Out of the Dust by Karen HesseOut of the dust is a historical fiction novel that is told through first-person narrative poems. It is a Newbery medal winner for students in grades 3-7. The book focuses on the life of Billie Jo, a young girl who tries desperately to help her family during the Great Depression. After her mother dies tragically, Billie has to do a great deal on her farm in Oklahoma. This book tells Billie's story of struggle as she grieves her mother's death and helps her father not only on the farm but in his own grieving as well. Because this story is told through a great deal of narrative poetry, this would serve as a great tool for students in studying this type of poetry and practicing writing in it as well. Students would be asked to identify the characteristics of narrative poetry, identify these characteristics that are contained in Out of the Dust, and then write their own narrative poem in which they tell about one time in which they grieved the loss of someone special to them.
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The Slave Dancer by Paula FoxThe Slave Dancer is a historical fiction work that won the Newbery Award and is intended for grades 6-8. The book tells the story of Jessie Bollier, a boy who loves to play his fife on a dock in New Orleans. Suddenly, Jessie is kidnapped by a slave ship and torn from everything and everyone that he loves, except for his fife. This is because on the slave ship, his one job is to play the fife so that the slaves aboard may dance and stay fit and able to work. This book touches on the horrible nature of the slave industry, and the great deal of cruelty that slaves experienced, especially on ships such as this one. The story recounts many of the horrors that Jessie witnesses on the ship, and speaks on the inhumanity of slavery. This story includes many great quotes that emphasize the brutality of slavery. As a lesson activity, a teacher could ask his or her students to pick at least 5 of these quotes, and with each quote they choose, write one paragraph on how that quote highlights the inhumanity of slavery. If teaching in a Catholic school, this would serve as a great lesson on human dignity and the Bible's words on why the dignity of the human is so important.
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Number the Stars by Lois LowryNumber the Stars is a historical fiction work that is intended for grades 4-6, and one that won the Newbery Medal, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award, and the National Jewish Book Award for Children's Literature. This book gives a personal insight into the Holocaust, specifically when German soldiers began to capture and move all Jews who lived in Denmark. Annemarie Johansen's family takes in her friend, Ellen, and disguises her as part of the family so that she will not have to leave Denmark. This book tells of the tragic event of the Holocaust and the many effects that it had on countless Jewish families and lives, as the Jews of Denmark are forced to move to Sweden and many families are split apart. This book would be great for creating an activity and lesson in history. This book highlights the fact that the Holocaust did not affect every group of Jewish people in the same way, as some were forced to concentration camps, others relocated, ect. The students could be given an option of several different places where Jews lived during the Holocaust, and submit a fact sheet or an essay on how that particular group of Jews was affected by the Holocaust. This could not only serve as a great lesson in history for its factual content, but it could also teach about how different events in history does not always have the same effect in every place or country,
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The Evolution of the Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline KellyThe Evolution of Calpurnia Tate is a historical fiction work that won the Newbery Medal and is intended for grades 6-8. This book centers on the life of Calpurnia, a girl who begins to explore the difference in grasshoppers in her own backyard in Texas. As she begins to explore the natural world around her and survives life with 6 brothers, Calpurnia grows not only in knowledge but also in her relationship with her Grandfather. This story is historical fiction because it details the life of a girl who does not desire the life of housekeeping which her mother pushes on her, but rather wishes to explore and evolve in her curious nature. The book ends as the 20th century begins, and the tone becomes hopeful as Calpurnia realizes the many opportunities that may become available to her. This book would foster a great lesson and activity in learning about the changes that the 20th century brought in America. The students could be asked to research these changes, and then brainstorm at least 6 job opportunities that would be available to the adventurous and curious Calpurnia from the book.
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The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly BradleyThe War that Saved my Life is a Newbery Honor, historical fiction work that is intended for grades 4-7. This book focuses on the life of Ada, a 9 year old girl who is never allowed to leave her apartment, due to her mother's embarrassment of her daughter's deformed foot. The story is set in the time of World War II, and when Ada's brother is sent to London to escape enlistment, Ada escapes with him and experiences many new things away from her all-too-controlling mother. This book not only explores the time of World War II, but also the themes of adventure and self-identity. As an activity, the teacher could ask his or her students to submit a creative writing assignment in which they discuss one obstacle (like Ada's foot) that they overcame in order to find adventure and joy in the world around them. This obstacle could be anything, small or big, which they learned to value rather than despise. This creative writing assignment could not only highlight this important aspect of the book, but it would also help the students in understanding the theme of self-identity and confidence.
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