For the past six weeks grade 7 History has had the look of an English class: students pouring over novels and pulling out themes; presenting plot and narrative elements, doodling ideas for story arcs, and writing first chapters.
One of the most overlooked ways of learning history is through historical fiction. A well-written piece of historical fiction–short story, novel, or tome–reads like a really good story and informs like a text book. But unlike a textbook, which can hammer the information into a reader’s head, historical fiction is all about finesse as it weaves those same details through the narrative. In literary terms, a textbook is all about telling. Historical fiction is all about showing.
We read a novel together, a lively one called “Roman Invasion” about that empire’s expansion into Britain and the resistance of the tribes there. Like all good historical fiction for students, “Roman Invasion” is told through the eyes of a teenager. From this novel we pulled out the major elements of historical fiction…which the students then applied to the next novel. This was of their choosing and students read about everything from Queen Elizabeth on to Cleopatra and the trenches of World War One. Students presented these novels to the class, highlighting how each book demonstrates the elements of historical fiction.
Now comes the fun part. Grade 7 is in the midst of writing their own historical fiction, with the first draft coming off the press next week. It was a great week watching the students struggle and succeed as they sought to write captivating prose while blending in details and setting from the historical period they’ve chosen. Of particular interest is how they’ve created and developed their main character.
As a History teacher, I just love seeing the students successfully make that blend. It shows me that they’ve internalized the researched information and can now express it in a creative way. I invite you to read your student’s work and, as a reader, make suggestions for improvement.