Blog Partner Discussion 5: Historical Fiction
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6. Your personal response to the book
7. Evaluate it in terms of its genre
8. Evaluate its literary quality
9. Evaluate its illustrations
10. Evaluate in terms of multicultural considerations including the credibility of the author and illustrator
11. Discuss for whom the book is intended and the ways in which it might be used in the classroom
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This text, 'Hiroshima No Pica' written by Toshi Marukitells the story of the dropping of the bomb on the Japanese city. My response to this text is that it is an informative and interesting text which presents factual information through the eyes of a child. Although the material is historical the method of presentation is such that children will find it fairly easy to respond to. What is your opinion, Karen?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this book so much to the point where I felt the suffering for the many families affected. Yes, the story alludes to history and it treatment of the event is quite light. The book doesn't give a lot of details to detract from the fictional format. This I think is good especially that it is a children's literature.
ReplyDeleteThis text is historical fiction written in prose. It is set in the past and has a young protagonist who tells the story of this historical event without 'sugar coating' it.
ReplyDeleteHistorical fiction is judged by the same criteria as any other piece of fiction- the strength of character development, credibility of plot, quality of writing style, setting and theme.
ReplyDeleteIn a historical fiction the plot should not be sugar coated as it is important to deal with the truth. The age of realism dictates honesty. The plot depicts violence but it is the reality of what happened.
What do you think about the characters?
The story is told through the eyes of the protagonist,Mii, a seven year old child. She describes life as it was before the bombing and details the actual event and the resulting suffering. Children will find it easy to relate to this character and learn the facts of history as if it is a simple story. This is one of the strengths of this text.
ReplyDeleteThe mother came across very strongly as a loving and nurturing person. This characterization is true to life, seems real. Her actions were understood. The character portrayed by the father gained my sympathy. He was, like the others, a true victim of circumstances.
ReplyDeleteThe story was set in 1945, the time of the bombing of Hiroshima. The characters fit into this setting in that they were afraid, fled the scene etc. The theme is historical. Your thoughts on this
The book deals with an important history topic and can be used for a history lesson with students of grades 5-7. Because it is a narrative it will appeal to most students.It could be used to introduce the topic before more detailed work is done or used as an 'after' activity after the main points of the lesson is taught. How would you use it?
ReplyDeleteI would it for communication task. The students could compare this with a historical disaster in Jamaica. For example, the 1692 earthquake in Port Royal. They could the picture themselves as a survivor and write about the experience. The teacher could model at first and then let the students write.
ReplyDeleteThe illustrations reinforce the text and were done by the author. She has credibility as both author and illustrator having lived through the experience. She received an award from the Japanese govt. for this book.
ReplyDelete