History
and literature go hand in hand. It is
through journals, diaries, and storytelling that history is passed down from
generation to generation. There are novels, both fiction and non-fiction, that
can be used to make history come alive for students.
*Night
John
Gary
Paulsen’s “Night John” tells the story of Sarny. Sarny is a young slave girl
who lives on a plantation somewhere in the South in the 1950’s. Sarny’s mother has been sold, and she is
being raised by another slave named Dealey. One day the Master purchases a new
slave named John. John is unlike the
other slaves because he can read and write which is against the law. Although
he had escaped from slavery earlier, Night John has returned to the South to
teach the other slaves how to read and write.
The
book was first published in 1993. It can be used to teach about the slavery,
the Civil War, and the importance of reading.
It can also be used to compare and contrast the lives of African slaves
with those of the indentured servants that helped settle the first colonies in
America.
*To
Kill a Mockingbird
“To
Kill a Mockingbird” is the thought provoking book by Harper Lee. It is set in 1936 in Maycomb, Alabama during
the Great Depression. It is centered around the trial of Tom Robinson, a young
black man who is accused of rape. It is told from the point-of-view of Scout, a
teen year old girl, and it is based on the events surrounding “The Scottsboro
Trials”.
“To
Kill a Mockingbird” is a heartwarming novel.
It is rich with humor and innocence even though it discusses the serious
social issue of rape. “To Kill a Mockingbird” can be used to discuss the
effects of the Great Depression in America.
It can also be used to discuss Jim Crow laws, “The Scottsboro Trials”,
racial inequality, and even the judicial system.
*She
Said Yes
“She
Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall” by Misty Bernall is the
true story of Cassie Bernall. Cassie
Bernall is one of the victims of the Columbine High School shooting. The book is based on witnesses’ reports that
Cassie was praying when one of the shooters asked her if she believed. Cassie reportedly said, “Yes, I believe” just
before she was fatally shoot.
Teachers
can use this incredible sad novel to teach about the Columbine High School
shooting and other similar acts of terrorism.
*Out
of the Dust
This
novel by Karen Hesse is set in Oklahoma from 1934-1935 during the Dust
Bowl. It is about the life of Billie Jo
and her family. Although times are tough
and the neighbors are all running away from the land and the endless dust, her
father insists that they tough it out.
Unfortunately, they cannot win against the relentless dust, and one
innocent mistake has disastrous results.
“Out
of the Dust” can be used to teach about life during the Great Depression and
the Dust Bowls. It can also be used to
discuss the causes of the Dust Bowl and the things that the government and
farmers did to try to stop them.
*Briar
Rose
“Briar
Rose” by Jane Yolen starts when Rebecca Berlin’s grandmother “Gemma” dies. Rebecca becomes curious about her
grandmother’s past and begins to ask questions about Gemma and the strange
story she always told Rebecca at bedtime.
It is the German fairytale, “The Briar Rose” an alternate to “The Sleeping
Beauty”. The novel moves back and forth
between the present and the past.
Rebecca eventually learns that her grandmother is actually a survivor of
the Holocaust.
“Briar
Rose” is an alternative to the traditional books used to teach students about on
the Holocaust. It can be used to discuss World War II, the Holocaust, and
Jewish culture.
*Sarah
Plain and Tall
Written
by Patricia MacLachlan, “Sarah, Plain, and Tall” is about life in the West
during the 19th century. A
widower, Jacob Witting, decides to place an ad for a mail-order bride to help
him raise his two children Caleb and Anna.
Sarah, a tall and plain woman from Maine, comes to answer Jacob’s
advertisement.
This
short novel can be used with young teenagers and tweens to teach about life in
the Old West. It can also be the basis
for a discussion on “mail-order brides”.
The teacher can discuss the reason someone would become a mail-order
bride and why western farmers would find the need to place an advertisement for
a wife.
*Call
of the Wild
Jack
London’s “Call of the Wild” is a novel about a dog named Buck. Buck is a family dog that is kidnapped from
his home in California and taken to the Yukon to work as a sled dog. The story takes place during the Klondike
Gold Rush. Buck learns the brutal
lessons of life as a sled dog. Buck’s instincts help him to become one with the
wilderness.
This
novel can be used to discuss the Klondike and the California Gold Rush. Students can also examine the effects of the
discovery of gold on California’s demographics and economy.
There
are many different novels that are not just fun to read. They are also a great
way to spice up any history lesson.
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