ReadWriteThink
Looking for the History in Historical Fiction: An Epidemic for Reading
Combine informational reading skills with fictional text in an innovative historical fiction lessons. After reading a fictional text related to diseases, class members read non-fictional text to gain knowledge about specific infectious...
Curated OER
Writing a Historical Fiction Story
What is historical fiction? After explaining the difference to your learners, it's time to give each learner a try! With your support, encourage them to research, plan, and write their own historical fiction story. Don't forget to have a...
Mary Pope Osborne, Classroom Adventures Program
The Backpack Travel Journals
Strap on those backpacks, it's time to travel through history with this literature unit based on the first four books of The Magic Tree House series. While reading through these fun stories, children create story maps, record interesting...
Curated OER
The Adventure Begins: A Historical Fiction
Seventh graders create a piece of historical fiction documenting the immigrant experience in New Brunswick, Canada in the 1800s. Using Internet research from a web exhibit, 7th graders synthesize historical facts with their description...
Curated OER
Story Starters For Historical Fiction Story
Young scholars author their own historical fiction stories. In this writing skills lesson, students use the 10 provided story starters to write fiction stories that incorporate facts from history.
Curated OER
Reliving History through Slave Narratives
Helpful for an American literature or history unit, this lesson prompts middle schoolers to examine slavery in the United States. They read slave narratives that were part of the Federal Writers' Project and then conduct their own...
Curated OER
American Colonial Life in the Late 1700s: Distant Cousins
Students research how early colonists lived. They investigate late 17th century colonist's lives from Massachusetts and Delaware. Using their research, students write historical fiction in the form of friendly letters between the two...
Curated OER
Dramatizing History in Arthur Miller's The Crucible
Students study the effect of history on fictional or dramatic works of art by reading, Arthur Miller's, The Crucible. They examine the ties between a nation's history and culture with the literature it produces.
Curated OER
An Immigrant's Story
Students discuss famous examples of historical fiction as a genre and why it is used so often. They create an original piece of historical fiction by developing a character who is an immigrant to the United States. They are assessed...
Curated OER
1984: How Much Fact in Fiction?
Students compare and contrast the society in Orwell's 1984 with modern society. In this 1984 lesson, students research the historical climate in which Orwell wrote the novel. Students create a comparison chart of privacy issues in the...
Curated OER
History: Fact of Fiction?
Students find a historial novel online and distinguish between fiction and nonfiction books. They research three historical events related to their novel and write a letter to a figure from their novel's time period.
Curated OER
Pre-Reading Preparation
Students explore a given historical fiction story. In groups, they research selected topics dealing with the story and determine what is fiction and what is fact. Students create a multimedia presentation about their findings and...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan - The Barbara Frietchie Story – Fact or Fiction?
Students differentiate between fact and legend. In this Barbara Freitchie instructional activity, students read poetry and non-fiction accounts regarding the story of Freitchie. Students analyze the story of the American patriot to...
Curated OER
Writing American Diaries
Young scholars examine the concept of historical perspective in writing. They read the diary of Sally Wister, a young Patriot from Philadelphia during the Revolutionary Era. Additionally, they must include different points of view in...
Curated OER
Rudyard Kipling's "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi": Mixing Fact and Fiction
"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," from The Jungle Book, offers young readers a chance to examine how Rudyard Kipling uses setting and personification to bring to life the brave mongoose who battles cobras to protect his family. Class members explore...
Curated OER
Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers
Learn about the events that helped shape the United States of America. Elementary schoolers explore the Civil War with six different activities. Each activity has a different focus: literature connections, primary sources, vocabulary,...
Curated OER
Midnight Ride of Paul Revere: Fact, Fiction, and Artistic License
Students examine The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. For this visual arts lesson, students study the historical significance of the event as they examine the Grant Wood painting and primary sources regarding the event.
Curated OER
Mystery in History
Fifth graders research United States history by exploring Roanoke Island. In this colony lesson, 5th graders identify North Carolina geography and the lost colony of Roanoke Island. Students complete a worksheet displaying the facts and...
Rockefeller Archive Center
Understanding Mass Media News
In an age of fake news and photoshopped images, it is vital that 21st century learners development the skills they need to evaluate mass media and assess its validity. A great way to launch such a study is with a carefully crafted lesson...
Curated OER
An Anecdote is Worth a Thousand Pictures
Students identify anecdotes in speeches and the purposes that politicians use the anecdotes for. They create personal anecdotes for the class to hear, and students decide if the anecdote is real or fabricated.
Curated OER
Life in Korea During World War II: When My Name Was Keoko
Twelfth graders review facts about roles of Asia and Japan in World War II, read When My Name Was Keoko to familiarize themselves with daily life and historic events during World War II in Korea, and participate in student-led...
Curated OER
Paul Revere, American Patriot
Students research Paul Revere's life and role in U.S. history by examining first-person accounts, works of historical fiction, a popular narrative poem, and other resources. They create a mural depicting their findings.
Curated OER
A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE: COLUMBUS IN THE NEW WORLD
Eighth graders study the famous explorer Christopher Columbus. For this World History lesson, 8th graders analyze and compare primary and secondary sources. Students discuss as a class the accomplishments of Columbus.
Curated OER
Digging Up Facts
Students research a historical legend. They participate in a discussion of the legend of Kissing Kate Barlow in the novel Holes. Students then chose one of three American legends and use internet research to complete a provided graphic...