They also serve as a useful vehicle for studying bias, fact vs. opinion, and characterization. Books of true experience Content relates to specific episodes or events from a person's life over a limited time span. Author may be the central figure or an objective narrator. Books of true experience provide an in-depth look at a contemporary or historical event or a series of related events. Students will broaden their understanding of those events and situations by seeing them in their cultural and historical context as well as by observing the effects of those events on a number of people.
Content is based upon or adapted from original documents in diary, letter, or essay form.
Documentary records on such diverse topics as slavery, life in 12th-century England, or songs of the American Revolution provide excellent supplements to historical fiction or resources for creative dramatics. Historical documents and speeches Official statements of social and political significance may include information about the author and setting of each document. Reproductions of original documents help students discover the language and style of early writers as well as provide clues to the lifestyles and attitudes of people in an earlier time. Contemporary speeches may be used as a source of information about political and social issues, as a basis of comparison with the language and concerns of the past, and as a vehicle for the study of persuasion. Writing style is simple and direct.