SHORT STORY UNIT
In this unit students will
read short stories from various authors and look at literary devices employed
in each story. The short story is the
most compact prose form and therefore the best to look at as an introduction to
literature. The devices the students
discover in this unit will reappear throughout the semester when we discuss The
Novel, DRAMA and POETRY. The ultimate
goal for students to acquire the basic understanding of the working of literary
at a root and elementary level. Students will be required to read and take
quizzes on each story and at the end of the unit take a unit test and present a
Short Story Project orally to class.
Unit
Learning goal: Students will demonstrate knowledge of the structure of
fiction by breaking down the essential building blocks (literary elements) of
short stories by plot, character development, figurative language (metaphor,
symbolism, irony), point of view, connecting these blocks to the overall
meaning (or theme) of the text, and final writing their own short story using
these structures.
OBJECTIVES:
At
the end of this unit students will be able to
1) Define tone, blues,
metaphor, irony, foreshadow, dialect, conflict, character, plot, mood, theme,
symbol, imagery, protagonist, antagonist, static character, dynamic character,
round character, flat character, allusion
2) Given a story be able to
list its theme, plot, conflict, irony, point of view
3) Given a story be able to
discuss which characters are round and which are flat
4) Given a story be able to
pick out the protagonist and the antagonist
5) Given a story be able to
pick out the static characters and the dynamic characters and briefly in a
paragraph discuss why.
6) Given a story pick out
examples of foreshadow and allusion
7) List the three elements of
characterization
8) List the three conditions
for believable change in a character
9) Given a series of images
discuss what they mean in relation to a story or a character in a story
10) Given a story identify the
characters with descriptions—physical and emotional descriptions as well as
whether the character fits as either an antagonist, protagonist, dynamic or
static character
11) Given a story be able to
describe the symbols used in the story and what they mean in relation to the
characters and theme.
12) Given a story discuss in a
paragraph or two what the story’s plot reveals about the main character
13) Recognize whether a story is
told from a 1st person, 2nd person or 3rd
person limited, 3rd person omniscient point of view.
14) In a paragraph be able to
summarize the events of a story.
15) In an essay of a page or
more (at least two paragraphs of five sentences each) compare and contrast how
two authors use imagery, metaphor, and dialect to develop their characters.
16) Define various vocabulary
words from each short story (these words will be given on Monday or Tuesday of
the week)
17) Demonstrate an understanding
of a story by developing a project
18) Given a story identify the
different events that fall into different parts of the plot. Example: Be able to describe the exposition
or climax of a story.
19) Write a script and act out a
story or the sequel to a story keeping true to the characters and the plot
20) Incorporating devices of
setting, character, plot, conflict, point of view, and believable
characterization and change for the protagonist, write a short story of at
least three pages.
20)
Write various journal entries that correspond to the stories and various elements
in those stories
STORIES
TO BE READ INCLUDE:
- “The Cask of
Amontillado” by Poe
- “The Most Dangerous
Game” by Richard Connell
- “A Christmas Memory” by
Truman Capote
- “Where Have You Gone
Charming Billy” by Tim O’Brien
- “Blues Ain’t No Mockin’
Bird” by Toni Cade Bambara
- “The Lady or the
Tiger?” by Frank Stockton
- “The Split-Cherry Tree”
by Jesse Stuart
- One story of the student's choice
ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS:
What are the different types of conflicts found within
stories; What is an unreliable narrator and what does an unreliable narrator do
for a text; What is an allusion? Why
does an author use allusions? How is a
complex character created? Why does an
author use imagery? What does dialect do
for a story? What is irony and what is
the effect of irony when it is used in a story?
Can you find irony in the real world?
What happens when part of the plot is left out of a story? What is figurative language and how does an
author effectively use it in a story?
Today - we will be taking notes on literary devices.
If you want some insight on our first short story go HERE
