To orient students to this genre, begin with a word splash: write “History” in one place, “Fiction” in another. Gather associations for each word. (You may hear “truthful, factual, evidence-based” for one, ”imaginary, creative, not real” for the other.”)
Next, to reach for deeper thinking, ask students to examine the content they have generated. Repeat the word splash process with a second pair of terms that students (or educators) feel are worth pursuing further (for example, “historical accuracy” vs. “storytelling”; or “real people” vs. “invented characters”.)
Then ask, what does the term “historical fiction” mean? Do they see it as contradictory? How/why?
To build their concept further, have students read about 7 Elements of Great Historical Fiction.
After, ask them how history and fiction blend together and complement one another in this form of literature. How are they stronger together than apart?
One famous example of historical fiction is the novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley. Debuting in the year of the nation’s bi-centennial (1976), Haley’s novel and the television mini-series that followed asked Americans to ponder the centrality of African-American slavery and the transatlantic slave trade to their nation’s story. (To this day Roots is still one of the most widely-watched series in television history.) Haley fictionalized his own family’s story of slavery and freedom based on memories handed down across generations and originating in West Africa.
Play for the class this video interview of Alex Haley speaking about the novel in 1977; stop at 2:03.
(Warning: there is brief mention of suicide after 2:03. The full video is 5:00 minutes and the second half is powerful if you deem it appropriate to screen fully for your group.)
Students should listen for, and afterward discuss:
- How did Alex Haley prepare to write his novel Roots?
- Make an inference: why do you think that telling this story was important to this author?
- Based on the interview, which elements of “great historical fiction” might be illustrated by his novel? (Answers could include historical authenticity, research, complex relatable characters, balance between accuracy and storytelling, and evocative details such as sounds and smells.)