Category Archives: Short Stories

Activities to Use With “The Sniper”

Stories with a twist ending are often popular with teenager readers. The story “The Sniper” also has a gritty, war time setting that can draw readers into the story. The story is a small snapshot of wartime and offers different … Continue reading

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Activities to Use With “The Necklace”

“The Necklace” is a short story where the problem could have been prevented with honest communication. It’s a good story for teenagers to illustrate the importance of honest communication, in addition to the value as short story study. The twist … Continue reading

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Stories for the Beginning of the Year (or Semester)

One way to get to know students while also practicing important writing skills is the use of personal writing.  Students write, organize, and reflect, while also sharing something about themselves.  In many cases, students find writing about themselves a easier … Continue reading

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Activities to Teach “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka.

It’s a cultural reference.  It relates to a sudden and unexpected change– something teenagers can usually relate to.  It’s an odd and dystopic story.  Any one of these things make “The Metamorphosis” a good choice.  Even if the language is … Continue reading

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Activities for Teaching The Raven

What a fun poem of darkness and madness.  Maybe those should not go together, but I do find this tale of a midnight dreary has high engagement, in spite of the length and language.  There are a lot of activities … Continue reading

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Activities for Teaching “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (Now part of a Secondary ELA Seasonal Blog Hop!)

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is a ghostly story that commonly shows up in classrooms around Halloween.  There are a lot of ways to work with the text in the classroom.  It’s possible to stretch this story over a week … Continue reading

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Stories with Dreams

One way to encourage students to think deeper is to have them make connections across texts.  Building thematic units using unusual pairings based around a shared idea is one way to encourage that thinking.  It also allows opportunities to compare … Continue reading

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Stories about Science Gone Wrong

As with any theme, it can unify stories that might otherwise not be grouped together.  By pairing less obvious stories, teachers can guide students in examining deeper meaning and comparing texts beyond superficial traits.  This can be a good basis … Continue reading

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5 Activites for Teaching A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a story that tends to fit nicely in the two or three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Depending on the class and the time available, the activities included may vary. It’s a story … Continue reading

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5 Creepy Short Stories for Halloween

Short stories area  great way to work in different themes or study of different literary devices.  And the holidays can provide some nice tie-ins, even at the secondary level. Here are some of my favorites that fit well around Halloween– … Continue reading

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