Voice of History

I have used this lesson with both 3rd and 4th graders. Could be used for upper grade levels as well.

*This lesson is used in conjunction with the social studies curriculum at both of these grade levels. This activity is initiated after students have already spent some time studying the time period in question and have developed some familiarity with the daily lives of the people at that time.

1. Students are asked to create a fictional character who might have lived during the period of history they have been studying. They must choose the gender, age, and marital status, if appropriate.

2. Students then give a physical description of their character, which can include a drawing.

3. Students use this information as a jumping-off point. Their goal is to create a first person journal or diary, written from the perspective of their character. The entries can cover days, weeks, or months. Depending on the skill level of each student, I would set a minimum required number of entries, but would encourage all to go beyond their minimum.

4. Finally, students prepare an oral presentation, using their journal entries to give a picture of this character's life. They can get as involved in this as they want, including dressing up as their character and developing a special "voice" to use.