The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What historical fiction novels have you read? What makes historical fiction different from a history topic or historical nonfiction?

Teaching Suggestion: The historical context of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle greatly matters to Charlotte’s changing ideas about class and gender. Introducing students to historical fiction can lay the foundation for helping them understand the nuances of the genre.

• BookRiot has a 101 guide on historical fiction.
• Reading Middle Grade has compiled a list of 30 YA and middle grade historical fiction novels.

2. List 8-10 of the most significant differences between life today and life in the 1800s. Share your list on the board or aloud. What common factors do you notice about your list and others in the class?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may naturally point out the differences in modern conveniences and technology, but it will be beneficial to guide them to understand that societal structure is also different. This activity will help to introduce some of the struggles that Charlotte experiences with gender and class.

• The Victorian Web details the stratification of class during the 19th century.
• The University of South Florida-Tampa traced women’s role in the 19th century through literature in an interactive story. (Teacher-appropriate; may not be appropriate for all classes due to mature content)

Short Activity

What would life aboard a 19th-century vessel have been like? In groups, look up images and information about ships from the 1800s. Make a list of 5 facts to share with the class.

Report your findings to the class. How was a sailing experience on a 19th-century ship different from the boats of today?

Teaching Suggestion: This activity can help give context to the story of Charlotte Doyle and her experiences learning about the boat and how to be a part of a crew.

• The Penobscot Museum has included resources about 19th-century sea navigation.
• Macquarie University has compiled a list of ships and nautical terms from the 19^th century.

Differentiation Suggestion: Visual learners can also draw ship details or use ready-made images like cutaway drawings or blueprints to point to specific details and write out short facts to display to the class.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Imagine being on a ship and setting sail on the open sea. The wind is in your hair. You’re off on a new adventure. How does it feel? What thoughts go through your mind? What is the atmosphere like onboard with other passengers and crew members? How might the ideas of The Barriers of Class and Challenging Gender Roles influence the social dynamics onboard a ship?

Teaching Suggestion: Encourage students to visualize the start of a new voyage, like opening a new book for the first time. This visualization might be a short, creative exercise in which they imagine the sensory details, painting a world that might inspire more visualization as they read Avi’s novel. It might beneficial to introduce the novel’s themes with some discussion of their potential meaning and allow students to make predictions based on the setting and themes.