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You are here: Home / freebies / Teaching Historical Fiction
freebies, literacy, reading, social studies

Teaching Historical Fiction

March 27, 2012

I teach reading and writing workshops using different genres each month. Right now we’re reading biographies and historical fiction in reading workshop so my students are drafting autobiographies in writing workshop. I have a confession to make though… history and social studies just aren’t my favorite subjects to learn about. However, I do my best to make them interesting for my students so they won’t grow up thinking history is just boring, old, useless facts the same way I did. 

I usually have students select a historical fiction chapter book from our library to read independently during reading workshop. I like to use the My America series for this, as well as favorites like Sarah, Plain and Tall. I also read aloud When the Soldiers Were Gone by Propp each year. Before sending students off to work in their different books, we spend a few weeks getting ready as a class first.

 

Last week we read “Boom Town” by Levitin from our basal. It’s about a family moving west during the gold rush and the hardships they face while their father struggles to find gold. The main character, Amanda, starts a very successful business of her own selling pies and they live happily ever after (sorry, couldn’t resist!). In guided reading we read nonfiction books about children’s lives during different periods of history. The nonfiction was easier than historical fiction because the text features and organization make the facts easier to follow.

I think the hardest part for my students each year is putting themselves in the past in order to understand just how different life was. It’s hard for students to imagine life without all of our technology and inventions, and they often don’t understand subtle facts woven into the story. They also point out pieces of the story that aren’t necessarily historical fiction, like a character using a wooden spoon. This year, I tried a few different ideas in addition to old favorites.


First, I had students create a quick sketch of a scene from the beginning, middle, and end of the historical fiction story. We used a large piece of construction paper folded into third vertically. They labeled items in the picture that supported the historical fiction genre (wood stoves, wagons) and wrote historical details around their sketch (gold rush, town development). The visual helped them focus on the character details, setting clues, and plot events that were from the past.


After that, I made a t-chart. Students wrote important events from the book on the left and their inferences about the past on the right. We had to work really hard to use clues from the book and information we learned during guided reading to pick out the important details. You can grab a free copy of my chart here.

Finally, we used some of my favorite printables from The Mailbox to create a log cabin and wagon wheel about our stories.  It’s a long process, but I think we just might be on the right track!


graphic organizer historical fiction
by Christi Fultz 

About Christi Fultz

wife • mom • teacher • writer • tech obsessed • sometime crafter • beach lover | Empowering entrepreneurs through branding & website design

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Comments

  1. Kim says: March 28, 2012 at 2:00 am

    Hi Christi:

    I just recently found–and started following your blog.
    Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres to teach–so I loved this post!

    Kim
    Finding JOY in 6th Grade

    • Christi at Ms. Fultz's Corner says: March 29, 2012 at 9:18 pm

      Oh, thank you! I wasn't too into history when I started, but we have more fun with it each year.

  2. KRISTA says: March 29, 2012 at 12:16 am

    Hi Christi! Thanks for sharing all of your great ideas! We use Sarah Plain and Tall and BoomTown also. We use these in conjunction with our Westward Expansion unit in social studies.

    Have a great rest of the week!

    Krista
    stellar-students

  3. Christi at Ms. Fultz's Corner says: March 29, 2012 at 9:17 pm

    My kids are always confused in Boom Town when they wash in a tub under the stars. They have such a hard time imagining what life was like 'back then' and how lucky we are with our modern conveniences. They think the frontier deals with outer space before our unit. ha!

  4. 3rd Grade Thoughts says: March 31, 2012 at 2:43 am

    Love this! We are starting HF when we get back from Spring Break, so this is perfect timing- thanks so much!!

    ~Stephanie
    3rd Grade Thoughts

  5. Right Down the Middle says: September 8, 2012 at 3:08 pm

    I was searching for historical fiction ideas and came upon your blog. So cute! I am now a follower! Great post!
    Andrea M. Bentley

Christi Fultz

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As an experienced third grade teacher with a Masters in Elementary Education and K-12 reading license, I know educational resources need to be both inviting and engaging to capture students' interests. I am passionate about creating user-friendly resources to help all students learn while saving valuable prep for teachers. Read More…

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Joy // I shared this in stories, but it deserves a Joy // I shared this in stories, but it deserves a permanent place in my feed too. When do we lose this endless wonder and joy?? These kids are here for a good time all the time. 

They loved a night in a hotel to swim and play. It wasn’t a relaxing experience away with a spa like many of my trips pre-kids, but it was exactly what we needed.
Proof Of Mom // Took the kids to opening day at @k Proof Of Mom // Took the kids to opening day at @kentuckykingdom today. After moving back to Louisville last summer, it’s been fun exploring old places that are “new” to my kids. The new ownership seems to have big plans for the park. Carter is eager for the water rides to open. We’ll be back soon!

#kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #derbycitymama #kentuckymom ⁠#locallouisville #louisvillelove #mylouisville⁠ #howwelou #louisvilleigers #momsaroundlouisville #momlife
Happy Easter // So blessed to be their momma. 🐰 Happy Easter // So blessed to be their momma. 🐰

#kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #derbycitymama #kentuckymom  #locallouisville #louisvillelove #mylouisville⁠ #howwelou #louisvilleigers #momsaroundlouisville #momlife #instagrammom #momsofig
New Dress // This girly of mine is all smiles for New Dress // This girly of mine is all smiles for her new Target dress. I have trouble getting her to look directly at the camera and give me a real smile. Swipe to see her “whole face smile” look. 😆 I am so blessed to be her momma.

Spring break was so much fun. It makes me really excited for summer break with them. This is such a fun age.

#kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #derbycitymama #kentuckymom ⁠#locallouisville #louisvillelove #mylouisville⁠ #howwelou #louisvilleigers #momsaroundlouisville #momlife #instagrammom #momsofig #girlmama
Spring Break // We had a blast at @greatwolflodge Spring Break // We had a blast at @greatwolflodge for spring break! Carter said his favorite part was a tie between playing and eating… we did a lot of both! This was our first time, but we learned quite a few tips and tricks that I’ll share on the blog soon.

#greatwolflodge #greatwolflodgemasonohio #greatwolflodgeohio #kentuckyblogger #kentuckymom #momlife #instagrammom #momsofig #springbreakwithkids #springbreak2022
Spring // We are all smiles over here for warmer w Spring // We are all smiles over here for warmer weather and days spent playing outside. ⁠
⁠
⁠
#kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #derbycitymama #kentuckymom ⁠#locallouisville #louisvillelove #mylouisville⁠ #howwelou #louisvilleigers #momsaroundlouisville #momlife #instagrammom #momsofig #girlmama #springinkentucky
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