Historical Fact or Fiction?

Posted on January 26, 2023 by | 15 Comments

Greetings fellow classmates,

Whew! I don’t know about all of you, but my mind has been spinning ever since our Tuesday night class. There’s so much to reflect upon when it comes to learning how to teach elementary history and social studies topics, and I’ve found myself contemplating the best ways to integrate language arts in a cross-curricular fashion to get students interested in reading and learning about the past. 

To add some personal context, I’m forty-something years old and my elementary school years were in the eighties. (And yes, my younger friends, it was as fantastic as you’ve heard!) But from what I remember about learning history as a child, I found it boring. Painful. The subject to endure. History was taught from a textbook only. There were no supplementary materials. And I hated it. However, I loved to read . . . but only fiction. English was my favorite subject, and all subjects were taught separately and distinctly. 

That brings me to the following central teaching question that I’d like you all to ponder: Should we as educators use historical fiction to help teach our elementary students history? Or, will this blending of genres impede a child’s ability to discern fact from fiction? Should we avoid historical fiction until a certain grade/age level or introduce it as early as possible to potentially help students (like a younger me) become more engaged in learning about the past? 

I’ve compiled a few varying viewpoints on the teaching and learning of history through historical fiction below: 

I’ll reserve my own thoughts and opinions until the rest of you have had a chance to read, reflect, and respond. Happy Thursday!

I remain,

Your sincere

friend

Sue Annely 

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15 responses to “Historical Fact or Fiction?”