My Students

My students love to read, but don't have access to history novels. Novels inspire students. They provide an interesting way of learning about history. This novel will help increase my student's understanding of the Civil War by providing a first person view that will engage them in the text.

My students are 8th graders who enjoy reading, creating projects, and doing hands-on activities.

These students come from a wide array of backgrounds including children of farmworkers and children of working professionals. They have a variety of learning styles and needs, and through the use of novels I am able to better engage them and excite them in the learning process. Since they attend a K-8 school, they are the oldest there, and have the responsibility of setting an example for all the other students. By having my 8th graders read novels, younger students see that reading is for all ages, and can be fun and enjoyable. I am happy to be able to improve my students understanding of American history through the use of novels.

My Project

I will use the novel, "A Soldier's Heart," to engage my student in the study of the Civil War. This text will be aligned with the Common Core Standards, focusing on not only content but language acquisition. Students will be able to compare and contrast how war can change individuals. They will be able to think critically about the difficulty of life during war in the 1800s, and make read world comparisons. They will be able to study the idea of loss and hardship, and compare it to today. This novel will be read as a class to provide in-depth study and opportunities for question and answers, debates, and reflection. This novel will give students a greater understanding of the Civil War, and will help launch them into their Social Studies culminating activity, in which they will create Civil War Diaries. They will be able to work together using the information they learned to create diaries that contain written experiences that may have occurred during the war.

A Soldier's Heart is a book that every student should have the opportunity to read.

Although it takes place in the mid 1800s, the concepts it introduces such as loss and grief, and war and hardship are still relevant today especially in our diverse group of learners. Students will be given the opportunity to learn about courage, perseverance, integrity, honesty and compassion. Students will experience first hand the effect of war, and gain a deeper respect for the soldiers that protect us today.