As a history
teacher, I encourage my students to read books from the time period that we are studying because
literature is a window into the past. Any study of the Great Depression, for example, is brought
to life by reading Steinbecks Of Mice and Men because although it is a
fictional story, it is a product of that time and place. We learn so much about the lives of
migrant workers and attitudes toward women and African-Americans in this novel. Similarly,
Orwells Animal Farm might be called a fairy story, but it reveals a lot
about British attitudes to the Russian Revolution and development of the Soviet state.
I also encourage a study of literature because reading and comprehending a text
improves literacy rates. By encountering both familiar and unfamiliar words, students not only
improve their own vocabulary but also their cognitive skills, as shown in this article from the
Reading Agency (See Reference 1).
Of course, studying literature also fires
the imagination and promotes curiosity, which will help students in every subject they study and
every path they take in later life.
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