Getting Students Involved in Authenticating Historical Fiction

In this article in The Reading Teacher, Erin McTigue, Elaine Thornton, and Patricia Wiese (Texas A&M University/College Station) describe advantages and concerns with using historical fiction in classrooms – among them, it can bring history alive for students, but it can also convey misinformation. The authors suggest authentication projects in which students choose a work of historical fiction and answer questions like these:

• What are the geographical and social settings? Are they accurate?
• What are the beliefs of the characters and are they authentic?
• What are the major plot events? Does the plot depict historical events accurately?
• What are the major conflicts in the book and are they authentic for the time period?
• What are the major themes? Are these themes found in other literature in this period?

The authors suggest a number of books that would be suitable for authentication projects:

• Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi (2002)
• My Brother Sam Is Dead by Collier and Collier (1974)
• The Misadventures of Maude March by Couloumbis (2005)
• The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Curtis (1995)
• Bud, Not Buddy by Curtis (1999)
• Elijah of Buxton by Curtis (2007)
• The Mighty Miss Malone by Curtis (2012)
• Catherine, Called Birdy by Cushman (1994)
• Johnny Tremain by Forbes (1943)
• Escaping Into the Night by Friedman (2006)
• All the Way Home by Giff (2001)
• Out of the Dust by Hesse (1997)
• Penny from Heaven by Holm (2006)
• Across Five Aprils by Hunt (1964)
• The Trumpeter of Krakow by Kelly (1928)
• The Green Glass Sea by Klages (2006)
• Hattie Big Sky by Larson (2006)
• Number the Stars by Lowry (1989)
• Sarah, Plain and Tall by MacLacian (1985)
• Desperate Journey by Murphy (2006)
• Island of the Blue Dolphins by O’Dell (1960)
• A Single Shard by Park (2001)
• Esperanza Rising by Ryan (2000)
• The Wednesday Wars by Schmidt (2007)
• The Sign of the Beaver by Speare (1983)
• Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Taylor (1976)
• Moon Over Manifest by Vanderpool (2010)
• Behind the Bedroom Wall by Williams (1996)
• One Crazy Summer by Williams-Garcia (2010)
• Dragon’s Gate by Yep (1993)
• The Devil’s Arithmetic by Yolen (1988)

“Authentication Projects for Historical Fiction: Do You Believe It?” by Erin McTigue, Elaine Thornton, and Patricia Wiese in The Reading Teacher, March 2013 (Vo. 66, #6, p. 495-505), 

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/TRTR.1132/abstract; McTigue can be reached at emctigue@tamu.edu. 

From the Marshall Memo #480