From: HUMMINGRK at aol.com <HUMMINGRK>
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2000 11:03:44 EST

I agree completey with Monica Edinger who said:

children in a new study of history is via fiction.? The underlying message to me is that history can only be made interesting and intriguing to children by fictionalizing it.?<<

Many adults (teachers, parents) have yet to discover the pleasure of reading a well written book that addresses one's curiosity about the world. Many children crave information, caring less about the "plot" contained in fictionalized versions. My two sons (and my husband) voraciously read nonfiction on their own, but I cannot remember any teacher assigning a nonfiction book for school--English classes use historical fiction if they address history at all; and the social studies curriculum in our district is woefully inadequate, assigning nothing more than textbook chapters or copied worksheet/articles. Science is another class that could make good use of recent excellent nonfiction. Our school district even makes it difficult to choose nonfiction; when my boys read nonfiction for their "free" reading, the format for book reports is all about character and plot. Like Monica, I love historical fiction but agree that the wealth of nonfiction falls by the wayside in many of our schools.

What can we do?
Received on Mon 20 Nov 2000 10:03:44 AM CST