Exploring the American Past
Mary Reger
4th Grade
Teacher
Historical Fiction Unit
Language Arts/Social
Studies
3rd-5th
grade
Overview: This is a Language Arts/Social Studies
unit exploring the past through historical fiction. The unit will cover read alouds, prewriting activities with
an illustrated historical fiction story written by each student.
Purpose: The purpose of this unit is to expose students to different times in history through reading and writing. Although they will look at different times in history four periods will be the main focus: The Revolutionary War Period, The Settler/Pioneer Period (for the purposes of this unit it will cover the mid 1800Ős to the early 1900Ős), The Civil War Period, and The Depression.
To download all lessons for
this unit, click here.
Introductory
Lesson: What is the meaning of history? How do we learn about history? Students learn about primary and secondary sources.
Lesson
#1: How can historical fiction stories teach us about
history? Students make
text-to-self connections to relate to people from the past.
Lesson
#2: Students analyze photos, newspaper articles, diaries, and
advertisements to compare the past to the present.
Lesson
#3: Students complete a compare/contrast chart using pictures of
rooms in different houses.
Lesson
#4: Students identify artifacts and write short stories using
the artifacts in the story.
Lesson
#5: Using web resources, students examine national sources and
identify if they are primary or secondary.
Lesson
#6: After reading a brief history of Zay Wright, a local girl
from the early 20th century, the students will write a page in a
journal as if they were Zay.
Lesson
#7: Students complete a graphic organizer to plan a story, and
then participate in the shared writing of that story.
Lesson
#8: What is historical fiction? Students write a historical fiction story, using at least
two primary sources.
Overall the unit will take
about one month if the entire unit is taught. It is suggested that for 4th
grade it also be taught in conjunction with the Illinois Unit.
This unit and these lessons
are meant to only be a guide. You
may elaborate and change it in anyway to meet the needs of your classroom. Have fun with it and enjoy the past!
1.
Garrison, Webb, A Treasury of Civil War Tales (Rutledge Hill
Press, 1988).
2.
Library of Congress, The American Revolution: Writings from the War
of Independence (Library of Congress, 2001).
3. Martinello, Mario Z., The Search for EmmaŐs Story
(Texas Christian University Press,
1987).
4.
McDowell, Bart, Revolutionary War (National Geographic Society,
1967).
Materials: