What Is Historical Nonfiction?

Historical nonfiction is a genre of writing that retells past events in the order they happened, using factual information to inform readers about significant people, places or moments in history. As students move through elementary school, they are often expected to read and write historical pieces, making this a valuable cross-curricular skill.

This 15-slide teaching presentation will help you explain all the fundamental features of historical nonfiction to your students. The slideshow contains authentic examples for you to read and analyze with your class, as well as several review activities to make sure your students are grasping the concepts presented. Links to additional Teach Starter resources are also included in the presentation, offering opportunities for deeper learning and extended practice.

By engaging with this PowerPoint presentation, your students will be writing detailed historical recounts in no time!

The Benefits of Exploring Historical Nonfiction for Students

Learning about historical nonfiction as a genre helps students develop a range of literacy skills that extend beyond a single writing unit. By engaging with the content contained in this slide deck, your students will:

• Identify why historical texts are written and who their intended audience might be.
• Develop an understanding of sequencing and cause-and-effect in historical events.
• Identify the orientation, events and conclusion within a historical nonfiction text.
• Explore language such as past tense, time connectives and historical vocabulary.
• Build confidence in writing about significant events, people and historical periods.

These skills support both literacy and inquiry-based learning, helping students become more capable writers, readers and historians. 

Download and Use This Historical Nonfiction PowerPoint

This slideshow downloads as either a Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation. Use the dropdown menu on the Download button to access your preferred version. (Note: You will be prompted to make a copy of the Google Slides presentation before accessing it.)

Use the presentation as a whole-class teaching tool in your history and ELA integration lessons. The editable, teacher-friendly format allows you to deliver high-quality instruction without spending hours creating materials from scratch, giving you more time to focus on supporting students as they develop their writing skills!

More Resources for Teaching Historical Nonfiction

Click below to explore more teacher-created, curriculum-aligned resources to use when exploring historical nonfiction with your students.

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