Short Story Unit Plan, 9 Short Stories for High School, PDF & Google Drive, CCSS

Looking for a low-prep short story unit that will thrill your high school and advanced middle school students? This four-week short story unit is an excellent way to launch the year, setting the stage for deeper study of novels and plays. I’ve used it successfully with eighth graders and both regular and honors freshmen. It covers the important elements of literature and provides an excellent background in literary devices, analysis, and writing techniques. All student materials are included in both PDF and Google Drive format.

This HUGE bundle includes:

• A day-by-day calendar to follow with helpful details and nightly homework assignments (read this file first when you open the bundle)

• Storytelling Arc lecture to explain exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and denouement with a handout for students to use for note-taking

• Thank You, Ma’am by Langston Hughes short story – link to full-text story; deep-thinking questions handout with key/discussion starters; introductory paragraph worksheet

• Lecture to explain and model effective introductory paragraph hooks with student handout (Prezi Next & Google Slides versions)

• The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant short story – full-text story (in public domain) with deep-thinking questions handout; answer key/discussion starters; literary analysis writing lecture with practice, modeling, and assignment

• The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe – full-text story (in public domain) with deep-thinking questions handout; answer key/discussion starters; Storytelling Arc handout/assignment with completed key

• The Rules of the Game by Amy Tan (from The Joy Luck Club) – link to full-text story; deep-thinking questions handout with key/discussion starters; creative writing assignment focusing on tone/mimicry of author’s voice

• Write Like a Professional lecture focusing on participles, absolutes, appositives, adjectives shifted out of order, vivid verbs, similes, and metaphors. Includes mentor sentence examples of all skills with reinforcement worksheet.

• The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell short story – full-text story (in public domain) with deep-thinking questions handout; answer key/discussion starters; Simile Hunt worksheet; characterization assignment

• Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl short story – link to full-text story; deep-thinking questions handout with key/discussion starters; real-world writing skills/artistic sketch Police Report handout with completed model; link to Alfred Hitchcock video version of the story

• The Interlopers by Saki short story – full-text story (in public domain) with deep-thinking questions handout; answer key/discussion starters; journalism/newspaper writing assignment

• The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry short story – full-text story (in public domain) with deep-thinking questions handout; answer key/discussion starters; creative writing assignment

• The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst short story – link to full-text story; deep-thinking questions handout with key/discussion starters; literary analysis quote harvesting worksheet with detailed answer key; step-by-step literary analysis paragraph assignment worksheet and paragraph grading rubric

• End-of-unit exam, including 21 matching questions, 14 true/false, and 15 literary device identification questions. Includes answer key.

Note: Most items included in the bundle are sold separately in my store, but you’ll save more than 30 percent by buying them together. No need to purchase these items separately if you grab this budget-priced bundle. The other three items – the calendar, storytelling arc Prezi lecture, and unit exam – are sold only as part of this bundle. If you’d like a closer look at any of the separate items, just click on the links above for more product details, including each item's CCSS code set.

Also, this bundle is included in my English 9-10 full-year curriculum. If you already own the full-year download, please do not purchase this item here individually. If you’d like to receive this item plus everything else needed to teach 180 days of English 9 or English 10 at a deeply discounted price, click here to learn more about the full-year curriculum download.

Want even more short stories? Check out my Short Story Unit for Older Teens, a collection of stories and lesson materials designed specifically for high school juniors and seniors. You'll save more than 30 percent off the cost of those individual items if you purchase the bundle available here:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Short-Story-Unit-Eng-1112-Short-Stories-Multimedia-PDF-Google-Drive-CCSS-9330437

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