Document Type

Graduate Project

Date of Degree Completion

Summer 1999

Degree Name

Master of Education (MEd)

Department

Education

Committee Chair

Gail Goss

Second Committee Member

Luetta Monson

Third Committee Member

Nancy E. Jurenka

Abstract

This project examined the use of trade books, particularly historical fiction and nonfiction, in the social studies curriculum. Through the development of this project, a text set was designed to extend and enrich the students' knowledge of the holocaust beyond the world history textbook. The literature revealed strong support for the use of trade books as a vehicle to learn more than the names, dates and facts presented in the textbook. Trade books allow the students to learn about the human experience of historical events, specifically the Holocaust for the purpose of this project. Through historical fiction and nonfiction trade books, a more in-depth understanding of a topic can be accomplished and allow various perspectives to be explored. Unfortunately, due to numerous limitations, textbooks do not do justice with regards to the significance of many historical events; nor do they convey more than one perspective. Textbooks can act as a resource for basic facts, however supplementing them with trade books allows the teacher to extend and enrich student understanding of a topic. · This can have an immense effect on the students' overall understanding of a historical event and how it connects to present day life.

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