FOR TEACHERS
Kathleen Ernst
Author, Educator, Social Historian
"The research and attention to detail are exemplary; the author has masterfully combined factual events with a powerful plot. ...An excellent example of how to teach history through fiction."
--School Library Journal (Retreat from Gettysburg)
Welcome teachers and homeschooling parents!
Looking for information about school visits? Follow the link on the Programs page.
Want more information about historical fiction? Follow the links for "Evaluating Historical Fiction" and "Historical Fiction Reviews" on the For Writers page.
TEACHER GUIDES
I work hard to create books that engage kids' interest and maintain a high level of historical accuracy. I have collaborated with educators and curriculum consultants for over twenty years. I spent a decade working as a Curator of Education and Collections with the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Historic Sites Division, and later served as a Senior Educational Specialist with the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.
My books are strongly grounded in research. Most of the historical novels include an Author's Note or Looking Back essay to help your students distinguish fact from fiction.
For material about individual books, click on the titles below. You'll find suggestions for activities designed for multiple learning styles and intended to develop higher-level thinking. Here too are helpful links and correlations to Wisconsin's Model Academic Standards for English Language Arts and Social Studies. Many of the titles also include standards relevant for the state in which the book is set, and national standards for English and Social Studies.
You will need Adobe Reader software installed on your computer in order to view and print these guides. This free program can be downloaded from Adobe Software.
Historical Setting
Audience
Book Title
1732 ~ Fur Trading Era, Wisconsin
French Voyageurs, Metis families, and Ojibwa trappers cooperate and compete on what is now Madeline Island, WI, on Lake Superior.
Age 9 & up
1775-76 ~ Revolutionary War, North Carolina
Elspeth discovers that both Patriots and Loyalists want newly-arrived Scottish settlers in North Carolina Colony to support their cause.
Age 9 & up
1825 ~ Trading Era, New Mexico
Josefina contends with old legends, lost treasure, and the meeting of different cultural groups.
Age 8 & up
1854 ~ Swedish Immigrant Settlement, Minnesota
Kirsten confronts emotional, cultural, and economic challenges when her family settles in Minnesota.
Age 8 & up
1862 ~ American Civil War, Maryland & West Virginia
Union Cavalry and Confederate partisans clash in the days leading up to Stonewall Jackson's capture of Harpers Ferry, WV.
Age 10 & up
1862 ~ American Civil War, Maryland
Friends divided by Confederate and Union loyalties are tested when caught up in the Battle of Antietam, at Sharpsburg, MD.
Age 10 & up
1862-63 ~ American Civil War, Mississippi
A young Union soldier from Wisconsin and his favorite cousin, a girl raised in Mississippi, experience the siege of Vicksburg.
Age 10 & up
1863 ~ American Civil War, Maryland
A pro-Union family is forced to tend a wounded Confederate soldier during the near-capture of Robert E. Lee's army at Williamsport, MD.
Age 10 & up
1863-64 ~ American Civil War, Tennessee
After becoming orphaned, Hannah must care for her younger siblings on a dangerous journey through the Tennessee mountains to Nashville.
Age 10 & up
1867 ~ Community Settlement, Colorado
A widow and daughter Emma challenge themselves and women's traditional roles when they start a newspaper in the Colorado Territory.
Age 9 & up
1934 ~ Great Depression, Kentucky
While helping a professor of folklore in the Kentucky mountians, Kit learns that some local residents have reason to mistrust visitors.
Age 8 & up
1935 ~ Great Depression, Ohio
Kit tries to discover who is making trouble at the Cincinnati Zoo, and at home, so she can write an article for her local newspaper.
Age 8 & up
1945 ~ World War II Homefront, Illinois
While struggling to discover who is sabotaging a paper drive, Molly discovers that the war has changed her neighbors and friends forever.
Age 8 & up
Clues in the Shadows
Teacher guide coming soon!
Contemporary ~ Scottish Heritage & Self Identity, North Carolina
Tanya moves from Wisconsin to North Carolina, and finds herself reluctantly drawn into the celebration of Scottish history and heritage.
Age 10 & up
