Day 7: Experiential Learning Lesson Plan

Discovering Historical Fiction via Oral History

Grade: 9-12 English/Language Arts

Time: 2-3 class periods, starting on a Friday or holiday

Goals

• To introduce the genre of historical fiction
• To teach the importance of oral history to different cultures
• To show how oral history has influenced literature
• To get students writing about their own past and lives
• To craft a narrative about the students' personal histories

Learning Objectives

• Students will be able to:
  • Define “historical fiction” and “oral history” in their own words
  • Interview family members, friends, or others in their community to learn about their histories
  • Pre-write a historical fiction narrative about members of their family or community or themselves
  • Write a 1-2 page story using the elements of historical fiction we discussed and the information gleaned from their families

Purpose/Rationale

Historical fiction can be boring, especially for adolescents. But students come to the classroom with rich, interesting histories. Having them learn the genre through their own experiences before they start reading published works of historical fiction will allow the students to better understand the genre and the personalization of the project will motivate them.

Learning about their communities and sharing with each other will strengthen the bonds in the classroom community. Many of the students will already know some of these stories through oral history and will receive a boost of confidence when they realize that they know the genre already.

This interdisciplinary lesson will address standards in the writing process (pre-writing, peer editing, grammar and structure, etc), critical thinking, and genre studies.

Prior Teacher Preparation

• The teacher will:
  • Review oral history and historical fiction
  • Research local history to provide ideas to students who don't have anyone to go to
    • Find teachers, librarians, and others who would be willing to be interviewed just in case
  • Prepare interview sheets
  • Write her own historical fiction narrative to share with the class before they begin

Materials and Resources

1. Pre-written historical fiction narrative
2. Examples of historical fiction from books and stories we will use later in the unit
3. Interview sheets and story outline handout x 30
4. Youtube clips of oral history x 2
5. Membership to a genealogy website (if free)

Procedure

1. Introduction/Lecture
   1. Start by telling an engaging short story about people or places in their neighborhood that they will recognize
   2. Explain why the story is important/what impact it has had on the community
   3. Introduce the terms “historical fiction” and “oral history” and review with the other genres we have examined
   4. Give a brief overview of what historical fiction usually includes and what separates it from oral history, legends, and historical fact
   5. Show a video of a storyteller (Youtube oral history clips)
   6. Show “Storytellers” from the library of congress- play a clip from my mother/brother's interview
2. Do it
   1. Explain the assignment to students. They will:
      1. Choose a family member, older friend, or community member to interview.
      2. In class, use the interview sheet to craft questions that would help them create a story.
         1. What are you interested in? Love stories? Stories of immigration? The people who built your community? The music scene 40 years ago? Provide them with ideas and take suggestions for brainstorming. Have them modify and add to the interview sheet to reflect these interests.
         2. Advise them that their interviews may take them in a different direction and they should go with it, as they will learn more that way.
      3. Have permission to expand on the truth, as it is fiction.
         1. They will use the information gathered from their interview and prior knowledge to write a narrative of what they thought it was like 'back then.'
      4. Use the last minutes in class to let them know what resources are available to them should they have a problem finding someone to interview.
      5. Homework: After class, complete their interviews and investigations and pre-write their stories using the outline handout.
   2. The next class:
      1. Students will spend the first period using their interview sheets, outlines, and resources in the classroom to write their first draft.
         Prompt: Using what you learned this weekend, write a short narrative about a moment in the past of your community.
      2. They will have access to the internet and genealogy websites.
      3. The second half of class, they will trade with a peer and complete peer review as taught previously.
      4. Homework: Finish their stories using suggestions from their peers and input from their community family member/friend if possible.
3. Share
   1. The last unit: Sharing each story with the class.
   2. Emphasize respect and that now we are participating in oral history.

4. Processing: Discussion time
   1. Ask the students what their stories had in common and what was different
   2. Discuss common themes in more detail depending on who shares what
   3. Discuss the short story narrative and how they participated in it
   4. Link to their common core standards and what they should have learned from the text
      
      
5. Generalizing
   1. Connect to the next readings we'll be doing for the historical fiction unit
   2. Ask if they feel more connected to both the genre and the community?
      
      
6. Application
   1. How will this make you think of your communities or families from now on?
   2. Does historical fiction seem more interesting now?
   3. What do you think you'll enjoy about historical fiction? What particular time period
7. Assessment
   1. Grading the stories:
      1. Prewriting: Outline and interview sheet
      2. Peer editing
      3. Final draft
         1. Traits of historical fiction
         2. Grammar, spelling, and structure
         3. Followed the narrative prompt
            
            
8. Self Reflection
   1. Did the students seem to grasp the key concepts?
   2. Was it enough time to complete the assignment? Too much time?
   3. What was surprising?
   4. Samples of stories