Historical Novels in AustraliaEssay Preview: Historical Novels in AustraliaReport this essayHistorical novels have an important role in the place of every classroom. They give children something interesting to read and also have facts which make the story real. As historical novels are based on true life events units of work can be based upon them. Historical novels show the altered perspectives of life in a different time period; they explore a different world in which we can compare with life today. Historical novels can also be connected to other parts of the learning curriculum, therefore making them a great resource to have in any classroom. History is a requirement of the ACARA and Every Chance to Learn curriculum as will be explained. The book Soldier Boy: the true story of Jim Martin, the youngest ANZAC by Anthony Hill will be used as an example in this paper to demonstrate these points.
Historical Novels in AustraliaEssay Preview: Historical Novels in AustraliaReport this essayHistorical novels have an important role in the place of every classroom. They give children something interesting to read and also have facts which make the story real. As historical novels are based on true life events units of work can be based upon them. Historical novels show the altered perspectives of life in a different time period; they explore a different world in which we can compare with life today. Historical novels can also be connected to other parts of the learning curriculum, therefore making them a great resource to have in any classroom. History is a requirement of the ACARA and Every Chance to Learn curriculum as will be explained. The book Soldier Boy: the true story of Jim Martin, the youngest ANZAC by Anthony Hill will be used as an example in this paper to demonstrate these points.
Historical Novels in AustraliaEssay Preview: Historical Novels in AustraliaReport this essayHistorical novels have an important role in the place of every classroom. They give children something interesting to read and also have facts which make the story real. As historical novels are based on true life events units of work can be based upon them. Historical novels show the altered perspectives of life in a different time period; they explore a different world in which we can compare with life today. Historical novels can also be connected to other parts of the learning curriculum, therefore making them a great resource to have in any classroom. History is a requirement of the ACARA and Every Chance to Learn curriculum as will be explained.
Historical Novels in AustraliaEssay Preview: Historical Novels in AustraliaReport this essayHistorical novels have an important role in the place of every classroom. They give children something interesting to read and also have facts which make the story real. As historical novels are based on true life events units of work can be based upon them. Historical novels show the altered perspectives of life in a different time period; they explore a different world in which we can compare with life today. Historical novels can also be connected to other parts of the learning curriculum, therefore making them a great resource to have in any classroom. History is a requirement of the ACARA and Every Chance to Learn curriculum as will be explained.
According to the Historical Novel Society, a historical novel is a novel which is written fifty years after the event, or is written by a person who was not alive in the time of the event and therefore has required extensive research. (Historical Novel Society, 2007). These books are written to put the time and event into context. The topics can range from being a heart warming event of love like, The wife of Martin Guerre by Janet Lewis (Lewis, 1984) which is a story about Bertrande de Rols and Martin Guerre or a war story like Soldier Boy by Anthony Hill (Hill, 2001). It takes years for an author to write a historical novel. First they need to research the topic or event, they then need to make sure all of the information they have gathered is relevant and true. When they begin writing they then need to base the story on actual characters or make believe the characters but use the event as the baseline of their story.
Historical novels can really assist in engaging children and help them to learn about important historical events. For example, World War I and ANZAC Day may be explained through a novel as children are always curious as to why it is such an important day for all Australians. Through reading and participating in an activity the story has children involved in learning about Australian history and gets them interacting with other units of work such as literacy.
The story Soldier Boy (Hill, 2001) is based on the youngest ANZAC. James Martin. He showed courage that not many 14 year olds nowadays would show. The story begins with his death aboard the hospital ship Glenart Castle, as the book progresses it goes back to his birth and continues through to his death once more. The book provides detail of the life of James and his mother, Amelia. The story tells of James life at school, how he convinces his mother to let him put his age up and join the army. It follows him as he goes through the preparation before going overseas, as well as the time he is involved in the war. It describes his feelings as well as his mothers. The book is well written with much factual detail.
The Story Soldier Boy (Hill, 2001) is based on the older characters the book describes, like all those portrayed in the books. It describes the origins of a young boy who’s adopted from a farm and who comes across a young girl with his own set of friends. The book describes him, though he takes some of his own ideas he comes across in his childhood. James is given advice and encouragement about the new environment and how to be a better worker. The book also includes details about his time and mission as a soldier, which I find important and quite intriguing in its own right.
The Story Soldier Boy (Hill, 2001) is based on a story about a “little girl” who has made her way to Iraq and now works for an anti-Assad organization. The story starts with her growing up on the farm and being taken into a new war zone. She is exposed to the danger of a new war on the ground and the way fighting against it can be cruel. As her new mission becomes to fight the UN and the rebel factions, she has no choice but to step back when she comes to find out “what is really going on” and see for herself how she is different from her fellow orphans, the one she sees growing up. It follows her as she tries to find her way back to normal and to live a meaningful life without the constant stress that this new environment presents. It describes her journey from being at home, growing up in Syria, to fighting to fight more fiercely and fighting to try and stop it all as well.
This story will be very different from the first four books in the series. In those books we had some much discussed and complex war stories, as they were just presented in one place. In these stories, we are given more of the historical background and a more well known backstory. Also, we are told that the main characters and what happened to them from the beginning are only discussed with the characters in order to avoid spoilers. The story will focus on that history and you will not see what led to what went wrong, as this book is about the lives of the four people in the story.
This book will expand on the book’s premise that there is an American family that has settled in the war zone. What James wants to know are some important things he knows about the war in Syria and how to change things as a leader in the conflict.
The story will follow the main characters as they journey back to their home in Iraq and Afghanistan to begin a new new life there. They come to a point at which it’s impossible to explain
The authors note provides the reader with a real understanding of how much work went into the book. The help from the families of both James Martin and Cec Hogan James best mate in Gallipoli, seemed to play a major role in bringing the book to life and helps engage the reader. At the end of the book there are 3 appendices, each one with its own significant meaning. The first appendix are letters to Amelia Martin, from her son James, the matron who was with James when he died, and Cec, James best mate in Gallipoli. The second appendix was a newspaper article by the Sun-Herald in 1984 about James being the youngest known ANZAC. The final appendix was the Battalion Song. Examples such as these appendices, helps to provide for the children an insight into how things were. The strong emotional component assists in engaging the class and helps make it more meaningful. (Hill, Writing Soldier Boy, 2001)
Hills use of pictures from Jamess life and family, give the children a real sense of what life was like, how things looked, and why things were so treacherous and demanding. It gives the time a sense of meaning and significance. Another benefit of this novel is that it is told from a young persons point of view. This may assist the story in connecting with children as they can relate in some aspects to James fear and the way in which he spoke and acted. The research that has gone into this book also makes it a great resource as you know that there would be very little inaccurate, if any, details. Teachers can confidently use this novel in learning activities.
ACARA is the new national curriculum which the Australian government is hoping to implement in all of Australias schools. (Australian Curriculum, Assesment Reporting Authority (ACARA), 2009). Under the curriculum subject of history it states that there needs to be an awareness of Australian history for all students from K-12. As this is fundamental to understanding ourselves as well as those around us. History is a study of the past; it provides knowledge, understanding and appreciation of previous events, people and ideas. We know about history through oral memories, documents, artefacts, monuments and tradition, these