Biography Book Clubs

Readers of biography (these represent teaching points that can be incorporated into a unit study)

• Think about what they know about the historical period and the people in the story.
• Scan the text for support features such as timelines, pictures, documents, sidebars, index, table of contents, etc.
• Ask questions about the text (i.e. what surprises me? What information disagrees with other things I knew or thought I knew? What don't I understand?)
• Work to understand what is the author's perspective on this person's life? (what does the author think is important about this person's life? Why did he or she choose to tell this particular story?)
• Ask themselves "what is the big idea about this person's life?"
• Identify turning points and major decisions in the person's life
• Figure out what conflict the character encounters? How does the character act in light of the conflict?
• Identify the large social and political issues that affected larger society that are illustrated by this biography.
• Consider how the world in which the person made decisions was different than our own.
• Asks "what if..."
• Identify important words and phrases and consider what they mean (segregation, integration, "separate but equal"
• "Cultivate puzzlement" - ask "What don't I understand?" "What is confusing?" "What do I need to know more about?" "How did this happen?" "Why did this happen?"
• Pay attention to the sources the biographer used
• Examine and try to verify evidence used in relating the story
• Go beyond collecting information about the person's life
• Recognize various points of view on an event or era
• Compare different stories of a person's life to determine how authors have different points of view
• Look for details and anecdotes that show how the author interpreted the person's life
• Pay attention to words that show the author constructed the biography based on research (So and so probably did this .. , it seems likely that this person...

Teachers of readers of biography need to:

• Scaffold text structures (how the story is told: flashback, chronological, narrative/expository, poetry, epilogue, author's note, vignettes, introduce background)
• Provide supplemental material to scaffold content (primary source images -photographs, paintings, etc., short piece of non-fiction to provide content)
• Teach readers to compare and contrast people, eras, beliefs
• Help students identify the authorial voice (what information is included, left out, what language is tentative, can you tell how the author is figuring out what happened)
• Invite community members to come in to talk about that era in history (civil rights workers, the elderly, etc.)
• Help students construct a time line of that person's life and historical context

Biography units can be structured around...

• An era (the civil rights era, revolutionary war era, etc.)
• A theme (struggle for freedom - can be people from multiple eras.
• A problem (Justice - How have people worked to make the world more just? What can we do?)
• An individual (compare multiple biographies of one person)

Sample lesson plan sequence

Developed by Victoria Schaub PS1M, Margie Ho PS72, Tom Kelly PS33

When reading biographies, readers think about what they know about the person and question the text	Readers of biography scan the text for support features such as timelines, pictures, documents, sidebars, etc.	Readers of biographies pay close attention to setting clues and the place	Readers of biography pay close attention to the time period and details and practices of every day life	Chart ideas from Thursday: Place, character, details, daily life
Readers of biography identify a challenge faced by the main character	Readers of biography think about what if daily life was different back then	Readers of biography think about what influenced the character to make the choices they did	Readers of biography think about what if the character made different choices	Readers of biography think about how choices effected the character's life and the lives of others

Sample lesson plan sequence

Developed by Yolanda Williams, Luisa Valentin, Brenda Cartagena PS1X

What do good readers of biographies do? Begin chart of literacy strategies that can be used to read the genre. Word Wizard: Identify unfamiliar words	Understanding elements of biography. Explore different biographies and note their findings from their readings. (historical setting, person's life story, challenge that arises from the time period)	Understanding the social and historical period. Readers of biography look for clues that tell about what life was like back then.	Readers make connections between the person's life, the feelings they had, and how they relate to the time period.	Readers make connections to the issues the person faced and how they relate to the time period.
What if... Students understand that for each choice there are reactions and consequences	Explore the who, what, when, and why of a turning point	Readers of biography think about what if the character made different choices	Readers of biography think about how choices effected the character's life and the lives of others at the time	How would the person's major accomplishment impact our society today?

Historical Fiction Book Clubs

Readers of Historical Fiction... (these bulleted strategies can become teaching points.)

• Think about what is fact and what is fiction
• Read the historical note or author's to know how the author researched the book (think about when to read this note: before? After? In the middle? All three?)
• Consider what big idea about life the author is trying to communicate
• Re-read sections of the book to question how much of the story is fact
• Ask themselves how the character's experience is different because of the time they lived in
• Use knowledge about the time period to question the author. 1) develop questions they want to explore about the text/history; 2) wonder about reliability of sources; 3) reliability of the story - how is it historically accurate.
• Use prior knowledge to understand the text. Identify facts they know and new facts they are learning.
• Think about how this story connects to current events
• Use details in the story to make pictures in your mind of what is happening
• Read aloud to themselves to help understand the language/dialect of the time period
• Notice language and figures of speech that are particular to a time and place.
• Think about how the story is being told (diary, letter, story) and how that gives the reader a different understanding of the point of view being told.
• Understand that most issues are multi-faceted.
• Identify different points of view in a story.
• Think, "What do I know about this time period?" before they start reading.
• Make connections between other books and real life.
• Try to put themselves in the character's place both as a modern person and as someone who lived a long time ago.
• Think, "What if.... history was different."
• Use illustrations to better understand the time period and events.
• Use text to "test" generalizations.
• Dispute point of view and stereotypes or myths.
• Consult nonfiction sources to enhance understanding of historical fiction text.

Why Read Historical Fiction

• Through empathizing with characters, can develop an understanding of the experience of children at that time
• Historical fiction zooms in on one specific event, explores it and its impacts from one person's point of view
• History is people
• To explore the challenges of the past versus those of today
• To develop a richer understanding of the past
• To understand the complexity of the past (landscape of human history, warts and all...)
• To understand the role of individuals in history
• To encourage questions and to develop comfort with ambiguity

Historical Fiction Projects: Synthesizing Learning and providing evidence of thinking

• Time line of historical events and events in book
• Graphic Organizers
• T-charts - fact/fiction, historical facts and events/how the author presents them, past/present
• Venn Diagrams: compare/contrast characters, events, past and present
• Writing poetry to reflect perspectives. For example, if two characters have two different points of view, write a poem for two voices that reflects these perspectives
• Map of where the story takes place. Use symbols or icons to represent events in the timeline.
• Survey students' families to see how much information or knowledge they have about a particular historical event.
• Create a newspaper about a time period.
• Create 5 generation headlines to show how perspectives change over time or to show different perspectives.
• Create diary entries.
• Role playing
• Debates
• Readers Theater
• Story boards (6 panels - 1 statement about the human qualities exemplified by the text)
• Create "primary" sources (role play through letter writing or journaling)
• Head/Hands/Heart. Make a chart that explores how the character thinks, what they do, and how they feel. Generalize across the chart.
• Interview a character.
• Explore opposing points of view of the events in the story through creating t-shirt logos, bumper stickers, posters, infomercials.

Historical Fiction Book Club Sample Unit 1: Immigration

Tracey Greenberg PS442, Marguerite Ho PS72, Luisa Valentin PS1X, Jennifer Kaiser PS1X, Angela Turnier PS124

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
What is historical fiction? What are the features of historical fiction?	More on features... Immersion in the Genre	Comparing nonfiction, historical fiction, realistic fiction NF / HF / RF	Readers of historical fiction think about what they already know about the period.	Readers of HF are able to add to their prior knowledge. *use prior knowledge to expand knowledge. T-chart Prior knowledge/ New knowledge
What is immigration? Look through immigration books.	What are the four w's of our immigration stories? Who, where, when, why Readers ask questions to guide reading.	What are the similarities and differences across our immigration stories? Readers can use charts to....	Readers of HF get to know the main character by noticing the kind of person s/he is and picturing what life was like	HF readers pay attention to the problems that their characters face to learn more about the time period or event.
Readers pause to think about the language or vocabulary that is unique to the time period.	Culminating project: Family immigration oral histories.	Readers reflect on what they have learned from one book in order to carry what they have learned to a second text.	Readers compare the way different people handle similar situations and problems.	Readers look back at books for big ideas about a time period.

---

Historical Fiction Book Club Sample Unit 2: Learning about point of view through historical fiction

Mentor Texts: Malian's Song by Marge Bruchac and The Arrow Over the Door by Joseph Bruchac

Time Period: Revolutionary War

Writers: Amy Kopchains PS171, Irene DeichmanPS83

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
What is historical fiction? Read Malian's Song. Brain storm elements. Time period, identify character's place in time.	What is fact? What is fiction? Look at author's note in Malian's Song. Identify elements that are based on historical fact and what is made up for the story. T-Chart.	Identify point of view. Re-read Malian. How is Malian viewing the attack?	Put self in character's place. What rituals/celebrations do our cultures use to deal with loss or change? Read end of Malian.	What do I know about this time period? (Colonial America prior to Revolutionary War) KWL chart. What questions do you have about this period?
Review perspective/ point of view. Assign book clubs. Three points of view. African American (War Comes to Will Freeman) Native American European (Johnny Tremain) In groups: predict point of view of characters.	Roles in book club: Summarizer Questioner Word master (vocabulary) Facilitator (take notes on discussion)	Read Aloud: The Arrow over the Door. First two chapters. Compare and Contrast point of view of the two characters. (Head/Hands/Heart)	Read Aloud: The Arrow over the Door. Compare and Contrast point of view of the two characters.How do I hold on to details?	Read Aloud: The Arrow over the Door. Compare and Contrast point of view of the two characters. Understand that there are many points of view in history.
Read Aloud: The Arrow over the Door. Compare and Contrast the two characters. Cause and Effect: events leading to actions.	Historical effects on different characters.	End of unit projects: Mandatory writing projects Dated journals about the thoughts and feelings of a chosen character. Art project on a defining event in the character's life.

Native American Folktales Book Clubs

Readers of Native American Folktales....

• Recognize that people pass down information, cultural values and traditions are passed down through generations through stories
• Know that every culture has folktales that reflect culture, tradition, beliefs, and history and that different Native Nations have stories and traditions that are unique to their culture.
• Understand that folktales often reflect people's true beliefs or perspectives that may differ from our own.
• Think about why people tell stories
• Wonder what can we learn about a culture from its stories
• Recognize some features that distinguish the genres and use those features to aid comprehension
• Identify the social, historical, and cultural features of the text
• Ask themselves, "What lesson about life can I learn from this story?" (Use inference and deduction to understand the text beyond the literal level and be able to cite evidence for inference)
• Draw upon personal experiences and knowledge to understand the text
• Look at the cover, end notes, or author's note for information about which Nation this story belongs to. Then think about what you know about this Nation.
• Look at the pictures to see what you can learn about the Nation's art, dress, environment, etc
• Make predictions, draw conclusions and make inferences about characters and events
• Recognize how the author uses literary devices to create meaning (personification, figurative language, idioms, story telling language, repetition of phrases
• Identify cause and effect in the development of plot
• Think about what the main character does and how you can learn about his personality. Then use the analysis to understand the lesson of the story
• Make connections to other stories you have read to see if the characters (i.e. Raven or Coyote) or the problem is familiar
• Use knowledge of story elements to understand the story: Beginning middle end, Character, problem and solution
• Use knowledge of story structure to identify the type of folktale and what it is teaching:
• Folktales teach social lessons, values, and provide explanations for things in nature
• Pourquoi tales explain why something in nature appears the way it does, frequently include lessons in how to behave.
• Creation tales are religious stories that explain the origins of life
• Trickster tales have a character that causes trouble in some way that teaches lessons about values and behaviors.

Selecting Quality Biographies

• Fit into the scope and sequence of the curriculum
• Represent a range of readability levels
• Establish a connection with students by beginning with childhood
• Provide multiple voices, experiences, contributions, perspectives
• Have illustrations that are relevant to the text, representative of the time period, provide geographic information, photo or illustration of the person
• Contain primary sources (quotes, images, etc)
• Clean, easy to read lay out
• Provides students with a clear picture of evidence based history and the role of historians in telling the story of history.
• References cited include multiple sources of primary and secondary information
• Includes vivid details and anecdotes about the person's life
• Have imaginative, thought provoking writing
• There is evidence of the author's research process (through end notes, author's note, language in the text)

Have multiple features

• Font size
• Make connections to other events in history
• Side bars amplify text
• Timelines that tell the story of the person and relevant events in history

References

• Freedman, Russell. "Bring 'Em Back Alive." in Michael Tunnell & Richard Ammon (Eds.) The Story of Ourselves: Teaching History Through Children's Literature. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
• Zarnowski, Myra. (2003). History Makers: A Questioning Approach to Reading and Writing Biographies. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Selecting Quality Historical Fiction

• It is good fiction first
• Strong characters, fully developed and intriguing. Human element: characters have foibles and are empathetic.
• Strong plot
• Well developed setting that brings the time period to life without being too lecture-y
• Clothing, food, habits, speech, technology, what the land is like, specific objects (material culture)
• Has a clear voice and point of view
• Avoids stereotypes and myths
• Connects to other parts of history
• The historical part of the story is presented as multi-dimensional
• Setting is apparent and accurate
• Facts are used to enhance the story (not overwhelm it). They establish human and social circumstances.
• Accurate and artful illustrations add historical detail (clothing, architecture, environment)
• Historically accurate
• Helps reader to consider the present and look forward to the future.

References

• Blos, Joan W. "Perspectives on Historical Fiction." In Michael O. Tunnell & Richard Ammon (Eds.) The Story of Ourselves: Teachign History Through Children's Literature. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
• Lindquist, Tarry. Why and How I Teach Historical Fiction. Instructor.

Selecting Quality Native American Folktales

• When selecting texts about Native Americans, please keep in mind that each Nation has a unique culture and that stories are used to express the culture's values and traditions.
• As always, literature should be selected to support a clear purpose. Is the text intended to support a social studies curriculum on a specific Nation? Then select texts that come from that Nation's traditions. Is the text intended to be part of a genre study of traditional literature? Then help students clearly understand how this particular Nation told stories in this genre.
• Look for an author's note that explains the origin of the story.
• Pictures: Illustrations should help students learn about cultural differences among Nations.
  • Visually appealing
  • Reflect the culture's style/aesthetic (should differentiate between Nations)
  • Representation of culture helps students build background schema and visualize text
  • Pictures augment and support text. (Good images can mask questionable text)
  • Clear setting (should be geographically specific)
• Language
  • Culturally respectful language (no papoose, squaw, etc.)
  • Appropriate for grade level and/or student reading levels
• Tribally relevant
  • Social relationships in the story should reflect tribal values such as "significance of community, extended family structures, harmony between material and non-material aspects of life, and the respect for the relationship among all aspects of mother earth."
  • Should depict diverse experiences within a culture as appropriate (women, children, elders, and men should be shown as active and contributing members of the community)

Resources

• Download the Native American Youth Services Literature Award Review Criteria
• Oyate at www.oyate.org