Resources For Teachers: More Freebies For The New School Year!

W
hen we read books for more than just their surface narratives, literature and history work together. Familiarity with a novel’s author and their historical circumstances clearly results in a more meaningful interpretation of the books we read. But it works the other way around as well. Very often, we learn about history through the literature we read.

Any of Toni Morrison’s books, for example, conveys an aspect of history – specifically, Black people’s experiences in this country. In her acceptance speech for the Frederic G. Melcher Book Award, presented to her for Beloved, Morrison notes:

There is no place you or I can go, to think about or not think about, to summon the presences of, or recollect the absences of slaves; nothing that reminds us of the ones who made the journey and of those who did not make it…  And because such a place doesn’t exist (that I know of), the book had to.[1]

Arthur Miller’s
The Crucible

As Arthur Miller points out, his play The Crucible “straddles two different worlds.”[2] This work not only addresses the Salem Witch Trials, it also functions as an allegory for the McCarthy Era – and Congress’ House Committee to Investigate Un-American Activities.

Miller wrote it in the hope that his play “might illuminate the tragic absurdities” that were going on in America during this period.[3] He further states that writing a play about the Salem witch trials probably wouldn’t have occurred to him if he hadn’t noticed “some astonishing correspondences with the calamity” of the period known as The Red Scare.[4] So, this play about the Salem Witch Trials also teaches us something about post-WWII America.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 
The House of the Seven Gables

And then, there’s Nathaniel Hawthorne’s haunted mansion novel The House of the Seven Gables. As is typical in Hawthorne’s works, it contains plenty of mystery, shadowy shapes, and gloom. It’s also “full of brooding over the past,” with the dark themes indicating his Puritan heritage that characterize his work.[5]

But as to how literature and history work together in this work specifically…   the character associated with witchcraft is a daguerreotypist by trade. Daguerreotypy is the first widespread form of photography. And in an age of selfies, it’s easy to lose sight of just how revolutionary this new technology was. Or the impact that it had.

Ken Burns
In The Classroom

Ken Burns has been creating historical documents with PBS for over forty years. He’s known for bringing primary source documents, images, and archival video footage to life on the screen. His films present opportunities to pose thought-provoking questions to students. As well as introducing them to new primary sources, ideas, and perspectives. Not to mention how these ideas and perspectives relate to the books they may be reading for English Literature classes.

Media Gallery (205), Video (286), Lesson Plan (47), Interactive (8), Document (2), Interactive Lesson (3) for Grades 3-5, 6-8, 9-12.

Gilder Lehrman Institute
Of American History

The Gilder Lehrman Institute offers everything you need to teach American history. Affiliate School teachers have access to classroom-ready lesson plans, study guides, videos, and student programs. They’re designed for elementary, middle, and high school. They’re all built on primary sources. And they’re all free for K-12 educators.

The Woodson Center

The Woodson Center brings Black history and excellence to life with their American Heroes animations. This K-12 curriculum tells empowering stories of Black Americans whose resilience and tenacity enabled them to overcome adversity, and make invaluable contributions to our country.

What’s included? Animated video. Ready-to-teach PowerPoint. And printable worksheets that are perfect for K-8 & High School Grades.

NCTE Resources
For Discussing Complex Topics

Discussions about complex topics are an essential part of a well-rounded education. And needless to say, the history embedded in much of the literature you may be teaching is certainly complicated.

The National Council of Teachers of English created this collection of published resources to help educators facilitate such conversations, as well as support intellectual freedom. The list includes links to online resources, books and articles, in addition to resources related to censorship. All of which should help you address how  literature and history work together.