2. recognize a selection as a reflection of its social, cultural, and historical context.
3. associate personal values and beliefs with the content of a selection.
4. consider a selection in light of situations, conflicts, and themes common to human experience.
5. demonstrate respect for individuals, cultures, and customs reflected in a selection .
1. The teacher and librarian should work cooperatively to introduce the literary genre known as historical fiction. The role of the teacher will be to explain the following:
1. When is the story taking place?
Although an actual date is not used in the text of the story, students will discover through context clues (inferencing) that the time period had to be long ago.
Chapter 1
". . . [Sarah] and her father were going all the way into the wilderness of Connecticut to build da house."
"This was the first night they had spent in the forest--the other nights they had come to a settlement."
"Against a tree Sarah's father sat, his musket across his knees."
Chapter 2
"They came at sundown to a settlement. The houses were brown and homelike. In two of the sticks of pine used instead of candles were already burning."
"I am John Noble from the Massachusetts colony. . . . We are on our way to New Milford where I have bought land to build a house."
". . . I had thought it might be wandering Indians."
"Taking this dear child into the wilderness with those heathen savages . . . and she not more than seven."
Students already learned in Lesson 1 that the colonial period of history occurred during the early l600s to the late l700s. The reference in chapter 2 to the "Massachusetts Colony" will lead students to understand that the story is probably taking place during the colonial period. The actual time of the story is known, however, because an "author's note" is included in the book explaining the time, setting, and events surrounding the story. It is recommended that teacher read this author's note after the story has been read so that students can have the experience of using context clues in the story to answer the questions.
2. What historical events are mentioned in the story?
Note: The teacher may need to clarify that an "historical event" is not just a major event like the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence, but can also be the smaller events that affect how people lived, acted, etc. The birth of the students can be considered an "historical event" in the context of their lives.
Chapter 4
"Men had come over from Milford to buy the land from the Indians. They had cleared it and divided it into plots for houses."
Chapter 6
"They traded with the Indians for corn."
3. Did any of the characters really exist?
The answer to this question is located in the author's note--"Sarah Noble was a real little girl who came, in 1707 to cook for her father while he built the first house in New Milford.
4. What characters were fictionalized in the story?
Tall John, the Indian, and his family are fictionalized characters, although the author tells us that town records show that Sarah was indeed friendly with a "tall Indian who 'loved her as he did his own children'."
At the conclusion of this activity, students should respond to the following question: "How then does historical fiction differ from nonfiction?" A variety of answers will probably be acceptable, but students should understand that nonfiction is based entirely on fact (e.g., a textbook), while historical fiction is a combination of both facts and fiction (some situations or characters are real and some are created in the mind of the author).
2. When the teacher is satisfied that students have a good understanding of the genre, the librarian will lead students in a "book talk" about various pieces of historical fiction that deal with the colonial period of time. Librarian should select these books ahead of time to make sure that there are enough books for each child, and that selections will meet the needs of all reading levels within the class. A brief synopsis of the books will help to peak student interest in making a selection. Students should be reminded about selection strategies for choosing a book that is an appropriate reading level. (Read one or two pages of the book and ask yourself, "Is the reading difficult for me? Does it take me a long time to read because there are too many words I don't know the meaning of?") The teacher should review each student's selection to make sure it is an appropriate reading level for that student. Students will use their knowledge of research skills to find historical fiction in the library.
3. Students are now ready to read other pieces of historical fiction. Teacher will determine if this will be done independently, in small groups, or as a whole class. If students choose to read independently or in groups, they can report on the book in a variety of ways--book reports, role-playing, reader response journal, oral report, news article and headline, etc. If the class is to be divided into small reading groups, the groups can be set up by interest level, topic, or ability. Student will respond to the reading through discussions and activities. (Some fluent readers should be a part of each group, however, so that they can share their reading with less fluent readers.) The whole class might read a teacher-selected book together, and respond to the reading through discussions and activities. (See Resource section of this unit for examples of historical fiction and for samples of reading activities.)
Dalgliesh, Alice. The Courage of Sarah Noble. (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons).