Short Story Assignments
UNIT END: NOVEMBER 24 (ALL WORK MUST BE COMPLETED BY THIS TIME)
In this unit, we will be using a site called ActivelyLearn.com. Each of the stories below can be accessed through your account at Actively Learn, and is accompanied by questions that will help you comprehend and analyze the text.
To complete this short story unit, you will do the following:
1. Pick 4 of the stories below to read on Actively Learn. *If you read and answer the questions on more than 4 stories, you can earn up to 15 points of extra credit.
2. One story will be the subject of an in-depth close reading project. You can choose which story you would like to focus on out of six options (the ones that are starred below).
3. You will also complete a "Creative Response" project about one of the stories you read. You may pick any of the stories below to complete this project. Your creative response will be graded on the following:
In this unit, we will be using a site called ActivelyLearn.com. Each of the stories below can be accessed through your account at Actively Learn, and is accompanied by questions that will help you comprehend and analyze the text.
To complete this short story unit, you will do the following:
1. Pick 4 of the stories below to read on Actively Learn. *If you read and answer the questions on more than 4 stories, you can earn up to 15 points of extra credit.
- Each story you read (and answer questions about) will be worth 10 points in the grade book (40 points total).
- For most of the stories, I have included links to audio files below so that you can read and listen at the same time. Please take advantage of this resource!
2. One story will be the subject of an in-depth close reading project. You can choose which story you would like to focus on out of six options (the ones that are starred below).
- The instructions for this assignment are also in eBackpack.
- You will closely examine and annotate the story you choose, using Thinking Notes.
- You will then write a paragraph where you identify the theme of the story and provide support for your ideas.
- The close reading project will be worth 40 points.
3. You will also complete a "Creative Response" project about one of the stories you read. You may pick any of the stories below to complete this project. Your creative response will be graded on the following:
- Did you demonstrate an understanding of the story through your project?
- Did you show creative thinking when completing this project?
- The Creative Response Project will be worth 20 points.
Week 1: PICK ONE STORY TO READ ON ACTIVELY LEARN.
"Raymond's Run" by Toni Cade Bambara
(No audio available)
Squeaky is the fastest girl around, and she'll make sure you know it, too. But she's got a lot on her plate: practicing her running skills, trying to take care of her brother Raymond, and now there's a girl named Gretchen trying to challenge her place as the fastest kid in school. Can Squeaky find a way to keep her reputation, without losing sight of what matters?
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber
Audio
Walter Mitty is an average man, living an average life...on the outside. In his mind, though, he goes on exciting adventures to prove to himself that he's not as ordinary as he looks.
"Raymond's Run" by Toni Cade Bambara
(No audio available)
Squeaky is the fastest girl around, and she'll make sure you know it, too. But she's got a lot on her plate: practicing her running skills, trying to take care of her brother Raymond, and now there's a girl named Gretchen trying to challenge her place as the fastest kid in school. Can Squeaky find a way to keep her reputation, without losing sight of what matters?
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber
Audio
Walter Mitty is an average man, living an average life...on the outside. In his mind, though, he goes on exciting adventures to prove to himself that he's not as ordinary as he looks.
Week 2: PICK ONE STORY TO READ ON ACTIVELY LEARN.
"Names/Nombres" by Julia Alvarez*
(No audio available)
A young Latina girl, newly immigrated to the U.S., struggles with a new language and her changing identity in a new culture.
"Thank You, Ma’am" by Langston Hughes*
Audio
A young man gets more than he bargained for when he tries to steal the purse of Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. But the punishment for his crime is not what he expected it to be...
"Names/Nombres" by Julia Alvarez*
(No audio available)
A young Latina girl, newly immigrated to the U.S., struggles with a new language and her changing identity in a new culture.
"Thank You, Ma’am" by Langston Hughes*
Audio
A young man gets more than he bargained for when he tries to steal the purse of Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. But the punishment for his crime is not what he expected it to be...
Week 3: PICK ONE STORY TO READ ON ACTIVELY LEARN.
"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson*
Audio, Audio 2
A story about a strange and dystopian society in which the members of a small town take part in a lottery. But unlike the lotteries we think of today, this one has dire consequences.
"Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut*
Audio
What if the government used its powers to make sure everyone was exactly the same? Would such a society be fair to individuals? Would it be just? American author Kurt Vonnegut offers answers to such questions through this science fiction story.
"The Gift" by Ray Bradbury*
(No audio available)
On Christmas Eve in the year 2052, a mother and father find themselves unable to give their son the gift he wants as a result of a trip to Mars. The father works frantically to find a way to make it up to his son, only to find the perfect solution in space.
"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson*
Audio, Audio 2
A story about a strange and dystopian society in which the members of a small town take part in a lottery. But unlike the lotteries we think of today, this one has dire consequences.
"Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut*
Audio
What if the government used its powers to make sure everyone was exactly the same? Would such a society be fair to individuals? Would it be just? American author Kurt Vonnegut offers answers to such questions through this science fiction story.
"The Gift" by Ray Bradbury*
(No audio available)
On Christmas Eve in the year 2052, a mother and father find themselves unable to give their son the gift he wants as a result of a trip to Mars. The father works frantically to find a way to make it up to his son, only to find the perfect solution in space.
Week 4: PICK ONE STORY TO READ ON ACTIVELY LEARN.
"The Lady or the Tiger?" by Frank R. Stockton*
Audio
A barbaric king, possessing a strange notion of justice, discovers that his daughter is in love with a young man of low class. The young man is subjected to the arena of punishment, and the princess must choose how she will lose the love of her life: to another woman, or to death.
"Rikki Tikki Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
Audio
A story about a brave mongoose who is adopted by a human family. Rikki must put his life on the line to protect his adopted family: will he survive the encounter?
"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
Audio
A castaway finds himself the guest of an avid hunter, who seems to have hunted every kind of creature in the world. But there is one creature he hasn’t hunted yet...and that’s where things get interesting for our castaway.
"The Lady or the Tiger?" by Frank R. Stockton*
Audio
A barbaric king, possessing a strange notion of justice, discovers that his daughter is in love with a young man of low class. The young man is subjected to the arena of punishment, and the princess must choose how she will lose the love of her life: to another woman, or to death.
"Rikki Tikki Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
Audio
A story about a brave mongoose who is adopted by a human family. Rikki must put his life on the line to protect his adopted family: will he survive the encounter?
"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
Audio
A castaway finds himself the guest of an avid hunter, who seems to have hunted every kind of creature in the world. But there is one creature he hasn’t hunted yet...and that’s where things get interesting for our castaway.