English I
1st Six Weeks
Short Story Unit
Lesson 1
What form of art in which
you engaged this summer
had the biggest impact on
you and why?
Meet and Greet Bingo Rules
1) Ask people in the room if they have
done whatever is mentioned in the
square.
2) Have that person sign in that square.
3) First person with ALL the squares
filled, wins.
4) Have Fun!!
Let’s talk about the syllabus!!
Exit Ticket
On the sticky note answer the
following:
The one aspect of this class that causes
me the most trepidation is:
Lesson 2
What is genre? How
does classifying
things help us in
analyzing them?
What does it mean to PreRead?
How will discovering who the author is
help with understanding the stories
they write?
Edgar Allan Poe
In your group discover
two interesting facts
about the author and
write them on the board.
Setting
• The setting of a story is the
time and place in which it
occurs.
• Elements of setting may
include the physical,
psychological, cultural, or
historical background against
which the story takes place.
1) dread
8) lantern
15) vex
2) acute
9) cautious
16) suave
3) hearken
10) sagacity
17) enthusiasm
4) conceive
11) supposition 18) audacity
5) vulture
12) vain
19) dissemble
6) foresight
13) stimulate
7) dissimulation 14 refrain
Read “The Tell Tale Heart”
Now in a well formed
paragraph and using textual
evidence, describe how the
setting of “The Tell Tale
Heart” supports the genre of
the story.
Lesson 3
Do you think modern
society puts too much
emphasis on material
gifts? Why or why not.
Irony- when the actual
event and the expected
event are opposite.
Inferences: to make an
inference, you combine
clues in the story with your
own ideas.
As a pre-reading strategy,
what questions can we
ask about the story “The
Gift of the Magi?”
What inference can be made about
how Jim and Della feel about each
other because of the gifts they give
and what is ironic about what happens
to their respective gifts?
Lesson 4
What does the phrase,
“It takes a village to
raise a child,” mean?
Why do you think it is
important to create a
story with different types
of characters with
different amounts of
detail and focus?
New Vocabulary
1) Engender
2) Pacify
3) Dearth
4) Indolence
5) Marred
6) Squander
7) Ardent
8) Beset
9) Countenance
10) Cursory
11) Charisma
12) Demagogue
13) Placate
14) Indigenous
15) Labyrinth
16) Exacerbate
17) Incense
18) Daunt
19) Prudent
20) Lax
Characterization is the creation
of imaginary persons so that
they seem lifelike.
There are four different
character types.
Round- Have a lot of detail and usually
are a focus in the story.
Flat- have little detail, minor
character.
Static -character that does not change
during the story
Dynamic -goes through a complete arc
of changes.
I think Mrs. Jones/Roger is a flat/round
and static/dynamic character because
__________.
The evidence from the story which
proves this is ____________________.
Lesson 5
How can jealousy
lead to conflict?
With a partner discuss:
Having expensive possessions is a sign
of success.
Agree/disagree
A Person’s physical appearance reveals
his or her personality.
People should repay their debts at all
costs.
Two More ways to Characterize
1) Direct
2) Indirect
Direct characterization: The writer
tells readers what a character is like.
Indirect characterization: The writer
gives readers clues to a character. The
writer might show the character’s
behavior, present the character’s
words and thoughts, describe the
character’s physical appearance, or
reveal what other characters say or
think about the character.
Cause and Effect
A cause is an event, action, or feeling
that produces a result.
An effect is the result produced.
As you read, ask yourself:
• What happened?
• Why did it happen?
• What happens as a result?
A single cause may produce several
effects. Effects may, in turn, become
causes.
A single cause may
produce several effects.
Effects may, in turn,
become causes.
Read: “The Necklace”
p. 332
The Necklace Reading Questions
Lesson 6
Use one of the
vocabulary words in a
sentence using the
correct definition.
(Vocabulary Test Tuesday)
Complete the Necklace
Reading Questions
Close
We read literature not just because it is
enjoyable, but because we find out
something about ourselves.
Reflect on a time when jealousy caused
you to act foolishly.
Looking back, would you have done
something differently? Why or why
not?
Lesson 7
Which do you like better?
Stories that are made up
or real life stories about
real people? Why?
What are the elements
of a short story?
Non-fiction
(real or not fake)
Expository
(Informs and explains)
Read:
Before Hip-Hop was Hip-Hop
p. 431
Lesson 8
How can music be used to
bridge differences between
people of different cultures?
Let’s finish:
Before Hip Hop was Hip Hop
Look at the picture on p. 434.
Imagine you are the dancing boy in the
picture.
Write a one page journal entry about
your experience.
You should include details about where
you are, what kind of music you are
listening to and how you feel.
Also, talk about how this unifies you
and the people around you.
Lesson 9
What is something
adventurous you have
done recently?
Sensory Details (Imagery)
Sensory details are details in writing that describe
what is seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or touched.
Writers often use sensory details to enhance the mood
and theme in writing.
Mood
The mood of a story is
the atmosphere or
feeling created by
the writer and
expressed through
setting.
Write a story about a challenging adventure. The adventure can
be real or imagined. Be sure your story is focused and complete
and that it has an interesting plot and engaging characters.
Let’s start by creating characters and
putting them in motion.
Complete:
Developing Characters
Name one character you
created, what they look like,
how they act and how they
are motivated or their
history.
Lesson 10
Describe the place
where one of your
characters lives.
Plot
Plot is the basic sequence of events in a story. In
conventional stories, plot has three main parts: rising
action, climax, and falling action.
Point of View
The point of view is the perspective
from which the events in the story are
told. The author may choose to use any
of the following:
Third-person
Objective
First person
third-person
The narrator tells the story in third
person from an all-knowing
perspective. The knowledge is not
limited by any one character’s view or
behavior, as the narrator knows
everything about all characters.
Signal pronouns—he, she, they
Objective
The narrator reveals only the actions
and words without the benefit of the
inner thoughts and feelings.
Signal pronouns—he, she, they
First person
The narrator restricts the perspective
to that of only one character to tell the
story.
Signal pronouns—I, we, us
Complete:
Developing the plot
What is the climax in your story?
Lesson 11
What is the overall point
of your story?
What do you want the
reader to get out of
reading it?
Theme
The theme is the
central or universal idea
of a piece of writing.
The human condition encompasses all
of the experience of being human. The
ongoing way in which humans react to
or cope with life experiences is the
human condition.
Remember: Theme is NOT the same as
subject-it’s more than that.
It’s the author’s opinion, feelings,
thoughts ABOUT a subject.
Now put your story together.
Setting
Imagery
Character Development
Point of View
Plot
Conflict
Theme
Close
What did you change in
your story when you
wrote it down?
Lesson 12
What is your favorite
part of your story?
Why?
Today you will edit your
story.
Editing is when you look at
your writing with fresh
eyeballs and make changes
and correct mistakes.
First, you will edit your own
paper making sure that you
have the elements of a story
and your spelling, grammar,
and punctuation are perfect.
We will also Peer Edit in
this class.
You will find a partner and
edit their story.
Peer Editing Rules
Be nice
Be constructive
Listen to each other
Complete: Literary
Essay Revising and
Editing
Close
What change was
suggested to you that
helped you the most
with your story?
Lesson 13
What change was
suggested to you that
helped you the most
with your story?
Today you will use the English Lab to
write your final draft.
Remember, the lab is a luxury, it is NOT
a right.
If you do not act accordingly, you will
be dismissed from the lab and will be
forced to type your paper on your own.