The Civil War: Introduction to Slavery in Literature Albert Camus, a Nobel Prize winner in Literature, once said, “Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.” This quote accurately demonstrates what I wish to reveal about novels and how incorporating them into all aspects of learning can better enhance student learning. A good realistic fiction novel has the ability to pull some readers in more than a lesson ever could. However, literature does much more than just drawing the reader in. According to Emily Klein, the Assistant Professor of Curriculum at Montclair University, “Literature is also a powerful tool for integrating and highlighting voices from the past—especially those of children, minorities, women, and the poor—that may
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The story revolves around two enslaved sisters and the obstacles they face while attempting to be freed. Although the Civil War occurred in the 1800s and the novel takes place in the 1700s, this novel still accurately represents everything that slavery in America entailed. This novel will contribute well to my lesson because a textbook only briefly mentions slavery when discussing what caused the Civil War. Incorporating this text is a way of highlighting voices from the past and allowing students to experience some of the emotions slaves …show more content…
This novel is about a boy during the Civil War that loses his father to the war and is forced to get a job to support his family. Again, this is something that a textbook would fail to discuss or mention. A scenario of a thirteen-year-old boy losing his father and being coerced to get a job is not scenario that would cross the mind of most students when learning about the war. This is a reality that students would never be able to infer from a textbook. However, that does not nearly summarize the benefit of incorporating literature, like Iron Thunder, into this lesson. According to Rebecca Alber, a professor at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education:
Here 's one way to look at it: Content is what we teach, but there is also the how, and this is where literacy instruction comes in. There are an endless number of engaging, effective strategies to get students to think about, write about, read about, and talk about the content you teach. The ultimate goal of literacy instruction is to build a student 's comprehension, writing skills, and overall skills in communication.
The story revolves around two enslaved sisters and the obstacles they face while attempting to be freed. Although the Civil War occurred in the 1800s and the novel takes place in the 1700s, this novel still accurately represents everything that slavery in America entailed. This novel will contribute well to my lesson because a textbook only briefly mentions slavery when discussing what caused the Civil War. Incorporating this text is a way of highlighting voices from the past and allowing students to experience some of the emotions slaves …show more content…
This novel is about a boy during the Civil War that loses his father to the war and is forced to get a job to support his family. Again, this is something that a textbook would fail to discuss or mention. A scenario of a thirteen-year-old boy losing his father and being coerced to get a job is not scenario that would cross the mind of most students when learning about the war. This is a reality that students would never be able to infer from a textbook. However, that does not nearly summarize the benefit of incorporating literature, like Iron Thunder, into this lesson. According to Rebecca Alber, a professor at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education:
Here 's one way to look at it: Content is what we teach, but there is also the how, and this is where literacy instruction comes in. There are an endless number of engaging, effective strategies to get students to think about, write about, read about, and talk about the content you teach. The ultimate goal of literacy instruction is to build a student 's comprehension, writing skills, and overall skills in communication.