Writing A Fictional Narrative
Historical Short Story
7th Grade Humanities 2014
Name _______________________
Date ______
Teacher _____________________
Fictional Narratives: Life in Feudal Europe
Assignment: A fictional narrative is a made-up story. In the 1300s, Geoffrey Chaucer
wrote a collection of fictional narratives called The Canterbury Tales. In the collection,
each tale is told by a medieval character—a knight, a squire, a cook, a nun, a monk, and
others. Since then, many authors have written fictional narratives, some of which have
been set during a historical period. When writing a story that takes place in the past, the
author must research the time period thoroughly to make the story convincing.
• Review the information/links on ClassZone.com about writing a fictional narrative.
http://www.classzone.com/cz/books/ms_wh_medieval/page_build.htm?id=resources/jsp/wah
/5/writing _
• Review Chapter 9, Feudal Europe. Brainstorm a list of possible characters, thinking
about nobles, Ladies, knights, merchants, serfs, and others from that time period.
 Do additional research about the time period as well to fully understand.
• From the list of characters, choose the one you most want to write about. Will it be
a noble suffering from the Black Plague or a courtship between a lovely maiden and
the brave knight? The sufferings of a serf working his lord's land?
• Choose a setting (time and place) for your story.
• Think about a conflict that your character might find him/herself in. Develop your
story by following the traditional plot structure.
• Decide what other major and minor characters your story needs.
• Include dialogue and description to bring your characters alive! Remember, show
don’t tell!
• Include figurative language and sensory details!
Requirements: Please follow these requirements in order to successfully publish & present
your piece of historical fiction. You will share your story with the class.
• Complete the plot diagram for your story before you begin. This is your brainstorm
and rough draft.
• Type your story using Times New Roman, double space, size 12. Include an original
title.
• Create a cover page with an original title (using 24 point font), an appropriate
illustration/picture, and your first and last name (18 point font) centered on the page.
• Length should be 2-3 pages.
• You may also want to put your story onto index cards for yourself, since you will be
reading in front of the class. This is not mandatory but highly recommended.
• Once you have completed your historical piece, you will present it.
• You must take your narrative and become an animated reader to your audience.
Use your voice to become those characters! This takes rehearsal on your part.
• You must have eye contact; voice projection, clarity, and appropriate stance.
• You are required to have at least one element of either a costume for your
character or some type of prop. You may have more than one….the more creativity,
the better your presentation will be!
Presentations: Thursday, 2/27 and Friday 2/28
Tips for a Good Oral Presentation
Content:
 Do you have all the necessary parts of a narrative story?
 Have you included dialogue between characters?
 Have you included accurate historical details about your character?
Planning:
 Are your notes ready and in the correct order? Is your prop/costume ready?
 Do you know how you are going to read each part of your story?
 Have you read through your story enough times to have it partially or totally memorized so that
you don’t have to rely on your notecards (or paper) too much?
Delivery:
 How is your volume? Are you speaking clearly? Is your pacing good? Not too fast?
 Are you speaking or reading? Use your note cards as reminders, not as an essay to be read aloud!
That means you’ll need to PRACTICE!
Audience Connection:
 Make eye contact with the audience to help them feel involved in your presentation.
 Show enthusiasm and excitement! Why should we be interested in your story, if you seemed
bored by it yourself? 
Length:
 Two to four minutes is good. A few seconds more or less is fine, but seven minutes? Too long.
Sixty seconds? Too short!
Historical Narrative Rubric
Name: ________________________________________________________
Feudal Character: ________________________________________________________
Narrative Content
Exposition
Conflict
Rising Action
Climax
Resolution
Dialogue
Historical details
0-1-2
0-1-2
0-1-2
0-1-2
0-1-2
0-1-2
0-1-2-3-4
Subtotal
/16
Presentation Style
Planning
Delivery
Audience Connection
Length
Subtotal
Prop/Costume
Visual appearance
Creativity
0-1-2-3
0-1-2-3
0-1-2-3
0-1-2-3
/12
0-1-2-3
0-1-2-3
Subtotal
/6
TOTAL
/34