CPHS_Creative Writing - James. J. Hill House - Historical Fiction Assignment: Assignment Overview

Kronzer’s CW II Super Awesome Historical Fiction Adventure Project

Learning Targets:

1. As a creative writer, I feel comfortable with the research process that helps me discover background information about a topic.

2. I can present my research and share it in a way that is engaging and memorable.

3. I can use my research to inform my writing.

Tasks:

1. Small groups will be assigned an area of research.

2. Each group will have three days to scour the library, databases, and the Internet for all relevant information on their topic.

3. As each group researches, they will develop an annotated bibliography. 

4. Each group will use the two subsequent days in the library to prepare their presentation for the class. It must be creative and informative.

   1. Examples:

      1. A talk show that interviews salient people about their lives

      2. A scene from a reality TV show about the family

      3. Some sort of game that we all play

5. Attend the field trip where you will knock the socks off the tour guides with your excellent, provocative questions. (Also, you will have a super good time. There will be food. And F. Scott Fitzgerald. (Well, a statue of him anyway.))

6. Armed with the research and experience of the field trip, you will write a piece of historical fiction which we will take through the revision process.

This chart, from Igniting a Passion for Reading by Steven L. Lange gives you a clear overview of different LITERARY GENRES and where HISTORICAL FICTION fits into literary genres:

The Historical Novel Society defines Historical Fiction in this way: 

"To be deemed historical (in our sense), a novel must have been written at least fifty years after the events described, or have been written by someone who was not alive at the time of those events (who therefore approaches them only by research).

We also consider the following styles of novel to be historical fiction for our purposes: alternate histories (e.g. Robert Harris’ Fatherland), pseudo-histories (eg. Umberto Eco’sIsland of the Day Before), time-slip novels (e.g. Barbara Erskine’s Lady of Hay), historical fantasies (eg. Bernard Cornwell’s King Arthur trilogy) and multiple-time novels (e.g. Michael Cunningham’s The Hours)."

Some examples of exemplary Historical Fiction for teens include:

Click here to find examples of professionally written Historical Fiction:

Attempted Assassination by M. Stanley Bubien (short story)

Here's a comprehensive site of examples of historical fiction.

In this video, Ruta Sepetys, discusses the research and writing of her award winning historical fiction novel, Between Shades of Gray.

In this video, Ruta Sepetys, discusses the research and writing of her award winning historical fiction novel, Out of the Easy.