Realistic fiction offers students the opportunity to learn about people and cultures from around the world. The web provides the authentic connection between students and people from around the world. Using these two resources, lessons can be created that engage and challenge your students to read more and with greater understanding. We will share classroom examples of books used with students and how we connected fiction to the real world. One example is the web site our students created for the novel Mississippi Trial 1955. We will focus on literature appropriate for grade 5 - 9. The concepts can be adapted for all grades.
Common Core Standards:
Informational Text, Grades 6-12, Grade 8, Item 9
Analyze a case in which two or more text provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.
Writing Grades 6-8, Grade 8, Item 2a-f
Write information/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts and information through the selection, organization and analysis of relevant content.
Presentation Resources: http://empathyblc.wikispaces.com/
