LEARNING EXPERIENCE
History: Fact Of Fiction?

Final Submission

LEARNING CONTENT

The students will read and write for understanding (ELA #1). The students will access, generate, and transfer information using appropriate technology (MST #2).

PROCEDURE

Overview-The students will use the online public access catalog (Mandarin) to find an historical novel. The teachers and librarian will limit the novel to pre-1865. Students will distinguish between fiction and nonfiction books using the online public access catalog. They will practice looking up books using the three subjects given to them by their Social Studies teacher.

Students will be asked to look up information on the three historical events and/or figures related to their novel. They will use this information to write a letter to an historical figure from their novel’s time period. Students will use the following web sites to gather information: www.galenet.gale.com and www.historychannel.com. Students will do subject searches on the History Channel web site and subject searches using the Discovering Biography and Discovering World History online databases from the GaleNet web site subscribed to by our high school library. The information gathered will be used as background knowledge for writing their letter as the culminating experience.

Students will be asked to become a fictional character from their novel and write a letter to an historical figure from their novel detailing their plight in life. An example would be a slave writing to Abraham Lincoln about the plight of slaves during the Civil War period. Students must make a creative analogy/metaphor, use character development, put fictional settings in the real historical map and use internal and/or external conflict. They must also make a list of historical, social, economic, and personal terms for the particular time frame of their novel. For example, the Colonial Era-The student will determine characteristics for the different categories and organize using graphics.

INSTRUCTIONAL/ENVIRONMENTAL MODIFICATIONS

Students will work individually on each step of the project. The computers are located in the library media center, as well as the classrooms. Students had access to the library computers during class time to search for novels and sign them out. Students were also given class time to research their historical period and personages using the library computers. Study hall time was reserved for these students only for the two days they were in the library. Both the English and Social Studies teachers, as well as the librarian were monitoring the use of the Internet while researching for this project. Additional help was given for individual students as recommended by the teachers and librarian.

MATERIALS & SUPPLIES

A list of three subjects from their novel, consisting of historical periods, events or people, provided by the Social Studies teacher. Access to the Internet, via library and classroom computers, access to online databases, access to the Microsoft Word program.

ASSESSMENT TOOLS & TECHNIQUES

Students were questioned by both teachers and the librarian while researching their choice of a novel and the historical information needed for the assignment. Students will be assessed by both the English teacher for comparing and classifying techniques, as well as appropriate use of language, punctuation, etc., and the Social Studies teacher for correct historical data. Teachers will assess the completed letter using a rubric.

TIME REQUIRED

Launch-Introduction to Mandarin and choice of novel: 1 class period

Reading the Novel: One week, both inside and outside of class

Internet search of historical information: 2 class periods

Rough draft, refining, final copy of letter: One week, both inside and outside of class

STUDENT WORK

Examples of student work:

REFLECTION

This project involves refining the search process using an online public access catalog, specifically Mandarin. This is review for all children who attended the Norwood-Norfolk Elementary School, because the Elementary Library also uses the Mandarin OPAC. Students new to the district may find this task a little daunting if they have not experienced an OPAC before. The librarian should ask which students have not worked with Mandarin or any other OPAC before this assignment. Some students gathered a lot of information about their time period and historical persons, but had trouble becoming the character from their book. More practice with reflective writing will make this assignment easier.