The Story of an Hour - Kate Chopin - Short Story Unit & Close Reading Analysis

Looking for an engaging short story unit your students will enjoy while practicing close reading and literary analysis? This "Story of an Hour" short story and close reading unit can be used in whole or in part to help students connect to Kate Chopin’s classic while practicing the skills necessary for mastery of critical reading and writing standards. The resource includes a wide variety of activities that make differentiation easy--all with no-prep, print-and-go convenience.

So many times, students read "The Story of an Hour" and miss the big picture. This short story unit asks thought-provoking questions while guiding them through a close reading activity to ensure they are able to understand plot events, character development and critical themes. It also includes reader response writing activities so that students can write about and reflect upon their learning.

The packet includes:

• Detailed 1-3 Day Close Reading Lesson Plan—to enable students to read with a purpose, extract key concepts, and comprehend at a deeper level

• Copy of the Story— ("The Story of an Hour" is in the public domain) so students can mark up the text as they read; organized with numbered paragraphs for quick reference

• Thought-provoking Journal Prompts—to build interest and activate prior knowledge

• Text Analysis Activities—including directed note-taking, for individual and small group learning

• Engaging Reader Response Activities—to help students reflect upon their learning and write about it

• Thought-provoking Discussion Questions—to get students writing and talking about the most important concepts of "Story of an Hour."

• Vocabulary Inventory—to introduce new words, determine which ones students need most help with pre-reading and to monitor growth afterwards

• Vocabulary Building—to help students learn new vocabulary by connecting to words in a meaningful way

• Plot Diagram—to help students record the most important events in the story

• Fun Theme Activity—to determine universal themes of the story and connect them with modern music

• Detailed Answer Keys—to save you time and generally make your life easier

The wide variety of literary analysis and vocabulary activities make differentiation easy. Activities can be done individually or as a group; they can be used in part or whole; they provide plenty of intervention and extension opportunities; and they can even be used as stations through which students can rotate. All offered with no-prep, print-and-go convenience.

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WHAT TEACHERS ARE SAYING:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This. Is. Excellent. Accurate and thorough and teacher friendly: add water and stir! Answer keys are provided for everything and made my prep so much simpler.” –Stephanie N.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “My students loved the journal prompts and I loved the organization of the various activities.”—Sarah D.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Why isn't there an A PLUS PLUS in the chart? This was super duper fantastic helpful to my students in deepening their understanding of Mrs Mallard's mixed emotions especially. Great layout and handouts - everything so carefully thought out. Useful extension activities and questions too if you want to go,that route. Perfecto! Thank you,”—Ann-Marie B.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Love the directed note-taking. This is a very structured way to scaffold students' understanding of note-taking.”—Kimberly H.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This is an incredible unit for Story of an Hour. It is brilliantly pieced together and it guides students through the deep thought and discussion that this story demands.”—Samantha M.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I can't say enough good things about this product! Spot on in every way!”

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Honestly, a phenomenal resource. This was very cohesive and provided excellent direction for our understanding of the story. Lots of great, skills based activities that led to actual learning, rather than just reading comprehension questions.”—Rebecca R.

The ability to closely read and analyze text is central to Common Core and state ELA standards. Not only will students analyze "Story of an Hour." but they also will learn critical strategies on how to approach literary analysis in general.

Common Core State Standards Covered:

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1 (Inference and Textual Evidence)

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.2 (Theme and its Development)

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.4 (Word Choice and its Impact)

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1 (Argumentative Writing and Support)

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.9 (Drawing Evidence from Text)

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WAIT! WANT AN EVEN BETTER VALUE? This product is part of a SHORT STORY CLOSE READING MEGA-BUNDLE with over 140 pages of meaningful, fun activities--including close reading activities for four classic short stories (this one included)--your students will love!

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