May 2000 
Students connect with history through reading By Sheldon J. Reber, Director of School and Community Relations
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S eventh-graders in Ruth Hoke's class at Zane Junior High School are learning that through reading historical novels, people and events breathe life into history. "If they can see history as a story, then they understand the relevance," said Hoke. For the second year, Hoke has integrated literature into her popular social science class. Students can receive extra credit for independent reading by choosing books from a class list and completing a book report. Hoke credits Zane librarian Catherine McClelland with acquiring books and compiling the reading lists. The large selection of novels tell colorful stories of people and events in Byzantium, South Africa, the Crusades, medieval England, Islam, and other times past. Cameron Arbaugh is reading The Captive by Joyce Hansen. The story tells the harrowing tale of Kofi, an African boy, captured by American slave traders. "The first time Kofi saw snow, he was all alone and he didn't know what to think. He thought the snow was what made people white," said Arbaugh. "A girl taught him the names of items in the slave ship's kitchen. I think he's gonna learn how to speak English and make a plan to run away," continued Arbaugh. Not all of the recommended novels are told from a human perspective. Fire, Bed, and Bone by Henrietta Branford was another one of Arbaugh's favorite novels. The book tells of peasant life in fourteenth-century England through the eyes of an old hunting dog. "That was a cool book," said Arbaugh. "The dog talked from her point of view. When she hunted wild boars, deer, and rabbits there was a lot of action. Rufus, her owner, was part of a peasant rebellion against the nobles. It was really creative." In the conclusion of his book report, Arbaugh states, "This story is good for kids my age because it has a lot of action in it and doesn't have too much baby stuff. Also, it is not all nice, and that makes the story better. If it was all nice, it wouldn't have any spunk to it." For Alyssa Martin, The Forest Wife by Theresa Tomlinson, sparked her interest in history because "It was about a woman who did heroic things. The book was so suspenseful I took it everywhere I went. I even read it in the car." The Forest Wife is set in England in the middle ages and tells of a fifteen-year-old girl who escapes a pre-arranged marriage to live with others in a nearby forest. Martin explained why she would recommend learning history through historical novels. "If you just read history from a book and have tests, that's not really learning. I like how Mrs. Hoke offers you a list of books to read, it's a better way to learn." Hoke reinforces this by saying, "I've seen more kids engaged in history than ever before because of reading historical novels. Teaching history through literature really sparks their interest." For a copy of Hoke's reading lists contact her at 441-2470.
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