Essays on The Farming of Bones often include background about the 1937 massacre ordered by Rafael Trujillo, in which thousands of Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent were killed near the border. Students may draw on class readings, documentaries, or their own online research. The quality of that historical material varies enormously, and teachers must decide how much weight it should carry in the final grade.

The first question to settle is whether the assignment is primarily literary or historical. In an English class, historical context should support the analysis of the novel rather than become the main subject. A paper that spends three pages on Trujillo's rise to power and only one on Danticat's craft has drifted away from the purpose of the assignment.

It is equally important to decide what sources students are allowed to use. Some teachers provide a short packet with a timeline, maps, and excerpts so everyone works from the same facts. Others let students research independently, which can produce richer papers but also more errors that you will need to catch and address.

Check accuracy without turning into a fact-checker

Historical claims should be reasonable and supported, but you do not need to verify every sentence yourself. Focus on the central claims, such as the approximate timing, the role of the state, and the way victims were identified. Flag any statement that seems exaggerated or unsupported and ask the student to cite where they found it.

• Dates, locations, and actors are described accurately and with appropriate caution
• Casualty estimates are presented as estimates and attributed to a source
• The essay distinguishes between government policy and the views of individuals
• Outside information is tied to a specific scene or passage in the novel
• Sources are cited consistently according to the assignment's instructions

Reward integration over information dumping

Some students paste in a block of background and then move on to a separate discussion of the book. The strongest essays weave history into their readings. They might explain that knowing about the regime's campaign to erase Haitian presence helps us understand why Amabelle's testimony is so fraught, and they use that connection to deepen a claim about memory.

You can train this skill through feedback that asks how a fact changes the reading of a scene. A note like "How does this background alter what happens at the river?" pushes students to link information to interpretation. Over time, they learn to treat context as a lens rather than an appendix.

Handle citation and source quality

When students conduct outside research, source quality becomes part of the assessment. A peer-reviewed article or a reputable news archive carries more weight than an anonymous blog post. Teaching students to note where their information comes from, even briefly, improves both their accuracy and their habits as researchers.

A short annotated source list can make evaluation easier. Ask students to add a sentence explaining why each source is reliable, which encourages critical thinking and gives you a quick way to spot weak sources. This small addition often improves the final paper because students consider credibility before building an argument on a shaky foundation.

Speed up review of research-heavy papers

Papers that combine literary analysis with research take longer to grade than standard essays. AI-assisted grading can check whether historical claims are connected to specific scenes, whether citations are present, and whether the writing stays focused on the novel. These checks help you triage which papers need a deeper verification of facts.

The teacher's judgment remains essential for anything involving a sensitive historical event. You are best positioned to decide whether a claim is fair, properly contextualized, and respectful of the people affected. Technology helps you reach those decisions more efficiently, but the responsibility for accuracy and fairness stays with the educator.