(Recorded Course) Living History Through Literature: Father Damien and the Bells with Jackie de Laveaga

 

Total Classes: 6

Duration: 50 minutes

 

Prerequisite: No class prerequisite. Your student will need Powerpoint or Google Slides to work on the Final Project. 

Suggested Grade Level: 5th to 8th grade

Suggested Credit: 1/2 semester History or Literature

Instructor: Jackie de Laveaga, BA, M.Ed.

Course Description: Living History Through Literature is a project-based course series that weave the study of literature into a meaningful and engaging encounter with a specific era of history. In LHTL: Modern History 1, we meet the saintly Fr. Damien, who in 1872 went to the Hawaiian island of Molokai, where lepers had been exiled to live in miserable surroundings. Damien earned the trust of the lepers, and his appeals for help resonated throughout the world. He spent his life caring for all the needs of the outcast lepers, and even after Damien himself contracted leprosy he carried on working for his "fellow lepers" to the end.

Students will study the historical context of the novel and participate in engaging literature discussions. In this project-based course, students will engage in short quizzes and in projects of their choice. Project options will include fiction writing, preparing period-specific food and/or costumes, creating classic art remakes, recreating scenes from the novel (Legos, clay, K’nex, digital drawing, hand-drawing, etc.), building a timeline, mapping, and more.

Course Outline:

  • Class 1: Overview of Historical Context and Novel Introduction

  • Class 2: Literature Discussion; Project Introduction

  • Class 3: Literature Discussion; Cultural Overview

  • Class 4: Literature Discussion; Fiction Writing Tips

  • Class 5: Literature Discussion; Final Project Instructions

  • Class 6 Literature Analysis and Historical Connections; Student Project Showcase

Course Materials: Father Damien and the Bells, by Leonard Fisher and Elizabeth Sheehan, ISBN-10: 1586170333 or ISBN-13: 978-1586170332 (https://www.ignatius.com/Father-Damien-and-the-Bells-P709.aspx). Purchase new from your favorite Catholic bookseller or used at BookFinder.com. Your student will need PowerPoint or Google Slides (available free online) to create a final project.

Homework: Weekly quizzes and reading assignments. Each week, students will work on one project-based assignment that will culminate in a final novel project submission. Homework (including novel reading) will take 1.5 to 3 hours per week. Parents are encouraged to support younger students by reading texts aloud and helping with project planning and execution.