Have student create an original historical fiction: 
Describe the town from the point of view of a fictitious citizen who might have lived in the town long ago. Include local issues of the time in the story. Tell the story of the town from the fictionalized point of view of a resident who actually lived.

Collecting Family Stories
Have students collect true tales about the "old days" by interviewing older relatives. Have students find out about the history of their families as far back as anyone can tell them. See Collecting Family Stories for an assortment of effective interview questions to gain stories from older family members.

Puzzle Tale: Putting the Pieces Together
Copy a folktale from a printed anthology and cut it up into sections or scenes. Paste each section on a separate page. Give out the sheets to students who each prepare to retell their small piece of the whole story. Assemble the story by having each student retell his or her part in the plot's sequence. Have students keep the flow going as the story is told so that the performance moves along as though one person were telling it. Do a second round by giving students different sections to retell. Notice how differently students retell the same sections!