"Building a Personal and Intimate Connection to the Past," is one aspect of the Tier I, Historical Method Document that I would like to reflect on. All too often, it seems that history books are full of dates, events and information from long ago neglecting to bring meaning and relevance to the lives of young people living in the 21st century. I believe one way to help students connect to history is through reading historical fiction literature books based on a particular event from the past that we study. For example, I often read the story Blood on the River to bring a deeper understanding of the harsh voyages that explorers from the past endured to find new land. This book brings to life the conditions on the boats, the hardships of being at sea for months at a time, and the adaptations humans had to endure in order to survive early life in small settlements. Also, through characters' actions and feelings, students experience the turmoil that occurred between the natives and early settlers. After reading this novel aloud, and supplementing some of the facts with the history book, students can then write a third person narrative about life as an early colonist in Virginia.
Reading literature books allows students to connect with characters actions, motives and feelings from historical events of the past. This enables students to understand history as a story of people and their voice rather than dry, disconnected events. I have seen the impact this story and others like it have on learning about these events. Students are motivated to then write their own stories with factual information they have learned from the literature and history book combined.
