Warm-Up for Historical Narratives

What would it be like to travel back in time? In this unit, you'll pretend to do just that by writing from the perspective of a historical figure. To do so, you'll need to think creatively about the past.

What Is a Historical Narrative?

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A historical narrative is a story that brings to life a person, an event, or a time from the past. You may write from the perspective of a real person or create a character who takes part in a real historical event.

Start by thinking of an interesting time in history and journeying there in your mind. Who would you be? What would you be doing? Would you change history? A historical narrative is a time machine that takes you wherever you want to go!

Thinking About Historical Figures

Think about important people from history, alive or dead. Imagine if two of these historical figures met each other at a “Historical Summit.” What would the meeting be like? What would they talk about?

Here’s what a transcript of a historical summit between two presidents might look like.

Historical Summit