11 minute read
The historical fiction conundrum
16 THE HISTORICAL FICTION CONUNDRUM
Ms Claire Elliot, Teacher Librarian at PLC Sydney’s Junior School, recently had her research article Historical Fiction Authentication: An Action Research Project published in a professional journal and has kindly given permission for an edited extract to appear in Camphora.
Background
As a part of the Experienced Teacher accreditation process for the Association for Independent Schools New South Wales (AISNSW) there is the option for an Inquiry Pathway. This involves conducting an inquiry in the classroom that focuses on an area of interest. At the time I was studying a subject that addressed the question of where the ‘truth’ lies in historical fiction. Criticism for The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas was also being debated in the media. It was then rather fortuitous that while conducting research the article Authentication Projects for Historical Fiction: Do You Believe It? by McTigue, Thornton & Wiese was in the results list. These elements formed the basis of my accreditation inquiry: What is the effect of using a guided inquiry process on Year 5 students' ability to authenticate historical picture books?
The Historical Fiction Conundrum: Should it be used in teaching history?
The concept of truth in historical fiction has a long history in academic circles but reached the mainstream through Kate Grenville and a demarcation dispute between history-fiction. Grenville commented that events in her novel, The Secret River, were based on recorded events that she had altered to suit her narrative. This was misinterpreted by historians that Grenville was claiming to write history. A dispute erupted about where the ‘truth’ may lie within historical fiction texts. This debate has also played out with The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas where a UK study found that the use of the novel played into the misconception that ordinary Germans were unaware of the Holocaust at the time and resulted in students sympathising with the Nazis. McTigue, Thornton & Wiese (2013) present a number of arguments for and against the use of historical fiction. On the one hand it is argued that historical fiction allows children to enter into the conflicts, suffering and joy of those who lived before us and can be more entertaining than history. They also argue it enables children to ‘feel’ what it may have been like in the past. Groce & Groce (2005) also identified similar arguments, however, also highlight the benefits of historical fiction in terms of meaningful integration between social studies and language arts. They argue that with increasing curriculum demands, using historical fiction in teaching history can prove a timesaver. Counter arguments from McTighe, Thornton and Wiese (2013) centred on concerns about the quality of the historical fiction used and the risk that it could be misleading. With the additional concern that an author may bring in ‘writerly presentism’ where contemporary beliefs and values are incorporated in the text. Groce & Groce (2005) caution against the use of historical fiction in isolation, therefore there is the need to consider the authentication process as a means of critiquing the historical accuracy of the narrative.
The argument therefore isn’t that historical fiction should not be used in the teaching of history but when using it educators need to be aware of possible misconceptions or myths the text may be perpetuating. With this in mind, it was hoped that through the authentication of an historical fiction picture book the students would have the opportunity to think critically about the accuracy of historical fiction while also developing research skills.
Planning the Inquiry - Theoretical Framework
The articles by McTigue, Thornton & Wiese (2013) and Groce & Groce (2005) formed the basis of the authentication process and the planning of the inquiry program. McTigue, Thornton & Wiese (2013) providing a framework and sequence for implementation of authentication. Additionally it made explicit mention to research, libraries and critical thinking. Groce & Groce (2005) outline the process of historical fiction authentication and its relevance to language arts and the development of critical thinking, research skills and historical understanding.
The article defined the genre, provided a rationale for the inclusion of historical fiction in curriculum instruction, and identified categories for authentication. These categories include investigating; the authors’ viewpoint, if the time period presented has been subject to romanticisation, the date of publication, character/ group stereotypes presented, notable omissions and the use of anachronistic details. The article concludes with a discussion on classroom application and a possible assessment rubric.
A sequence of lessons were planned using these articles as a foundation. Initial lessons in the process focussed on reading the text and identifying how the author had presented the setting, main historical events and the characters. It was important for the students to be familiar with the book Eureka! A Story of the Goldfields by Mark Wilson so that in subsequent lessons they would be able to make a comparison between the author's representation of the Eureka Rebellion and what was learnt through historical research. A key aspect of the McTigue, Thornton & Weise (2013) article was the significance of locating textual information which could be verified using informational sources.. The students worked in pairs to identify textual elements to address the setting, character and plot. During this stage of the inquiry, the teacher librarian would direct students to particular pages and model the process or use questioning to assist students in further developing their ideas. The initial aim was to use the students' questions to drive their research so that it was student-driven, as advocated for by McTigue, Thornton & Wiese (2013), however; upon reviewing the students' questions and the number of remaining lessons available the decision was made to use teacherdirected questions. It was felt that there would need to be explicit
Identifying Setting, Plot and Character in the Text
The inquiry began with a reading of the text with the teacher librarian conducted a teacher think aloud to model identifying textual and visual elements and also questioning. The first double page spread in the book shows Molly and her father walking through the bush with some other people while carrying all their belongings. The teacher think aloud for this involved identifying textual elements of setting; ‘I can see that everyone is walking to the goldfields and there are no wagons or cars. It looks very remote. I can’t see any houses. I wonder if this is how everyone journeyed to the goldfields. I wonder how long it took to get to the goldfields. I wonder why there are no wagons or cars.’ The class then discussed the text and which elements students thought were history and which were fictional. This lesson was followed by a lesson whereby students recorded their understanding of the text. teaching on developing sound research questions and that unfortunately there was not the time within the inquiry to do this effectively.
Prior to undertaking the authentication process with Eureka! A Story of the Goldfields (Wilson 2020) students had completed a similar task with Ned Kelly and the Green Sash (2014) by Mark Greenwood. During this process students developed their own questions. This was a valuable learning experience as students learnt that some questions can’t be answered. One question that students generated that was not answerable was; “Why didn’t Ned Kelly sell the sash with the gold fringe if he needed money?”. This hurdle provided the opportunity for rich and meaningful discussions on combining what we were able to find out and then formulating our own conclusions. The decision to use teacher generated questions ensured that the questions would be answerable.
Research: Defining, Locating and Selecting
Following the analysis of the text the students conducted their research over three 35-45 minute periods. Prior to each research lesson the teacher librarian conducted a mini-research skills session to address particular research skills and/or deficits that had been noted in previous research lessons, for example, identifying the keyword in a research question, identifying relevant results in World Book and Britannica, using subject headings and ctrl +f to locate the relevant section, and the importance of using their own words to summarise the information. The authentication process allowed for guided inquiry to be embedded into the research process. At this stage in the inquiry, students had also begun to learn about the gold rush and Eureka Rebellion in class and it was wonderful to see them making connections between the work that they were undertaking in library and that of the classroom.
Each lesson concluded with a general discussion where students could share any information they learnt, where that information was located and how this compared to the text. These discussions reinforced research skills such as identifying information sources but also modelled what would be required in upcoming lessons when students would be comparing their information with the text. The opportunity to solidify their understanding was particularly beneficial for some students who may not have located the same information. Learning that Peter Lalor lost an arm and that a murder precipitated the Eureka Rebellion caused quite a stir!
Analysis: Organising and Assessing
The final lessons of the inquiry and authentication process involved the students comparing and contrasting the text with the factual information they had located. Students were able to use their research notes, class discussions and their class learning experiences to complete the comparison. Groce & Groce (2005) identified a number of areas to consider when authenticating texts, including romanticised accounts, author background, publication date, stereotyping, omissions or expansions and anachronistic details. For the purpose of the inquiry the teaching focussed on omissions or inconsistencies of particular historical details. Table 1 highlights some of the inconsistencies and accuracies that students noted within the book.
Assessing: Reflection (Successes and Areas for Growth)
Overall it was felt that the authentication process was a great way to engage the students in developing their research skills. Conducting the research over three sessions meant that previous lessons could be used to gather formative assessment data and mini-lessons could be developed to address any difficulties.
Developing student-driven research questions, and explicit instruction in note-taking and summarising information, were identified as research skills requiring further development. Unfortunately during the inquiry it was not possible to address these two rather large research skills and as such will be the focus of future teaching and learning in the library. So in response to the inquiry question; What is the effect of using a guided inquiry process on Year 5 students' ability to authenticate historical picture books? The use of a guided inquiry process had a positive impact on students' ability to authenticate historical picture books. All students were able to identify at least one element that did not align with their research. Many students went beyond this and there were a number who were able to provide a detailed analysis of the text.
Ms Claire Elliot
Teacher Librarian, Junior School
TABLE 1 Students identified the following inconsistencies or omissions from Eureka! A Story of the Goldfields by Mark Wilson
• Only tents were shown but people on the goldfields had homes that ranged from a piece of cloth over a stick to mud and bark huts • There was no mention of the death of James Scobie at the Eureka Hotel
• There was no mention of the Eureka Hotel fire that precipitated the Rebellion
• There was some mention of the licence hunts but not a lot • Research showed that the Chinese miners worked in groups of 30-100 but the main character Chen was working alone. The illustrations showed the Chinese miners working in small groups of pairs • The water at the goldfields was highly polluted but in the illustrations it looked really clean • Some miners wore hessian sacks to protect their clothing but that was not shown in the illustration • The Eureka Rebellion only lasted 20 minutes but it seems to last through the evening and into the morning in the book • The government sent 300 troops to the goldfields to destroy the stockade
• It omitted the detail that Peter Lalor went into hiding and lost his arm in the Eureka Rebellion • Students identified the following aspects as consistent with their research findings • People had to walk to the goldfields.
They found out this was because horses were expensive and not many could afford them. • The illustrations of mining equipment were consistent and matched photos and sketches • The creation of their own flag and oath
• Peter Lalor was their leader • That the Chinese miners were not treated the same as other miners and were disliked • Finding gold was difficult and was traded in for money or resources • The authorities were not kind to the miners and treated them harshly • Building the Stockade • The licensing fees were one of the major issues upsetting the miners • Locations and dates in the book matched research findings
Works Cited Greenwood, M 2014, Ned Kelly and the Green Sash, Walker Books, Australia. Groce, E & Groce, R 2005 ‘Authenticating Historical Fiction: Rationale and Process’, Education Research and Perspectives, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 99-119, DOI:10.2276/0311-25433.32.1.3580 McTigue, E, Thornton, E & Wiese, P 2013, ‘Authentication Projects for Historical Fiction: Do you believe it?’ The Reading Teacher, vol. 66, no.6, pp. 495-505, DOI:10.1002/TRTR.1132 Sherwood, H 2022, ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas ‘may fuel dangerous Holocaust fallacies’, The Guardian, 27 Jan, viewed 11 July 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/27/the-boy-inthe-striped-pyjamas-fuels-dangerous-holocaust-fallacies Wilson, M 2020, Eureka! A Story of the Goldfields, Lothian Children’s Books, Sydney.
