The Short Story:
Stories of Self-Discovery
Farmington Public Schools
Grade 9
English
James Carter, Kristen Kawecki
30 June 2005
Farmington Public Schools
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Table of Contents
Unit Summary
…………….….…………..page 3
Stage One: Standards
Stage One identifies the desired results of the unit including the broad understandings, the unit
outcome statement and essential questions that focus the unit, and the necessary knowledge and
skills.
The Understanding by Design Handbook, 1999
…………………….... pages 4-8
Stage Two: Assessment Package
Stage Two determines the acceptable evidence that students have acquired the understandings, knowledge
and skills identified in Stage One.
…………………………… page 9
Stage Three: Curriculum and Instruction
Stage Three helps teachers plan learning experiences and instruction that aligns with Stage One and
enables students to be successful in Stage two. Planning and lesson options are given, however teachers are
encouraged to customize this stage to their own students, maintaining alignment with Stages One and Two.
……..……………… pages 10-15
Appendices
James Carter, Kristen Kawecki
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Farmington Public Schools
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Unit Summary
The unit on the short story is designed as the first unit in students’ ninth grade
English 100 experience lasting approximately six weeks. Students will revisit
elements of the short story genre and will explore the relationship between
identifying literary devices and using these devices as tools for interpretation
and analysis. Furthermore, students will become familiar with and practice the
writing process.
James Carter, Kristen Kawecki
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Farmington Public Schools
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Stage One: Standards
Stage One identifies the desired results of the unit including the broad understandings, the unit outcome
statement and essential questions that focus the unit, and the necessary knowledge and skills.
The Understanding by Design Handbook, 1999
English Essential Understandings and Content Standards
Reading Essential Understanding 1
Students will understand that successful readers comprehend texts by reading fluently,
strategically, and accurately.
Content Standards
Students will be able to:
• Use a variety of comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading
• Communicate understanding orally and in writing
Reading Essential Understanding 2
Students will understand that accomplished readers read a wide range of literature
and respond in personal, interpretive, and critical ways.
Content Standards
Students will be able to:
• Form an initial understanding by identifying or inferring relationships
among characters, setting, events, and conflicts
• Develop interpretations by examining text evidence, predicting events,
inferring characters’ motives, and generalizing beyond the text
• Explain how the theme reflects human nature and/or addresses universal
ideas
• Respond to the unique characteristics of a variety of literary forms
Writing Essential Understanding 1
Students will understand that a deliberate process – prewriting, drafting, revising,
editing, and publishing – is essential to effective writing.
Content Standards
Students will be able to:
• Use one or more effective prewriting strategies in planning and drafting
written work
• Use grade level proofreading guides when editing written work
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Library and Technology Essential Understanding 2
Technology can be used to create written, visual, and multimedia products to
communicate ideas, information, or conclusions to others.
Content Standards
Students will be able to:
• Students will use word processing software to compose, edit, and revise
ideas for clear communication and purposeful writing in papers, essays,
and reports.
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Unit Outcome Statement
As a result of this unit on short stories, English 100 students will understand
that through the effective use of reading strategies and the identification and
analysis of literary devices and elements, fiction provides meaningful
commentary on universal human experience. After reading, discussing, and
understanding the elements and functions of short fiction, students will utilize
the writing process to synthesize a critical/analytical essay demonstrating their
understandings.
Essential Questions
™ Why read fiction?
™ What can short stories teach about self-discovery?
™ How do authors use literary devices to create meaning?
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Knowledge and Skills
The Knowledge and Skills section includes the key facts, concepts,
principles, skills, and processes called for by the content standards and
needed by students to reach desired understandings.
The Understanding by Design Handbook, 1999
Knowledge
Directions:
9 Elements of narrative fiction (Setting, characterization, plot, theme,
conflict, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution)
9 Applicable literary terms and devices (protagonist, antagonist, irony,
symbolism, imagery, foreshadowing, narrative point of view)
9 Knowledge of writing process
Skills/Processes
9 Apply word recognition strategies including context clues, decoding, and
structural analysis to determine unknown or multiple meaning words
9 Increase reading vocabulary
9 Use a variety of comprehension skills during reading to monitor for
understanding (visualizing, retelling, clarifying, predicting)
9 Set a purpose for reading
9 Connect prior knowledge with text to enhance understanding
9 Make text-based predictions using title, headings, pictures and introductory
information, and confirm/adjust predictions while reading
9 Ask and answer questions before, during, and after reading
9 Use strategies to expand comprehension during and after reading (inferring,
summarizing, synthesizing)
9 Use connections (text-to-self, text-to-text, text-to-world) to enhance
understanding of text
9 Demonstrate comprehension orally and in writing
9 Discuss the role of the protagonist(s) and antagonist(s)
9 Relate turning points to character change
9 Describe a character as either dynamic, static
9 Describe the stages of plot development (exposition, rising action, climax,
falling action, denouement)
9 Analyze internal and external conflicts and their resolution
9 Describe the unique characteristics of short stories
9 Recognize and critique the author’s use of literary devices including
symbolism, imagery, irony
9 Explain the effect of point of view
9 Define and explain the concept of human nature (universal traits such as love,
kindness, greed, envy etc.) as it relates to the text
9 Develop and support a thematic idea through accurate interpretation and
reflective thinking throughout the text
9 Generalize enduring themes to contemporary life and times
9 Select significant quotes that show evidence of understanding of text
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9 Use text evidence to support inferential thinking
9 Take notes, make lists, and/or diagram to generate ideas about a subject or topic
9 Participate in group discussions: acknowledge other points of view, initiate
questions, share insights and opinions, and elaborate upon ideas
9 Brainstorm to find a subject/topic and elaborate upon ideas
9 Create outlines, complete a variety of graphic organizers to create an organizing
structure appropriate to specific purpose, audience, and context
9 Use a prewriting organizer to write a coherent first draft
9 Confer with a peer on the five traits of good writing: focus, organization,
elaboration, and fluency, for the purpose of revision
9 Produce multiple drafts
9 Revise and edit written work to enhance organization and clarity, e.g. selection
of form, order, sequence, audience, information, word choice, and sentence
variation
9 Analyze a writer’s style and how the piece achieves its purpose
Thinking Skills
9 Demonstrate empathy
9 Understanding how factors of role, manner, place, time, and amount of
information contribute to point of view
9 Demonstrate tolerance for other points of view
9 Understanding values of others
9 Recognizing intended meaning
9 Detecting bias/assumptions
9 Identifying appropriate evidence for a position
9 Inferring from/evaluating ideas-drawing conclusions
9 Identifying the significance of events
9 Sequencing events
9 Understanding consequence
9 Identifying the effects of decision making
9 Formulating three levels of questioning: factual, analytical, evaluative
9 Understanding relationships between questions and answers
9 Making inferences
9 Interpreting and synthesizing
9 Making generalizations
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Stage Two: Assessment Package
Stage Two determines the acceptable evidence that students have acquired the understandings, knowledge and
skills identified in Stage One.
Performance Task
Students will choose and read one story from a collection of short, narrative fiction. Students will
then write a 5-paragraph critical/analytical essay on the theme of self-discovery in which they
craft a thesis and demonstrate a functional understanding of literary elements, devices, and
language. Students will utilize the writing process, including brainstorming, drafting, peer
revision, teacher conferral, and producing an essay for submission.
Students will be evaluated using the FHS English Department rubric for critical/analytical essays.
Recommended stories for performance task:
“The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty
“The Street” by Richard Wright
“Raymond’s Run” by Toni Cade Bambara
Students will also submit a self-assessment reflecting on their own writing process.
Tests, Quizzes, and Other Quick and Ongoing Checks for Understanding
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Reading journals: students will write directed responses to the individual works of
short, narrative fiction covered in class.
Literary device test: Students will be tested on identification and author’s use of
literary device to create meaning.
Elements of Narrative fiction test: Students will be tested on vocabulary and
identification of the basic elements of narrative fiction.
Exit cards checking understanding of concepts from daily class activities
Reading quizzes: students will take quizzes that assess multi-level comprehension of
texts, for example, theme analysis, plot development, characterization, and author
uses of literary devices.
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Stage Three: Learning Experiences and Instruction
Guiding Questions
Instructional Strategies
Checking for
Understanding
Introduction to Reading Fiction
What is the best thing
you ever read? What
made it good?
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Hook: Quick Write on guiding
question.
Teacher facilitated discussion on
students’ favorite readings.
Teacher led generation of list of
reasons why students enjoy fiction.
Students take notes.
Introduction to the Short Story Form
What makes a short story
different from other
forms of literature?
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Plot sequencing
from viewing
Teacher introduction to elements of
fiction vocabulary (setting, plot,
characterization, conflict,
protagonist, antagonist, theme,
narrative point of view).
Students take notes.
Teacher introduction to annotating
(marking-up) a text.
Begin reading “Thank You, M’am” by
Langston Hughes.
Teacher modeling of annotation
focused on characterization on
overhead for first page of story with
a read-aloud, think-aloud approach.
Students finish reading and
annotating individually.
Introduction and application of
characterization chart in “Thank
You, M’am”.
Students complete plot sequence
chart.
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Annotations of
“Thank You, M’am”
Characterization
charts
Plot sequence chart
Hook: Quick Write on guiding
questions; discussion based on
student responses.
Class formulates a working
definition of “self-discovery”.
Using the ideas from the class
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Hook: Quick Write: List as many
forms of fiction as you can. Explain
how each is unique?
Class creates list based on QW.
Teacher led introduction to narrative
plot sequence and plot chart.
Students view ½ hour sitcom episode
and identify elements of plot
sequence.
Vocabulary of Fiction and making inferences about character
What is the basic
vocabulary for discussing
short stories?
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Theme of Self-Discovery
What does self-discovery
mean to you?
Is self-discovery limited
by age?
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Letter to Mrs.
L.B.W.J.
Journal write
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generated definition, students write
response letter from Roger to Mrs.
L.B.W.J.
Journal write: Choose one of
following: How has Mrs. L.B.W.J.
acted as an antagonist to help in
Roger’s self-discovery?, or How has
Mrs. L.B.W.J. undergone a process of
self-discovery?
Student Think-Pair-Share of journal
writes.
Applying Narrative Point of View to Reading Short Fiction
How is the way a story is
told important to its
meaning?
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Hook: Quick Write: Write about a
conflict that you have had with a
friend or family member, BUT write
it as if you were the other person.
Teacher led introduction of narrative
points of view (1st, 2nd, etc.) and types
of conflict (internal/external, man
vs. man, society, nature, self).
Students take notes.
Students read and annotate “The
Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara.
Annotations should be focused on
how the conflict develops in the
story.
Reading quiz to measure
comprehension
Students work in pairs to compile a
list of questions based on exploring
the conflict from their reading of the
story.
Teacher led introduction to the three
levels of questions.
Students return to pairs and revise
their questions making sure to create
examples of each level of
questioning.
Journal Write: How would “the
Lesson” be different if told from
another narrative point of view?
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Reading quiz
Student questions
addressing both
conflict in the story
and three levels of
questioning
Journal write
Identifying and Analyzing Irony in Short Fiction
How do author play on
our expectations in order
to make a point?
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James Carter, Kristen Kawecki
Hook: Quick Write: Make a
prediction for the story “First
Confession” based on the title.
Teacher introduction to making
inferences and predictions as
reading strategies.
Students read partial version of
Frank O’Connor’s “First Confession”
and make inferences about character
and conflict in margins.
In pairs, students share inferences
from previous step.
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Quick writes
Student generated
predictions
Journal writes
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Students continue reading and
annotating next segment of “First
Confession”.
Students write the next seven lines of
the story based on inferences and
predictions.
Student small groups: share and
compare.
Students read conclusion of “First
Confession”.
Journal Write: How does your
continuation compare with Frank
O’Connor’s?
Teacher facilitated discussion based
on how students expectation
matched up with the conclusion of
the story.
Teacher introduces irony and
provides definition.
Quick Write: How does the author
use irony to convey Jackie’s selfdiscovery?
Identifying and Analyzing Symbolism in Short Fiction
How do authors use
symbolism to support
theme?
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James Carter, Kristen Kawecki
Students read and annotate “The
Scarlet Ibis”.
Reading quiz for comprehension of
plot and character.
Hook: Teacher shows pictures of
various objects. Students write
down single word associations to
images.
Students generate list of associations
and identify similarities.
Students collectively generate
definition of symbolism.
Teacher provides biological
information on the Scarlet Ibis bird,
including reactions to living in
captivity.
Students view picture of Scarlet Ibis
and do word association. Chart on
board.
Students do word association for
Doodle’ character. Chart on board
and compare to Scarlet Ibis words.
Teacher-facilitated discussion on
similarities between Scarlet Ibis and
Doodle and why authors use
symbolism, including definition of
foreshadowing.
Students support connections with
examples from the text.
Exit Card: How is Doodle’s death
foreshadowed? How might the
Scarlet Ibis and/or Doodle’s death be
symbolic of the war going on in
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Reading Quiz
Selection of textual
evidence for
support
Exit Cards
Thematic
Statements
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Europe at the time?
Based on previous exit cards, teacher
creates a list of topics that students
have identified.
Teacher facilitated discussion of
forming thematic statements by
connecting two or more topics in a
meaningful way.
Students practice writing thematic
statements for “the Scarlet Ibis”
Using Fiction to Shape the Way We Think
How might fiction help us
to think about the world
differently?
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Hook: Quick Write: What would it
take for all people to be truly equal?
Teacher facilitates discussion based
on ideas from quick write and
introducing the questions: Does
freedom limit equality? Is there a
difference between having a
“freedom from” and a “freedom to”?
Students read “Harrison Bergeron”
by Kurt Vonnegut and annotate
specifically for character, conflict
and symbolism.
Reading quiz for comprehension
Students complete symbolism
worksheet for “Harrison Bergeron”
In small groups, students discuss
worksheets and create a list of topics
brought up in “Harrison Bergeron”
Teacher introduces and demonstrates
Inspiration software as a tool for
organizing and connecting ideas
graphically.
Students practice using Inspiration
software to organize topics and
symbols as a step towards forming
thematic statements.
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Reading Quiz
Symbolism
worksheet
Inspiration
printouts and
thematic
statements
Applying knowledge to new literature
What steps should we
take when reading a new
piece of short fiction?
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Hook: Quick Write: Make a checklist
of steps that a good reader, like you,
will take when reading a new piece of
short fiction?
Rehearse: Teacher led discussion of
quick write as a tool to review
elements of narrative fiction, reading
strategies, and literary devices.
Students revise checklists based on
discussion.
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Student generated
checklists
Hook: Give students clay with the
instructions “Build an animal that is
able to stand on its own feet.”
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Students selfassessments of the
process of creating
The Writing Process
What are the stages of
the writing process?
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Have students write a detailed list of
the steps that they had to go through
in order to make their animal and
what they would need to make their
animal better.
Teacher facilitated discussion on the
concept of “process” and how it
relates to writing an essay. Students
take notes on the steps of the writing
process as presented by teacher.
Teacher emphasizes that writing is
never final.
clay animals
Applying the writing process to a performance task: Writing an Essay
How do we show,
• Reading checklist
• Teacher introduces performance
through writing, the
assessment and the selection of short • Inspiration graphs
unique ideas and
fiction from which students must
• Thematic and thesis
perspectives that we have
select a story.
statements
as readers?
• Rehearsal: Students read stories,
• Introductory
using their reading checklists to
paragraphs
practice reading strategies and
• Peer edit
revisit elements of short fiction.
worksheets
• Students select a story for the
• Draft of essays
assessment and use Inspiration
• Self evaluation
software to organize ideas and craft
• Submission of essay
thematic statements and thesis
statements.
• Students, following the writing
process, map out an outline for the
organization of their essay
(introduction, body paragraphs,
conclusion).
• Students draft introduction
paragraphs.
• In small groups, students peer edit
introduction paragraphs based on
specific criteria in peer edit
worksheet.
• Revision: Students revise
introduction paragraphs.
• Teacher presents documentation
requirements for all essays (MLA
format) and alignment of concepts
with thesis statement .
• Students draft body paragraphs and
conclusion, referring to provided
rubric.
• Teacher presents models to illustrate
differences between proofreading
and revision.
• Students complete self-evaluation
rubric based on first draft essay.
• Self-evaluate: Students conference
with teachers on first draft essays.
• Revision: Students revise and
submit essay to be graded.
Additional Suggested Stories
James Carter, Kristen Kawecki
30 June 2005
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“All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury (setting, characterization, symbolism, foreshadowing)
”Antaeus” (setting, characterization, symbolism, foreshadowing)
“Silver Water” by Amy Bloom (characterization, plot, foreshadowing)
“Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing (plot, characterization, symbolism, conflict)
Appendices
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Performance Assessment
Reading Comprehension quizzes
Plot sequence charts
Characterization charts
Sitcom clip
Three levels of questioning handout
Symbolism Worksheet
Inspiration handbook
Peer edit worksheets
Performance Assessment Rubric
Self-evaluation worksheet
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