[00:00:46] Kirsten: Hello there and welcome back to the Social Studies Teacher podcast. Today we are gonna be talking about one of my favorite ways to bring history to life, and that is historical fiction, my favorite genre.

[00:00:59] I have just gotten into Kristin Hannah Books and loved the Nightingale, and that is based off of World War II, and right now I'm reading The Women by Kristin Hannah. This is based off of the Vietnam War. It's an amazing, amazing book. I recommend the author in general, and if you love historical fiction, I recommend her books in general.

[00:01:23] And I know as an adult we might have a variety of, you know, different historical fiction novels that we could look up, but I know as elementary students it might be a struggle getting your students engaged with history in general. But there are some upper elementary level historical fiction books that can be a game changer

[00:01:48] because historical fiction, this genre, allows students to step into the shoes of historical figures or settings and experience key events through a personal lens, as well as connect with the past in a way that textbooks or secondary sources just can't match. So in this episode, I'm going to be sharing with you why historical fiction is so powerful for teaching history,

[00:02:17] some key elements to look for in a great historical fiction book, and some of my top historical fiction recommendations for upper elementary students. Whether you're looking for a read aloud, or a novel study, or just a great book to add to your classroom library for next year or this current year, I've got you covered.

[00:02:39] So let's dive in. Now, we are going to first talk about why historical fiction is a thing in the first place. Why can't we just teach the history through a textbook or a video or primary sources? While textbooks will give us some facts and primary sources provide firsthand evidence, that's always great to know,

[00:03:00] historical fiction does something different. It helps students emotionally connect to the past. Here's why it works so well. It makes history personal. Instead of memorizing your dates and your facts and your events, students are experiencing history through characters, possibly their age. For example, if you've heard of the story Number the Stars by Louis Lowry, this is a really great novel, the girls are maybe around fourth or fifth grade. I think they're around nine or 10. This is just a really great way to help students feel the fear and the bravery of kids their age during World War II rather than just reading about it. It also builds empathy with understanding.

[00:03:44] Historical fiction typically will give students a variety of perspectives. They can see how different people experienced the same event. Another example, inside out and back again, shows what it was like for a refugee fleeing the Vietnam War. This was written by

[00:04:03] Thanhha Lai. A third reason why historical fiction is so great for your students is that it provides context for complex topics. Some historical topics are hard to grasp through just facts and historical fiction can add the emotion and the dialogue and the character experiences that make the events so much more relatable.

[00:04:26] The Great Depression can feel more real when students read a very popular book, Bud Not Buddy, and see how a child navigate the hardships of that era.

[00:04:37] Bud Not Buddy is a novel that is written by Christopher Paul Curtis.

[00:04:43] It also strengthens reading and critical thinking skills. I talk about this a lot, but it is so important because students can analyze characters and make inferences and compare fiction to real historical events, so they're building those literacy skills and comprehension skills while also learning social studies

[00:05:00] so you can kill two birds with one stone. And number five, it engages reluctant readers. Not every student loves history, but a well-written story can pull them in and make them curious about the real events behind the fiction. One novel that I specifically remember reading in middle school, I think I was maybe in sixth or seventh grade, was called Ashes of Roses,

[00:05:27] by Mary Jane Och, and I thought it was the most interesting book that I had read in a long time. It was surrounding the real events of the Triangle Shirt waist factory in New York. Most of the characters were immigrants from, I believe, Ireland and Italy. And it just kind of surrounds like their day-to-day life and the factory and then what ended up happening after.

[00:05:54] And it was all based on true events. So it was really interesting to me and it made me wanna learn further about the true story that took place.

[00:06:02] Now, not all historical fiction books are created equal. When choosing books, I wanna share with you some things to look for. Number one, think about a clear historical setting. The book should accurately portray the time period. Details about clothing, language, daily life, and key events should feel authentic.

[00:06:24] Something I really loved about The Nightingale, this is an adult book by Kristen Hannah, is the way she described how the characters or the village people or the people in the area were cooking their meals. One specifically I remember is when she was cooking fish and it goes into detail about how she was mixing in the onions and potatoes and I think she added lemon onto the fish

[00:06:50] and how she used a little bit of oil, it was precious, and also describing how they hadn't had real coffee, and so they could tell the difference between the different versions that they were using and pretending it was coffee, and how the food that they had changed throughout the course of the war.

[00:07:08] Because most of the story takes place in Nazi occupied France. So that was just something that made it really authentic is just the description of the food and how kind of the food and what they had to prepare and what was available varied and changed throughout the course of World War II. The other thing to think about is a relatable main character.

[00:07:34] Upper elementary students connect best with child or preteen protagonists who experience history firsthand. Going back to the Nightingale, I was able to relate to it because the main characters were around my age. The older sister was more my age from what it seemed like, and the younger sister was maybe, you know, young teenager, young adult.

[00:07:57] So just different age groups could depend on what you're reading. But I know that I really appreciated as a kid reading stories, even though they may not have been real about children or preteens my age, just depending on what I was reading and when I was reading it. The third thing to think about is historical accuracy.

[00:08:19] The best books blend real events with fictional characters in a way that stays true to history, nothing glaring that's completely inaccurate. I survived books will take real disasters and add fictional characters to help kids understand the event. So there's one on Hurricane Katrina, there's one on the September 11th attacks, there's one on the Titanic, and I think that they do a really good job of making it real, it's accurate to what actually happens,

[00:08:49] and the main characters are usually , child or preteen around the upper elementary grade level, or age. Another thing to think about is themes that spark discussion. A great book makes students ask questions, feel emotions, and think critically about historical events. And lastly, of course, engaging storytelling.

[00:09:12] The history should feel like part of the story, and it's not like a forced history lesson that is disguised and feels inauthentic. It's something that draws students in. Now for the fun part, I have some book recommendations.

[00:09:28] I'm not gonna leave you high and dry. I did mention some, but I did want to share with you some of my favorite historical fiction books for upper elementary students, and I'm going to organize it by time period. I also have additional recommendations like specific links through good reads.

[00:09:46] You can check out those specific links in the show notes or in the description where you're listening or watching this video. So here is the first section, colonial America and the American Revolution. I recommend Blood on the River by Elisa Carbon. This follows a boy traveling to Jamestown in 1607.

[00:10:06] It's really great for teaching early settlements and interactions with indigenous peoples. It's something that we always did as novel studies for fifth grade. So this was a really great book that I think students really got into. Chains by Lori Hus Anderson. This follows an enslaved girl in New York during the American Revolution, and this is a really great way to incorporate diverse perspectives on the war.

[00:10:32] Just a different perspective than what you normally think about with loyalists and the Patriots and all of that. Now let's talk about some recommendations related to the Civil War and reconstruction. One recommendation I have is called Rifles for Wadi by Harold Keith. This is a classic novel about a young soldier who fights for both the union and the Confederate side.

[00:10:55] There's also a book called Freedom's Wings, and this is from the My America Series by Sharon Dennis Wyeth. This is a diary style book, and they have a variety of characters in the My America Series. This specifically is about a boy that is escaping slavery through the Underground Railroad. In relation to the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl,

[00:11:18] there's Bud, not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis, like I mentioned earlier. This follows a boy traveling during the Great Depression in search of his father. And then Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, I hope I'm pronouncing that right. It's written in free verse Poetry showing a Young Girl's Life in the Dust Bowl era, Oklahoma, and this book specifically, I remember reading in sixth grade and I loved it.

[00:11:45] The others I have read and had in my classroom library, it's highly recommended. And back into World War II and the Holocaust, there's Number The Stars by Lois Lowry. This is a powerful story of a Danish girl helping her Jewish best friend escape the Nazis. And then there's also

[00:12:06] the war that saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. This follows a disabled girl that evacuated from London during World War II, and it's another great way to discuss children's experiences during the war. In relation to civil rights movement in the 20th century, there's Glory B by Augusta Scattergood.

[00:12:26] This is in relation to a girl in Mississippi during the 1964 Freedom Summer, and she learns about segregation. And Brown girl dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson is a really great memoir about growing up during the civil rights era. And lastly, last category, immigration and global history. There is, like I mentioned earlier, inside out and back again by Thanhha Lai

[00:12:52] and it follows a Vietnamese girl that adjusts to life in America after fleeing the Vietnam War. And you also have Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, which I've mentioned in other episodes. This is about a Mexican girl who becomes a farm worker during the Great Depression. So this is great for global history, but also could be great if you're talking about the Great Depression, just thinking about a different perspective.

[00:13:18] Now that you have some ideas for some great historical fiction books, or you might have already gotten your list that you want to do, how would you use it in the classroom? So I'm gonna share with you some ideas. One easy way is doing the classroom read aloud and pause for discussions, read a chapter each day.

[00:13:40] You can ask students, what challenges did the main character face, or how does this compare to what we've learned in social studies or just questions about the plot in general and how the book is advancing in the plot and all that great stuff. I do have an episode on classroom read alouds, if that's something you're interested in doing, but don't know what, how to get started or what to do.

[00:14:03] The second idea is comparing fiction to facts. So have students research the real history behind the book. For example, you might read number the Stars, students can research how Denmark helped Jewish citizens escape the Nazis because that actually did happen. Then another idea I have is creative writing.

[00:14:23] Have students write a diary entry or a letter or newspaper article from the perspective of a character in the book. You could also do something interesting like book and movie comparisons. If there's a film version of the book that you're reading, you can compare how the book and the movie might portray history differently or

[00:14:46] we all know how it goes. Harry Potter is one really great example. It's not historical fiction, but there's a big difference between what you see in the book and what you see in the movie. So you could do something fun and compare that. And lastly, thematic book clubs. Let students choose from a variety of historical fiction books related to a unit such as World War II or the American Revolution.

[00:15:12] Then discuss as a small group. So in summary, historical fiction is a really great way to teach history because it's just a way to have them engaged, it's more personal, and it's also very meaningful. I would love to hear what your favorite historical fiction books are to use in social studies or to teach with.

[00:15:35] Let's keep the conversation going. I'd love to hear from you. I'd love for you to share this episode and just let's get some conversations going about a variety of recommended historical fiction books. Thank you so much for listening to this episode. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day, and I will talk to you next time.