Historical Nonfiction Examples: Comparing Different Accounts of the Titanic Disaster

Understanding how authors retell historical events is an important literacy skill that helps students become critical readers and thoughtful thinkers. When students explore different historical nonfiction examples, they learn that the same event can be presented in different ways depending on the author’s purpose, audience and perspective. Developing these analytical skills supports both reading comprehension and historical inquiry.

This engaging teaching resource invites students to read, analyze and compare two different accounts of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. One text is a literary historical nonfiction text that uses descriptive language and storytelling techniques to bring the event to life. The second is a factual historical nonfiction text that focuses on presenting information in a clear, objective manner. Through guided analysis worksheets, students investigate how each author presents the disaster and the impact those choices have on the reader.

The resource includes:

• A literary historical nonfiction text 
• A factual historical nonfiction text
• Text analysis worksheets for both accounts
• Comparison worksheets focusing on similarities and differences
• A final reflection task requiring evidence-based responses

This resource downloads as an easy-print PDF or an editable Google Slides file.

Read on to learn more about how this resource benefits your students.

Historical Text Comparison Activities = Critical Thinking Skills

This resource has been designed by one of our experienced teachers to help students build essential literacy and analytical skills through a structured investigation of two historical accounts. By comparing two accounts of the RMS Titanic disaster, students learn to look beyond the content itself and consider how authors shape meaning through their writing choices.

By engaging with this resource, students will fine-tune the following skills:

• Critical Reading Skills – Reading beyond surface-level details to consider deeper meaning and author intent.
• Author’s Purpose and Perspective Analysis – Recognizing how perspective can shape a reader’s interpretation of a historical event.
• Text Analysis Skills – Analyzing how text features such as structure, voice, tone and language choices affect reader engagement and understanding.
• Comparative Analysis Skills – Identifying similarities and differences between texts recounting the same historical event.
• Evidence-Based Reasoning – Drawing conclusions using information from multiple sources and supporting ideas with relevant textual evidence.

Download This Historical Nonfiction Comparison Resource

Teaching historical nonfiction has never been easier! This ready-to-use resource is designed with busy teachers in mind – simply download, print and teach. No complicated prep required!

Use the Download button to access your preferred version of this resource. Note that if you select one of the Google Slides files, you will first be prompted to make a copy to your own Google Drive.

For sustainability purposes, please consider printing the project booklet double-sided. 

Stephanie Machart, a teacher in Illinois and a Teach Starter collaborator, contributed to this resource.

More Resources for Teaching Historical Nonfiction

Teach Starter prides itself on creating rigorous, curriculum-aligned resources that are ready for use in your busy classroom. Click below to browse a hand-picked selection of historical nonfiction materials from our extensive library.

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Introduction to Historical Nonfiction Teaching Slides

Use this age-appropriate, visually engaging slide deck to teach your students about the purpose, structure and features of the historical nonfiction genre.

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Historical Nonfiction Sorting Task – The Moon Landing

Teach your students about the structure of historical nonfiction texts with this cut-and-paste sequencing worksheet.

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5 Historical Writing Prompts

Use this set of 5 historical writing prompts to assess your students’ writing skills.