Historical Fiction
(Adapted from a blog piece written by Martina Henke 2018)We are wired for story. Tell us a story and we are hooked. A simple search on the topic of storytelling will quickly show that we humans learn through story, connect through story, grow through story. So it just makes sense that we would use story to connect students to the reality of historical events.This week our middle school students began our Units of Study unit on the genre of historical fiction. This is not necessarily a genre that most students clamor to read, in the way that fantasy and science fiction flies from our shelves. But it is a genre that can take the stark facts of our history book and set them within compelling stories that help students understand the contexts, times, and people that shaped them. It’s a way to combine the “vitamins” with some “chocolate cake.”As they learn to read this unique genre, students will be learning about historical events and time periods, but they’ll also learn about how to read the genre: how challenging setting and character development can be; how the internal traits of characters conflict with external conflicts raging around them; how themes develop in these kinds of books; how to go outside the text to shore up background knowledge so the story makes sense (Hello nonfiction and -gasp- textbooks!)

They’ll learn to differentiate between the fiction in these books and the facts that surround the great stories. They’ll examine multiple perspectives; begin to understand the complexity of issues that seem, on the face, simple; and have the chance to break through stereotypes. They will go deeper into topics that interest them, and wrestle with difficult questions.  Most importantly, they can learn something about themselves, since most characters in their books are young people like them. How would they react in similar circumstances? Was that the right choice? How might things have been different, if only…?

The topics of our books can be heavy, because if it’s worth writing about, it’s likely a tough topic. Students will be reading about things that expose them to some hard truths about our world. Already this week several have come into class railing at the unfairness they are reading about. It’s a perfect starting point for discussion. “You’re right! It WAS unfair. What kind of world will YOU be creating as you grow up? How can you change our future?”  Our emerging young adults are interested in the world and how it works; they are passionate about justice and equity. This unit will hopefully kindle an interest in this genre. But our best hope is that it generates an awareness of how much we have to learn from history and the stories of people who’ve struggled, suffered, persevered, and triumphed – and continue to today.

And who knows… they might even find a reason to read that textbook every now and then!