By Kasey Short
Fiction is a powerful tool for building a foundation of knowledge across subject areas. It engages students, sparks curiosity and deepens understanding
Fictional texts also humanize facts by helping students better understand what it would be like to be a mathematical genius, live through an historical moment, experience the impact of science in space, create a great work of art, or immerse oneself in a different culture.
As students engage with these fictional texts, they also develop a deeper understanding of experiences different from their own, leading to increased empathy and developing meaningful connections.
Making cross curricular connections to fictional texts helps students develop a deeper understanding of how various courses are related, increasing the relevance of all subjects to the “real world” and building background knowledge that is not restricted to a single discipline.
Teaching cross-curricular fiction can also develop meaningful connections between colleagues as they create interdisciplinary opportunities for their students and find new ways that their diverse content might relate.
Connecting to History
Historical fiction can bring to life past events and inspire students to learn more while providing a safe space to explore complex issues and events throughout history. This earlier MiddleWeb article suggests ways to use historical fiction the classroom and recommends more than a dozen novels written with students in mind.
Additional Recommendations
Radiant
by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman
A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Door of No Return
by Kwame Alexander
When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank, Before the Diary by Alice Hoffman
Connecting to Science
Novels with scientific themes provide an opportunity to analyze scientific concepts through the journey of a fictional character. These two previous MiddleWeb articles highlight (with examples) specifically how to use novels to address climate science and artificial intelligence.
Additional Recommendations
Gracie Under the Waves
by Linda Sue Park
Spark by Chris Baron
The Burning Season by Caroline Starr Rose
A Wolf Called Wander by Roseanne Parry
The Last Beekeeper by Pablo Cartaya
Consider the Octopus
by Nora Raleigh Baskin and Gae Polisne
Connecting to Social Emotional Learning
Fiction books are valuable ways to explore social and emotional learning as well as mental health by addressing topics such as identity, belonging, kindness, and resilience. They also offer meaningful opportunities to discuss emotions in an approachable and authentic way while providing models for navigating the challenges of growing up.
This previous MiddleWeb article highlights books that deal with body image and the mental health and wellness challenges connected to one’s Body Image. Another earlier MiddleWeb article highlights picture books that address social and emotional skills.
Additional SEL Recommendations
My Life in a Fish Tank
by Barbara Dee
The List of Things that Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead
As Brave as You by Jason Reynolds
Everything Else in the Universe by Tracy Holczer
Cross-Subject Strategies to Build Content Knowledge with Fiction
►Invite Research: Research connected to fictional stories can be formal or informal. Often novels present an opportunity for students to deep dive into a nonfiction topic that is introduced in their book. This would allow them to explore something that interests them, develop research skills, and make deeper connections.
However, I find that the most effective and authentic research is informal and driven by student questions and interests. Once students have learned how to determine what information is credible and identify some go-to websites they can trust, I encourage them look online for information about any topics in their book that inspire questions or leave them wanting to know more. This allows the research to be student driven, increases content knowledge, and gives them many opportunities to learn facts related to the story and deepen understanding.
►Consider Connections: Encourage students to document links between the book and other content areas and share that information with their content area teachers. Engage teachers across content areas to find opportunities for interdisciplinary work connected to fiction.
►Compare Fact and Fiction: Ask students to create a chart that lists factual and fictional information the text and compare the two as they read. Then discuss how they are connected.
►Explore Setting: Explore and study maps, examine information about historical landmarks, and learn about the natural environments mentioned in the story.
►Create Your Own: After students read fiction and explore how it connects to content, start with facts and have students write a fictional vignette based on facts they have learned, and invite them topractice blending facts and their imagination.
►Fiction and Nonfiction Pairing: Students choose a fiction and a nonfiction book that are based on similar content and after reading both of them compare what they learned from each.
►Character Advice Column: Write advice letters from fictional characters based on the experiences of the character in the story. These can be based on historical events, science or social emotional learning themes such as resilience, identity, and kindness.
Questions for Students to Consider
►Did the fictional story challenge or reinforce what you previously knew about the topic?
►How did the writing style, illustrations and storytelling techniques influence your understanding of the content?
►Has your perspective changed after reading this story?
►What do you want to learn more about after reading the story?
►Was the story believable based on the facts that were included?
►How did the fiction help you to “feel” and understand the content area differently than a textbook would?
►How did the characters’ experiences teach you something new about a subject area?
►What connections can you make between the story and other courses you are taking this year or have previously taken?
►How would the story be different if it were written as nonfiction?
Please feel free to share strategies you use or books you would suggest that can help students develop content knowledge while they enjoy the unique engagement that storytelling offers.
Kasey Short is the Middle School Director of Studies and an 8th Grade English Teacher and Advisor at Charlotte (NC) Country Day School. She loves to share ideas from her classroom and her leadership roles. Kasey attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she earned a bachelor of arts in middle school education with a concentration in English and history. She went on to earn a master’s in curriculum and instruction from Winthrop University.
Browse all of Kasey’s MiddleWeb articles here and follow her at Bluesky. Curious to see Kasey’s 2025 recommendations for new middle grades and young adult fiction? Go here.
