SHORT STORIES
INSTRUCTOR CINDY HAVKO
ENGLISH 96
The purpose of the Short Story Journals is to give you insight and understanding on how a good narrative story is put together with all of its parts. While working together in groups, you will gain valuable tools and confidence that will carry you into a successful college career.
On Friday you will be given a short story to read. You will have until the following
Friday to read the short story and complete journal entries. On Friday’s we will work in small and large groups and discuss your journal entries.
Each week you will have in your journal the following sections for each short story.
Journals will begin the second week. You will receive your first story on the September
25 th
and the journal sharing begins on October 1 st
.
BEFORE READING
1.
VOCABULAR EXERCISES – Vocabulary exercises help you define the words you need to know for the story, before you even read it.
1.
Use context clues. Can you define the word by reading the surrounding sentences.
2.
How about the prefix and suffix of a word.
2.
QUESTIONSQuestions help guide you through the story .
1.
Who are the Main Characters? Supporting Characters?
2.
What does the title mean
3.
What are the characters personalities like?
4.
What do the main characters want?

First circle the name of each character or highlight each in a different color-the first part of a story is knowing who the story is about.

Second, underline or highlight in yet another color all the hints that let you know where and when the story takes place.

Third, number each event in the story as it occurs.
Knowing what is happening is important.

Fourth, make notes-ideas, questions to be answered later, and so on –in the margin. These are ideas you can return to later, and they may help you understand the how and why of a story. (PLUS keeps you interested.

Fifth, always re-read the title. The title often gives you information that is helpful in understanding the story.

3.
BIOGRAPHYA biography of the story’s author provides you information about the author’s style and other works .
AFTER READING
4.
JOURNALAfter reading, you can record and organize your thoughts about the story in a journal .

MLA works sited Using this model, record your reading as shown.
Author’s last name, First name. “ Title of the story.” Title of the book .ed
First name last Name. City: Publisher, year. Pages of the story
Example: Chopin, Kate. “Ripe Figs.” A World of Short Stories. Ed.
Yvonne C. Sisko, New York: Pearson Longman, 2004.7.

Main Characters and supporting characters-
1.
Protaganost-hero or heroine ( the character we share our feelings with)
2.
Antagonist- villan or villanes-enemy
3.
First person narration-
4.
Second person narroration
5.
5.
FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS-
You can demonstrate what you’ve learned about the story in follow-up questions .
6.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONSThese questions ask you to reach deeper and to react to the story.
7.
WRITING IDEASWriting ideas help guide your own writing.