In the teaching realm, there will be students who won’t seem interested in the content taught. From math to science to literature, students don’t often feel inclined to approach a unit wholeheartedly.
Today, let’s try something different and discover unique ways to introduce literature units to students.
Try using art
When concerning literature with a historical context, visual learners sometimes find artwork as a good outlet to pique their interests in a narrative piece. Students expect to read historical fiction books in their language arts classes, so it makes sense to have artwork depicting elements of the period, such as plants, fashion, and everyday life.
It doesn’t need to be drawings, either. Encourage students to use any art form to learn about the historical concept from a book. The pieces of artwork help students enhance their reading comprehension and remember important events from the story.
Offer kid-focused books as reference
Sometimes you need kid-focused literature when introducing new historical concepts to kids within your literature unit. Kids need books with protagonists around their age to understand what the world was like in the past.
Using kid-focused books helps children understand the struggles of a past event through the eyes of a character just like them. Students won’t relate to a character that’s a teenager or young adult, but they will if they’re in their age group.
Decorate the classroom
Another thing to consider is decorating the classroom. You don’t need extravagant decorations; simplicity’s all you need. Decorations that fit a book’s era, theme, or historical context can create better ways for students to connect with the material.
If you have a history book based in the 1920s, hang up lights around the room, dangle streamers from the ceiling, and play jazzy music. This will help set the room’s tone and make learning about the novel fun and interactive for all pupils.
Let students take a personality quiz
Every student can relate to a book character—trust us, they can find a fictional character they relate to if you provide a list of all the novel’s characters and place them into a personality quiz. A personality quiz helps students feel more connected to a book and its characters.
Other quizzes revolving around the content are great interactive activities for all students. Take this as an idea to use when learning how to get students interested in historical literature. These methods can help students relate better and develop an interest in the material.
Don’t just take our word for it—try these ideas out yourself and watch as students’ eyes light up when they discover a character who’s just like them. Start your next unit strong with these ideas.
