Historical Fiction?
Historical Fiction sounds like an oxymoron to me. History should be facts and fiction means something that is made up. Historical fiction is actually defined as the story of the world and its people and of cultures that rise and fall across time. They tell the stories of history, imaginative narratives, grounded in the facts of our past. 
A great book that is historical fiction that I read in my 5th grade classroom is Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. This book is part of the fifth grade common core. It is a book that teaches social studies as well as ELA.
After reading Jane Gangi's article Deepening Comprehension Through Storytelling I realized there are some techniques I would use in my own classroom and some that I would not. I agree that the storytelling technique is much different than the read aloud experience. I think that storytelling creates a relationship between the teller and the student.
Storytelling helps the audience or in my case my students become part of the story instead of just sitting back and listening. The students are actively engaged. Making them part of the story aids in their comprehension.
Storytelling can also help students to make connections to the book. The three types of connections we ask students to make are text to self text to text or text to world.
Fantastical literature includes folklore, fantasy, and science fiction derived from traditions, myths and legends to explain and explore mysteries of the world. Alice in Wonderland was the first book written in fantastical literature.
There was a genre presentation in my grad class on fantastical literature that was very informative on this topic. The power point was very informational and helped me to understand what fantastical literature was. Our presenters also created interactive games that helped us to understand what fantastical literature was.
Power Point
Guest storyteller Chuck Stead came to speak to our graduate class. He was engaging and informative. He just received his PhD and defended his thesis.He grew up in Ramapo, NJ. Growing up in this area helped to guide his interest in all aspects of the area namely the local Indian tribe and Ford factory.
He brought his hide with totems that guide his storytelling. He believes there is no rush on storytelling. The story must take you where it needs to in however much time it needs.
His Grandfather would tell him his story over and over again about how he was an orphan and he still remembers it even though he was just a little boy. This shows me that even at a young age children can absorb so much.
Chuck was a trapper at a very young age and would go out in the woods for days at a time. This is what lead him to his discoveries of the wrongdoings of Ford.
I can easily relate this to the classroom because I think that my students would love to have someone like Chuck come in and tell them stories. I think it is important to recognize this firsthand account of history.
There are many different types of folklore. These include nursery or Mother Goose rhymes,fairy tales, fables, myths and legends, and folk songs. Most folklore started as an oral tale that has been passed down from generation to generation. I believe these stories are best when the reader can tell that they have really been passed down through generations.
Storytelling
Cornerstones of folktales are what makes them stand out to children and adults. It makes them easy to recognize and use in their own writing, such as "Once Upon a Time."
Tonight in class we made videos on a website called animoto which allows you to create videos out of images.
We read a fantastical book called Tuck Everlasting and then broke into groups to make videos. My group chose to make a video all about themes that are in Tuck Everlasting.
One of the themes in Tuck Everlasting is time. Would time seem different if we had more of it? Tuck is unable to treasure the smaller moments in life because he knows they are infinite. For Winnie every second counts.
Another theme in Tuck Everlasting is greed. This theme is shown through the character of the man in the yellow suit. He exhibits his greed by wanting the fountain of youth.
Lastly a theme in Tuck Everlasting is moral judgment. Characters are faced with decisions the may seem like they are choosing between right and wrong.
