similar to the observer and has an admired status.” In less academic words, children (and adults) are inspired by seeing examples of people like themselves – same gender, same culture. Thus we can combat problems such as sexism and racism, and inspire young people to greater heights, by showing them real world examples of great people from their background.

In other words, Black children benefit from seeing Black role models, Native American children benefit from seeing Native American role models, and so forth. That’s why the paper focuses on the benefits to women in the Middle East learning about female role models in ancient Egypt. It seems reasonable that girls in the US who have families of a Middle Eastern background might also benefit from learning about great women in ancient Egypt.

Both girls and boys benefit from seeing a wide range of female role models throughout history. In addition to gender equality, these examples show racial and cultural equality. They help counter the Western prejudice that tends to show all inventions and advances in civilization as coming from European cultures.

(As a side note, many books and television shows promote the idea that aliens were responsible for the pyramids and other advances in Egyptian or Mayan culture. This stems from a belief that non-European ancient cultures could not possibly have developed scientific advances without outside help. Learning more about ancient cultures can help counter this racism. People will understand that the great pyramids did not suddenly appear out of nothing. Instead we can trace the development of the pyramid through trials such as The Step Pyramid of Djoser and mistakes such as the Blunted or Bent Pyramid)

The article cited above discusses the roles of ancient Egyptian women in medicine, science, education, social life and more. It also compares ancient Egyptian women to ancient Greek women. I recommend reading it.

For some children’s nonfiction on ancient Egypt, see this post: Books and Websites on Ancient Egypt for Classroom Use. But don’t stop with nonfiction! Historical fiction can also offer examples of strong female characters from different cultures and in different times. These previous posts offer guidance:

Find some middle grade Historical Fiction Set in Ancient Egypt.

Learning from the Maya includes a short list of middle grade historical fiction set in Latin America. Celebrate Diversity during Hispanic Heritage Month has links to resources for nonfiction and fiction relating to Hispanic heritage.

And here’s another list of Middle Grade Historical Fiction with Fantastic Female Characters.

Historical Fiction Makes Learning Fun and Connecting Kids to History include examples of using historical fiction in the classroom. In Back to School: Historical Fiction Resources for the Classroom you’ll find links to lesson plans for my historical middle grade novels, and links to many other resources relating to historical fiction.

Fantastic History: Bringing Legends to Life Part 1 and Part 2 list some historical fantasy novels from different cultures. See also Time Travel Novels for Middle Grade Readers.

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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; The Genie’s Gift, a middle eastern fantasy; and the Haunted series, about kids who travel with a ghost hunter TV show, which starts with The Ghost on the Stairs. 

Get lesson plans to use with The Well of Sacrifice, The Eyes of Pharaoh, and The Genies Gift at the “For Teachers“ tab on her website.

Chris's 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.

Chris Eboch on Painful Truths in # History and Historical Fiction

A class acts out a Maya sacrifice scene
from The Well of Sacrifice

Every culture throughout history had problematic aspects. No matter how much you may admire or be fascinated by an era of the past, chances are that period had a dark side. The world today is filled with sexism, racism, slavery, and violence, and the past was certainly no different. 

What should an author of historical fiction do? Are such topics suitable for children? Do they belong in the classroom?

I feel we should write and teach the truth as realistically as possible. This includes writing accurately about the horrors of the past – with some adjustments to make subjects suitable for young audiences.

The Well of Sacrifice is set in Mayan culture. The Maya used human sacrifice and bloodletting in their religious ceremonies. I portrayed these things as accurately as I could (given what we think we know), but, since this novel is for middle grade readers:

• I chose to soften the king’s bloodletting ceremony by having him pierce his tongue instead of his penis.
• I tried to show why they did these things – this was religious devotion, not random violence.
• I described the dangers involved in bloodletting, lest anyone be tempted to try it.
• I showed the risks of accepting human sacrifices – the innocent can be victims.
• The violence is disturbing, to Eveningstar (the main character) and to the reader.

The book includes other violent events as well. Eveningstar doesn’t participate in the violence; she fights it, as do other good characters:

• When slaves plan to rebel, her mother finds a peaceful way to help them escape.
• The enslaved character Small is taken into Eveningstar’s family. Some of his people have been killed by hers. Yet he helps Eveningstar, even saving her life. He shows kindness and forgiveness (and gets freedom in the end). Some young readers say he is their favorite character.
• Eveningstar tries to stop Great Skull Zero, the high priest who is trying to take over the city and sacrificing anyone who stands in the way. She notes, “Great Skull Zero had disrupted the patterns of life. He acted for his own glory, not that of the gods. He must not be allowed to become king.” Still, she never hurts anyone. She fights by finding out the truth, by telling the truth, and by staying alive despite his best efforts to destroy her.

Student projects from The Well of Sacrifice

I wasn't sure if the violence would make it too old for middle grade readers. However, the publisher tagged the book as "for ages nine and up." It's been used in many schools in the fourth grade – although I sometimes do get e-mails from teachers who are struggling to get approval from the administration or the PTA. At least I can tell them that it is being used successfully, and with great enthusiasm. In fact, I've had teachers say, "Girls love the strong heroine, and boys love the gory stuff."

Hey, whatever gets kids reading, right?

Chris Eboch taking notes
in Coba, Mexico

Get lesson plans to use with The Well of Sacrifice, The Eyes of Pharaoh, and The Genies Gift at the "For Teachers" tab on my website.

Subscribe to get posts automatically and never miss a post. You can use the Subscribe buttons to the right, or add http://madaboutmghistory.blogspot.com/ to Feedly or another reader.

In The Well of Sacrifice, a Mayan girl in ninth-century Guatemala rebels against the High Priest who sacrifices anyone challenging his power. Kirkus Reviews called The Well of Sacrifice, “[An] engrossing first novel….Eboch crafts an exciting narrative with a richly textured depiction of ancient Mayan society….The novel shines not only for a faithful recreation of an unfamiliar, ancient world, but also for the introduction of a brave, likable and determined heroine.”

Chris Eboch’s other novels for ages nine and up include The Eyes of Pharaoh, a mystery in ancient Egypt; The Genie’s Gift, a middle eastern fantasy; and the Haunted series, about kids who travel with a ghost hunter TV show, which starts with The Ghost on the Stairs. 

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, 

Chris Eboch: Putting the Story in History

Too many students think history is dry and boring. Historical fiction can bring history to life with action, adventure, and relatable characters.

What is historical fiction?

A real setting, with characters either real or imagined. The plot may be based on real events and partially fictionalized or dramatized, or it may be entirely fictional.

What can historical fiction do?

Bring history to life. Create a vivid background and greater drama. Author Jane Yolen says, “[F]or young students, history comes alive when we concentrate on the end of the word — hiSTORY.

Historical fiction can also connect history to other fields – science (inventions, discoveries, medicine, archeology, anthropology); geography (landscape, climate, flora and fauna); environmental issues; politics; culture (foods, clothing, religious beliefs and values); language (vocabulary, foreign language); art, music and drama.

What makes good historical fiction?

• The story comes first. It's about interesting people doing challenging things in an exciting time and place.
• Details should be relevant and fit naturally into the story. The action shouldn't stop for facts.
• Historical fiction should not be an excuse to lecture within a fictional framework.
• The characters should feel real. Although specifics of religion, social structure and politics differ by time and place, people are motivated by the same basic emotions: love, fear, greed, insecurity, pride, piety, etc. After all, the seven deadly sins are thousands of years old.

Making history live

The best lessons appeal to all five senses. People learn in different ways –through reading, through hearing material allowed, and through doing activities. To get children involved in history and historical fiction, bring the lessons beyond the book(s). Field trips to actual historical sites or museums are great, but there are other options.

Find a parent who has traveled to, or is from, another country and ask them to give a talk. Or ask an expert to visit. Authors may be able to do a classroom visit, in person or via Skype. Actors can help as well – imagine someone talking about ancient Egypt while dressed as a Pharaoh!

Bring in photos or drawings, clothing, toys, and other objects. (Museums and libraries sometimes have educational packs that can be lent out.)

Have the children make posters, act out skits, and write their own stories. For my Mayan novel, The Well of Sacrifice, teachers have developed many classroom projects. (Find these in my Lesson Plans.)

• A group debate project where the students take on the roles of various characters from the book.
• Discussion questions about social roles, coming-of-age rituals, attitude towards death, and more.
• Various art projects, including comic strips, designing a monument, and drawing scenes from the book.
• Team research projects where the students find out more about the Maya.
• A persuasive letter project where the student writes as a character and tries to convince another character to do something.
• Journal questions covering topics such as “Is human sacrifice different from murder? Why or why not?”

At the end of an educational segment centered around The Well of Sacrifice, the teacher may have a party for the kids. Some parents make food appropriate for the historical time and place. The kids share their posters and present their research. They dress in costumes and act out scenes from the book. It's a great time for everyone.

Mayan Pectoral Project

The Maya wore simple clothing—loincloths and cloaks for men, and a sleeveless dress for women. Peasants may have used bark cloth, while the nobility had clothes woven from colorful dyed cotton. Both men and women wore their hair long, often braided in two or four plaits. They also wore necklaces, bracelets, and jewelry in their ears, noses and lips. The jewelry was made of bone, shell, wood or stone for poor people, and of gold or jade for the rich.

Sometimes people wore pectorals—large pendants hanging over the chest. Some were simple circles or rectangles, but others were complex. Here are some designs, taken from ancient paintings and statues. The real ones would have been even bigger—up to six inches across.

You can make your own pectoral. Use the designs here to get ideas. Cut shapes out of colored construction paper and glue or tape them together. You can also paint or draw the designs. Have fun!

— Chris Eboch, The Well of Sacrifice

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; The Genie’s Gift, a middle eastern fantasy; and the Haunted series, about kids who travel with a ghost hunter TV show, which starts with The Ghost on the Stairs. 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.

Subscribe to get posts automatically and never miss a post. You can use the Subscribe buttons to the right, or add http://madaboutmghistory.blogspot.com/ to Feedly or another reader.

Ancient Egypt Speaks to Kids Today: A New Historical Mystery from Chris Eboch

Today I'm celebrating the re-release of my middle grade mystery set in ancient Egypt, The Eyes of Pharaoh, via Spellbound River Press. I've been reaching out to social studies teachers, and we've already had an order for 290 copies (I'm assuming from a school district)! If you are a teacher or librarian interested in finding out if this novel would work in your school, contact me through my website to get a free digital copy for review.

The Eyes of Pharaoh by Chris Eboch: This mystery set in 1350 BCE Egypt, for ages nine and up, introduces young readers to an ancient world. The dangers and intrigues of the time echo in the politics of today, while the power of friendship will touch hearts both young and old.

The Eyes of Pharaoh is ideal for use in elementary and middle school classrooms or by homeschooling students studying ancient Egypt. Suzanne Borchers says, “I teach a gifted class of fourth and fifth graders. Using this historical fiction is 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 also highly recommend it for its fast paced plot, interesting and ‘real’ characters, and excellent writing.”

To help teachers in the classroom, extensive Lesson Plans provide material aligned to the Common Core State Standards. View them here.

The Eyes of Pharaoh is available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book via book retailers and distributors, including Amazon.

Chris Eboch is the author of more than 40 books for young people, including The Well of Sacrifice. This historical drama set in ninth-century Mayan Guatemala is used in many schools as supplemental fiction when students learn about the Maya. Kirkus Reviews said, “The novel shines not only for a faithful recreation of an unfamiliar, ancient world, but also for the introduction of a brave, likable and determined heroine.”

The Eyes of Pharaoh is sure to reach readers in the same way. Ms. Eboch’s other titles include The Genie’s Gift, a middle eastern fantasy; the Haunted series, about kids who travel with a ghost hunter TV show; the fictionalized biographies Jesse Owens: Young Record Breaker and Milton Hershey: Young Chocolatier (part of Simon & Schuster’s Childhood of Famous Americans series); and many nonfiction titles.

Learn more at www.chriseboch.com or my Amazon page.

History and the National Park Service

The National Park Service celebrated its 100th birthday on August 25, 2016. There are two ways to look at history and the NPS. First, there is the history of the founding of the NPS and the stories associated with the establishment of each of the parks, monuments, and sites. Second, there is the history of our country that the NPS preserves at its numerous historical sites.

The first officially designated National Park was Yellowstone, established in 1872. In the years immediately following its creation, civilian superintendents oversaw the protection of Yellowstone; but they lacked the resources to fend off poachers, souvenir hunters, and developers. In 1886, the US Army sent troops to provide muscle to the protective efforts. Today, the Army’s installation there is designated Fort Yellowstone National Historic Landmark and serves as headquarters for Yellowstone National Park. The army relinquished its responsibilities when President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act on August 25, 1916, creating the National Park Service, a federal bureau in the Department of the Interior.

Theodore Roosevelt with John Muir

John Muir, a famous naturalist, was a staunch advocate of creating national parks at Yosemite, Sequoia, Grand Canyon, and Mt. Rainier. President Theodore Roosevelt toured Yosemite with Muir on a camping trip in 1903. Yosemite had been protected by the state of California since 1864 based upon a law signed by President Abraham Lincoln. It was Muir and Roosevelt, however, who worked with California Governor George Pardee to turn Yosemite into a national park in 1906. Theodore Roosevelt also signed the Antiquities Act of 1906, allowing the president to set aside "historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest" in order to stop their destruction. This act has led to the creation of more than fifty national monuments, and the act is being used even now by President Barack Obama. 

This website contains a complete listing of the facilities maintained by the National Park Service:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_areas_in_the_United_States_National_Park_System#National_Historical_Parks

Cavalry Barracks, Fort Laramie, Wyoming

This bring us to the second way of relating history to the NPS. As a writer of historical fiction, primarily oriented toward the middle grade reader, I have relied on personal visits to many NPS historic sites in my research travels. In The Iron Horse Chronicles, many of Will Braddock’s scenes occur at the military forts built to protect the railroad and its workers from attacks by the Indians. Fort Laramie National Historic Site in Wyoming provides the visitor with the ability to see how soldiers lived on the frontier during the time when the first transcontinental railroad was under construction. My frequent visits to Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, though a long way from the frontier, gave me a better understanding of what it would have been like to be a soldier following the Civil War.

Union Pacific Engine #119

An important research site for The Iron Horse Chronicles is the Golden Spike National Historical Site in Utah. Here, the visitor witnesses replicas of two locomotives touch cowcatchers after the reenactment of the driving of the golden spike. To stand near one of these engines when they steam past puts the viewer right into the action—the imagination becomes real life. Walking the ground where history occurred at any such site is worthwhile for students, teachers, and writers.

Although calling it a "kid's" guide might be a turn-off for some middle grade students, the book National Parks: A Kid's Guide to America's Parks, Monuments, and Landmarks, by Erin McHugh, provides an excellent introduction for planning a family visit or school outing. The writing is listed on Amazon and Barnes & Noble as appropriate for ages 8 to 12, but the middle grade student can benefit from reading it. The book concentrates on the environmental parks, but it does include information for some historical sites. For the middle grade teacher, the National Park Service provides lesson plans and other aids at this site: https://www.nps.gov/teachers/index.htm

Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, environmentalist, historian, Wallace Stegner said: "National parks are the best idea we ever had."

Happy Birthday National Park Service!