Historical Non-Fiction

By: Tory, Athina, Blair

Sources

• Historical Non-Fiction can be both primary and secondary sources– Primary- from the time period• Memoirs, letters, pictures

– Secondary- created after the fact (ex. by a historian) but still based on historical fact• Textbooks

Types of Historical Non-Fiction• Written sources:

– Memoirs/Biographies:• Anne Frank- The Diary of a Young Girl• Elie Wiesel- Night

– Textbooks or history books– Letters

• Posters:– Propaganda posters– Historical posters

• Videos:– Historica Minutes- available in almost all topics covered in Canadian history– Government or historian created videos

• Websites:– Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History

• Contains primary documents on certain topics

How to use Books

• Novel Studies:– Read alouds– Silent reading– Open discussion– Novel journal– Create poster– Perform a skit– Use non traditional books (ex. Graphic novels, comics)– Scrapbooks- scavenger hunts

How to use Letters

• Show examples of primary and secondary letters

• Examine letters and explore who, what, where, when, why

• Write own letter to a historical figure• Write own letter pretending to be a historical

figure

How to Use Posters

• Examine the picture• Examine the text• Decide purpose- why was it made?• Context- when was it made?• Create own poster

Similar idea can be applied to pictures

Other Visuals/Auditory

• Maps• Pictures• Art• Musical instruments/ songs (Prime Minister song)

Using Historical Videos

• Make sure they are historically accurate before one shows it to a class– Be wary when using youtube

• Provides visual and auditory examples of history

• Make sure they are age-appropriate• Ex. Heritage Minutes, Schindler’s List• http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pla

yer_detailpage&v=8oaRr6A-gkA

Websites

• Interactive• Investigation skills used• Provide visuals- pictures, written sources• Government websites can be helpful for

teachers- ex. Veterans Affairs• http://canadianmysteries.ca/en/index.php