Category Archives: Short Stories

Activities to Teach “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka.

Posted on July 9, 2017 by msdickson

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

Posted on September 26, 2016 by msdickson

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 →

Posted in Fun Projects, Holidays, Short Stories, Teaching, Teaching Ideas, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

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

Posted on September 22, 2016 by msdickson

“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 →

Posted in Fun Projects, Holidays, Short Stories, Teaching, Teaching Ideas, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Stories with Dreams

Posted on September 13, 2016 by msdickson

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

Posted on August 22, 2016 by msdickson

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 →

Posted in Fun Projects, Short Stories, Teaching, Teaching Ideas, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

5 Activites for Teaching A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Posted on December 3, 2015 by msdickson

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 →

Posted in Holidays, Secondary Writing, Short Stories, Teaching, Teaching Ideas, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

5 Creepy Short Stories for Halloween

Posted on October 25, 2015 by msdickson

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 →

Posted in Holidays, Short Stories, Teaching, Teaching Ideas, Uncategorized | Tagged | 5 Comments