What Was it Like? Teaching History and Culture Through Young Adult Lilterature

This practical book is a great resource for teachers who want to engage their students with young adult literature. The author presents in-depth, instructional units centered on historical conflicts and texts that will help students to better understand other cultures and time periods. An array of active learning strategies place students close to the featured novel or memoir while meeting standards and addressing a broad range of critical thinking skills. Historical themes center on the Depression; Mexican-American migrant farm workers; children during the Holocaust; the internment of the Japanese during WWII; the Japanese occupation of Korea; the U.S. Civil Rights Movement; and the experience of U.S. soldiers and children affected by the Vietnam War.

Book Features:

• Depictions of active learning in the English classroom, including many examples of student work with accompanying photos, web pages, and more.
• A variety of adaptable assignments designed to promote empathy and deepen students’ awareness of the world around them.
• Young adult literature that has proven to be of interest to students and relevant to their lives.

Linda J. Rice is Assistant Professor of English/Language Arts Education at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio.

“We owe Linda Rice a big thank you not only for the specific ideas she suggests, but also for the reminder to all of us that for most young people, talking is fine, but the party does not really start until they get to do something.”
— From the Foreword by Alleen Pace Nilsen, Director, English Education, Arizona State University

“I predict this book will become a seminal text for teachers who advocate team teaching….Everything is included, allowing English and social studies teachers to implement best practices in depth with their students. Bravo!”
—Joan F. Kaywell, Professor of English Education, College of Education, University of South Florida

“Linda Rice has found the magic—the basic ingredients for student-centered classrooms, blending knowledge acquisition and unique teacher-tested strategies for multiple learning abilities.”
Ruth McClain, Executive Director, Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts

”What Was It Like contains easy to duplicate teaching units that employ research proven learning activities. Teachers will be able to guide student discovery into content rich and socially important topics. What fun!”
Jonathan G. Fairman, English, Reading, and Language Arts Department Chairman, Cleveland School of the Arts

“Linda Rice knows something special about teaching young adults: Textbooks only permit students to dip their toes along the banks of history, but stories allow them to dive in and be carried off into its currents.”
Trudy Krisher, Sinclair Community College, author of Spite Fences