The Alchemy of Fiction:
English 11 Short Story Analysis and Discussion
We will be reading, studying and discussing the following stories from Viewpoints:
Short Story
Date:
Group Members
presenting:
“The Charmer”
Tuesday, October 22nd
Nobody – in-class
assessment
Review terms/work on
projects
Thursday, October 24th
All members have read
story to be presented and
ready to work.
“Learning the Language” p. 4
Wednesday, September 30th
“A Cap for Steve” - p. 167
Friday, October 2nd
“Initiation” - p. 198
Tuesday, October 6th
“Ramu and Rani” - p. 74
Thursday, October 8th
“Gentlemen of the Jungle” - Tuesday, October 13th
p. 123
“The Pedestrian” - p. 153
Thursday, October 15th
N.B. This outline is subject to change. Keep updated by checking our class wiki at
http://tuppersecondaryenglish.wikispaces.com.
I – To prepare for a discussion of these stories, each member of the class will:
a) read each of the stories and participate fully in class discussions/activities.
b) make up three intelligent discussion questions for each story (EXCEPT your
group’s story).
II –To lead a class discussion of each story, your group (4-5 people/group) will:
a) Give a concise plot summary; discuss conflicts (include types).
/5
b) Explain important short story elements (e.g. setting, mood, irony, p.o.v, style.)
Choose 2-5 important phrases from the story; explain their significance.
/5
c) Discuss characters include (types), their motivations and roles.
/5
d) Propose at least two possible themes, explain how they are revealed in the story, and
discuss their relevance to our lives and/or society.
/5
e) Create an activity that relates to the story that involves the entire class. /5
f) Teamwork, effort and smooth delivery of presentation.
III – Each person will write an original short story. Stories will be multi-paragraph,
include dialogue, and be about 500 -750 words (3 pages, double spaced, 12 font.)
Remember: more does not necessarily mean better. Have fun and be creative!
Task
Homework Questions
Presentation
Original Short Story
Final Test
Value
3 marks/class
30 marks
30 marks
50 marks
Due Date
Each class
Wednesday, October 28th
Thursday, October 22nd
/5