Short Story Unit

In this unit students will read short stories from various authors and look at literary devices employed in each story.  The short story is the most compact prose form and therefore the best to look at as an introduction to literature.  The devices the students discover in this unit will reappear throughout the semester when we discuss The Novel, DRAMA and POETRY.  The ultimate goal for students to acquire the basic understanding of the working of literary at a root and elementary level. Students will be required to read and take quizzes on each story and at the end of the unit take a unit test and present a Short Story Project orally to class.

THEME FOCUS: The Meaning of Freedom, The Meaning of Home, The Idea of Duty, Appearance vs. Reality

Unit Learning goal: Students will demonstrate knowledge of the structure of fiction by breaking down the essential building blocks (literary elements) of short stories by plot, dialogue, imagery, character development, figurative language (metaphor, symbolism, irony), point of view, connecting these blocks to the overall meaning (or theme) of the text, and final writing a personal narrative using some of these devices. 

 Objectives (smaller chunks of overall goal) and suggested time periods

 Students will be able to

 1) Define tone, blues, metaphor, irony, foreshadow, dialect, conflict, character, plot, mood, theme, symbol, imagery, protagonist, antagonist, static character, dynamic character, round character, flat character, allusion

2) Given a story be able to list its theme, plot, conflict, irony, point of view

3) Given a story be able to discuss which characters are round and which are flat

4) Given a story be able to pick out the protagonist and the antagonist

5) Given a story be able to pick out the static characters and the dynamic characters and briefly in a paragraph discuss why.

6) Given a story pick out examples of foreshadow and allusion

7) List the three elements of characterization

8) List the three conditions for believable change in a character

9) Given a series of images discuss what they mean in relation to a story or a character in a story

10)    Given a story identify the characters with descriptions—physical and emotional descriptions as well as whether the character fits as either an antagonist, protagonist, dynamic or static character

11)    Given a story be able to describe the symbols used in the story and what they mean in relation to the characters and theme.

12)    Given a story discuss in a paragraph or two what the story’s plot reveals about the main character

13)    Recognize whether a story is told from a 1^st person, 2^nd person or 3^rd person limited, 3^rd person omniscient point of view.

14)    In a paragraph be able to summarize the events of a story.

15) Given a story identify the different events that fall into different parts of plot (example: be able to describe the exposition or climax of a story)

16) Given a story discuss how its theme is developed throughout the text

17) Students will be able to tell the difference between a short story and a personal narrative.

18) Students will be able to write an extension to a short story read in class and publish them on their blog.

19) Students will be able to write personal responses to stories read in class.

20) Respond orally to a story by creating an outline and delivering it to class

 Text(s)/Additional Instructional Resources (what will be reading):

“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut

“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker”

“The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson

“There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury

“The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury

“Montgomery Boycott” by Coretta Scott King

“On Nuclear Disarmament” by Carl Sagan

“Stockpiles of Nuclear Weapons”

“I Have A Dream” by M.L. King

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson

“Inside the home of the Future/Car of the Future”

“The Race to Save Apollo 13”

ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS:

What are the different types of conflicts found within stories; What is an unreliable narrator and what does an unreliable narrator do for a text; What is an allusion?  Why does an author use allusions?  How is a complex character created?  Why does an author use imagery?  What does dialect do for a story?  What is irony and what is the effect of irony when it is used in a story?  Can you find irony in the real world?  What happens when part of the plot is left out of a story?  What is figurative language and how does an author effectively use it in a story?

What is a personal narrative?  How does a personal narrative differ from a short story?  How are they similar?  What are some good themes for a personal narrative?