Learning by Reading a Novel

Funded Mar 17, 2014

Thank you so much for your donations. My students were excited and very happy when I told them that these books were paid for by generous donors who want to see them succeed. The book that we received through Donors Choose, Soldier's Heart, by Gary Paulsen, has really helped my students learn about the American Civil War, in a new and interesting way. It was the first time in class that we got to read a novel. The students became very engaged in the story, something which is often difficult to do when studying history. They especially enjoyed reading the novel out loud, and even the students that tend to struggle with reading, wanted an opportunity to read. It really made the study of the Civil War more enjoyable and fun for them.

We read about five to seven pages a day, until we finished the book. For every chapter we discussed the character, what he had experienced, how he grew or changed as an individual, and what was occurring in the novel. We discussed the theme of loss, and had a discussion about what they might have done if they were in the main character's situation. It was really interesting to see how open some of my students were, some mentioned how they had lost uncles, grandfathers, and other relatives in war. Other students stated how they have family members who are in the military and are currently stationed in other countries, and they worry for them. To have students willing to express this type of personal information doesn't come often. It was thanks to the book that this was able to occur.

After finishing the book I had the students use what they learned, and what we had studied in class to write a Civil War Diary. They had to write as if they were a Union soldier, an African-American Union soldier, a Confederate soldier, or a woman (north or south) living during the Civil War. The project was a great success. Many students chose to write from a soldier's perspective, and used a lot of what we learned from the book to write their journal entries. Often, they wrote to their wives explaining how they hoped to see them soon, and explained important details about the camp such as the dirty conditions, and the spread of disease. What they had learned from the book really helped their journals come alive. One student even burnt her pages to make them appear more realistic. My students really learned a great deal as a result of the books we received. Once again thank you so much for your donations, it really does mean a lot to my students and me.”

With gratitude,

Mr. Lefkovits