Lesson 8: Nonfiction Novel Study

Discussion

Nonfiction Novel Study

Harriet Tubman in 1880
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

As you read the book about Harriet Tubman, apply your learning from lesson 7 about narrative nonfiction. You will also focus on vocabulary and literary elements in the story. I have divided the twenty chapters of the novel into four sections. For each section, activities will help you understand the novel, apply your learning, and prepare you to write a story of your own. You will learn information about the period of history used as the setting, find facts about the real people who are characters in the novel, and use graphic organizers that you can use for other writings you may do in the future. I will also provide you with some Web sites that you can go to for additional information.

When you finish this novel, you will plan and write a narrative nonfiction story of your own and submit it for the lesson 8 progress evaluation. You will find a rubric for this writing at the end of this lesson.

As you begin to read, think about the questions below. These types of questions are called “guiding questions.” Guiding questions help you to stay focused on the big ideas in the novel.

1. What was the Underground Railroad?
2. Who was Harriet Tubman?
3. Why were Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad important?

Vocabulary Study

As you read this novel, you will be asked to notice several types of words:

1. Words and terms that are new to you
2. Words and terms that you already know but are used in a different way
3. Words and terms that help you put the story into the context of the setting
4. “Dialect” words that help you understand more about the person who is saying them

Keep an eye out for the vocabulary words and terms in the table below. Start by doing a vocabulary inventory of these words. Place the appropriate mark in the column to the left of each word to “inventory” what you know. (Click here for a printable copy of the vocabulary inventory list.)

+    =    I know this word
?    =    This word seems familiar
–     =    I don’t know this word

You can always look up the meaning of the word if you cannot figure out the meaning from the context of the sentence when you run across it.

Dialect can include an individual’s accent, word choice, or pronunciation. Dialect can tell the reader about a person, such as where the person comes from, education, background, etc. As you read, look for words that are dialect. Jot them down in your journal. Here are some examples:

• fetch
• gonna
• ’tain’t