Silent Stories

How can reading short stories benefit people? To conclude a unit study of this genre, class members script and film a public service announcement addressing this essential question.

Take a look at the symbolism and themes in Katharine Mansfield's short story "The Fly." After reading the story, class members respond to six questions that require literary analysis and text connections.

What would the world look like if there were a way to stop the aging process? Take a look at Kurt Vonnegut's vision of this future in "The Big Trip Up Yonder." Class members read the short story and then respond to a series of text-based...

Introduce the genre of the short story to your class. You can make a handout out of this resource or develop extensive notes from the information included. Cover development, characteristics, types, and elements of the short story, with...

Use short stories to teach English? Yes! Designed as a professional development opportunity for English language teachers, the ideas in this booklet can easily be adapted to advanced ESL/ELL classes.

The five elements of a short story are described in detail in this resource. This is not an activity, nor an assignment, but rather a reference sheet for teacher or class member. You might give this to learners to look at as they read,...

Encourage your students to interact with the text as they read. While reading "Three Skeleton Key," class members note predictions, define words and study their meanings, take notes on how the suspense builds, and jot down ideas about...

This discussion guide accompanies the fiction book Midnight Magic written by Avi, enforces story elements, inferences, and theme/plot. Have the class work on it over time, it will engage even your reluctant readers. 

Young scholars participate in an engaging, alternative assessment activity: making a silent film of an Edgar Allen Poe story. This project offers them an additional way to demonstrate their mastery of the topic. 

Start the day by circling up your class and watching an interview with Eudora Welty, the author of the short story "A Worn Path." Then, using the graphic organizer provided, readers begin working through the story, paragraph by...