Coach: Tai Basurto, A. N. Pritzker Elementary School
Adaptable for grade levels: 1-8
Key Subject Area(s): Language Arts
Also incorporates: Interdisciplinary, Social Studies

Study Group Teaching Method Description:

Invigorate your curriculum with historical fiction! The use of historical fiction helps bring important past events to life while also developing the reading skills of students.  Historical fiction can benefit your classroom in many ways, including providing historical background knowledge, stimulating classroom conversations, and learning to see people, places, and events from a different perspective.

Using historical fiction is an important teaching method because it bridges literature and social studies. The use of historical fiction helps give history life, leads to improved social studies comprehension, and lends itself to meaningful curriculum integration. The historical fiction texts used to promote this teaching method can vary greatly and include picture books, novels, and even just textual excerpts.  These texts will give students a framework for understanding the everyday lives of people of the past and will also help them to understand a variety of viewpoints.

Illinois State Standards and Benchmarks:

Tai Basurto teaches 6-8 grades reading and social studies at Pritzker Elementary school. She has a master’s degree in reading and learning disabilities from DePaul University, where she also completed a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Tai’s leadership experiences include Literacy Leader at her school, Curriculum Committee Chair, and a recipient of multiple Chicago Foundation for Education grants.  

Meeting Times:

The Study Group meeting schedules are determined together at the Study Group Program Kick-Off Dinner on Thursday, June 4, 2009.