Unit Intro Sheet

Subject: Language Arts

Grade Level: 11, 12
Unit 3: Short Stories
**The individual summative project is tentatively due December 7th at the beginning of
class.
As students, you will be exposed to many different types of writing. The short story is a very
manageable segment of writing. Short stories allow us to have a quick progression. This unit
will give you a chance to cultivate your creative writing skills. Knowledge of short stories will
also enhance your analytical skills by identifying the many elements contained within a short
story. We will read various short stories in order to develop a full understanding of the short
story. We will end this unit with a project that will allow you to express your creativity, as well
as hitting on the important elements of a short story.
During this course of Unit three, we will discuss:
The elements of the short story
Develop functional writing skills in accordance to each persons ability
Read a selection of short stories
o Ghost Story
o The Reapers Image
o The Lottery
o The Most Dangerous Game
Experience the creativity of writing a short story
Unit Rubric

Participation- 20%
Group work- 15%
Quiz- 25%
Homework- 10%
Final project- 30%

Short Story Unit

Class

Duration

Content

Introduction

1-2
classes

Short Story Elements; includes brainstorm, handout, quiz.

Mark Twains Ghost Story

1 class

Elements; includes group work, re-working a paragraph of

the story.

The Reapers Image, by

Stephen King

1 class

Lesson includes biographical information, writing style,

application of elements to contemporary story. Assign
culminating activity (see below).

Shirley Jacksons The

Lottery

1 class

Plot & theme; includes comparison to current events.

Richard Connells The

Most Dangerous Game

3-4
classes

Setting and Character; includes watching movie.

Conclusion

Final Project

1 class
1-3
classes

Compares styles of stories that were emphasized. Work on

culminating activity.
Discuss Options for Final project and have time to work on it
in class. Peer review. Two pages of rough draft due on day
2.Day 3 turn them in.

Lesson Plan
Elements of the Short Story
Subject: Language Arts
Grades: 11, 12
Estimated time- six 50 minute sessions
Instructional Plan
Student Objective
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Discussed and demonstrated what the definition of the short story is, and its elements.
Establish working definitions of the elements in a short story.
Discussed a well-known fairy tale, and applied each of the elements to it.
Create a quiz about the elements of the short story.

Session Three
Modern Fear and Suspense
Big idea: To understand the format of the short story and how they can be formed into different
genres.
Purpose: The main thrust of this lesson is to introduce the form in a way that the student can
relate to. From there the student will be able to form opinions on what makes for a successful
short story in the genre of fear and suspense. The students will then be asked to relate their
findings back to classic works of fear and suspense. By the end of the unit, the student should
have an understanding of the format used in short stories, as well as techniques and conventions
of those in the genre of fear and suspense.
Objectives
1. Introduce Kings background (i.e. age, lifestyle, education, and inspirations).
2. Read the story aloud with the students.
3. Label the components of the The Reapers Image (i.e. introduction / antagonist / protagonist,
inciting incident, rising action, crisis, climax, conclusion) giving specifics for each.
4. Introduce questions to be posed to groups, followed by group discussions.
1. Who is the reaper in this story? Where is he seen?
2. What kind of place is the Samuel Claggert Memorial Private Museum?
3. describe the characteristics of Mr. Carlin and Johnson Spangler. What kind
of person is each one?
4. What does the author tell us about Delver Mirrors?

5. What is the significance of the statue of Adonis? (May require a bit of

background given out to the group
6. Do you like the ending? Give your reasons. Continue the story with an
additional episode.
Materials Needed:
1. PowerPoint going over kings background
2. Copies of The Reapers Image
Before Class Preparation
1. Read and have full knowledge of the story
2. Review PowerPoint
3. Go over talking points
Special Adaptations
1. ADD- I will always give a positive attitude toward my students when they are struggling.
I will also place the student near my desk and away from the windows.
2. IEP for Reading Deficiency- I will have students read the stories aloud as a class. I will
have a PowerPoint presentation and lecture. The class will break off into groups for
discussions.
3. Wheel-chair bound- I will have their seat in an area of easy access. When the class
breaks off into groups, their partners will come to them.
4. Visually Impaired- If necessary I will have their handouts in larger print. A lot of this
class will be discussion based so they will not have to rely on their vision to succeed in
class.
5. Hearing impaired- Students will get handouts of the stories, as well has PowerPoint slides
on all of the main points. I will partner him/her up with a gifted student so that if they
missed important information they can ask their partner for help.
6. Giftedness- I will partner my gifted students with either a student struggling in class or
my Hearing Impaired student. So that they can use their exceptionality to aid other
students.
7. IEP for ODD- If they are struggling to complete/understand the assignment, they will
have more than one chance to fix their work, as well as ask questions. I might also match
them with a gifted student to look to in troubled areas.
8. ADHD- I will teach them to use a bookmark/pointer to track written words while we read
the stories.
Lesson
1. Time: 10 minutes
Teachers work- using the PowerPoint to go over the history of King.
Students work- Listening and paying attention. Taking notes if necessary.
Teachers Questions/Formative Assessment- Will allow students to ask questions if need
be.

2. Time: 15 minutes
Teacher work: Passing out stories and calling on students to read the story aloud.
Student work: Following the story and reading aloud if called upon.
Teachers Questions/Formative Assessment- Will go over anything in the story that the
students did not understand.
3. Time: 10 minutes
Teacher work: Lead a critical analysis of the structure and main components of the story.
Students work: Will listen and participate in the critical analysis.
Teachers Questions/Formative Assessment- This will help me make sure that students are
understanding the structure and important aspects of the short story. It also shows me
that they can relate it to different genres.
4. Time: 15 minutes
Teacher work: will break up class into groups for discussion and hand out worksheet with
questions.
Student work: students will break into groups and participate in group activity.
Teachers Questions/Formative Assessment- Will make sure that students are participating
and group work can give students a new perspective on the story we just read.
Learning
1. How will I know my students achieved my learning goals?
When we are discussing different aspects of the lesson I will see who is grasping the
important concepts. Based on the group worksheet and their answers I will see how
they are interpreting the lessons.
2. How will I assess participation and their learning?
During the group work I will take note on who is putting effort into the discussion. I
will look for effort to learn to material.
3. What will I be assessing?
I will give the students up to 5 participation points for their effort in class today. The
worksheet I am handing out will be worth 20 points.
Alignment with course level expectations

Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters
uncertain.

Session Four
Shirley Jacksons The Lottery
Big Idea: Students will read The Lottery and respond to the themes of the story through small
group discussion, and personal questions
Outcomes: Students will have practice in responding to themes in a short story.
Students will be able to use prior knowledge of elements of short stories to discuss the use of
suspense and drama in writing
Objectives:
1. As a class read Jacksons The Lottery.
2. At the end of the story ask students to write down their immediate reaction to the story and
after a few minutes ask for their opinions.
3. Ask the class these important questions: Why are the townspeople holding the lottery? Why
dont they stop? From here, you can talk a little about the sacrifice rituals of other cultures,
making moral judgements on those cultures. Is this writing style a type of horror? What type of
atmosphere does Jackson create at first, and how does that change?
4. Have the students supply the definition of a theme or image pattern in stories and novels.
5. From their thoughts and definition, ask the students if there are some themes that appear in the
story. Some typical ones are evil disguised as good, prejudice and hypocrisy, minds slipping the
bonds of reality (from Friedmans analysis)
6. In small groups ask students to look at the story again and discuss how the story provides a
commentary on these situations:
How does The Lottery prevent the breakdown of society in this community?
Respond to the roles of the men and women, how the children act, and what the social and
business goals are for each facet of this society.
Sacrifice rituals operate on the principle of scapegoating. After defining the term, describe
how the process of The Lottery uses the scapegoat and tell what end is desired. Are there any
examples in our current society of using scapegoats?

 The Lottery has been used to describe the emotions of people in medicine misdiagnosis
cases. Draw the parallels between elements in each situation and describe how this can be true.
7. Have the class report their findings and report back to the class. Encourage discussion and full
explanations of each report
Evaluative Assignment Using the knowledge of plot and short story elements, write a page
long response as to how Jackson creates a sense of horror from the elements of what should be
an innocent story about small town America. Comment on the use of withheld knowledge, the
irony that can be seen in the names of the characters, and any of the other elements discussed in
class.
Homework: Read The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell for next class.
Materials Needed

Printed versions of The Lottery and The Most Dangerous Game

PowerPoint Presentation

Before class preparations

Review PowerPoint and lecture

Go over story and important points

Special Adaptations
1. ADD- I will always give a positive attitude toward my students when they are struggling.
I will also place the student near my desk and away from the windows.
2. IEP for Reading Deficiency- I will have students read the stories aloud as a class. I will
have a PowerPoint presentation and lecture. The class will break off into groups for
discussions.
3. Wheel-chair bound- I will have their seat in an area of easy access. When the class
breaks off into groups, their partners will come to them.
4. Visually Impaired- If necessary I will have their handouts in larger print. A lot of this
class will be discussion based so they will not have to rely on their vision to succeed in
class.
5. Hearing impaired- Students will get handouts of the stories, as well has PowerPoint slides
on all of the main points. I will partner him/her up with a gifted student so that if they
missed important information they can ask their partner for help.
6. Giftedness- I will partner my gifted students with either a student struggling in class or
my Hearing Impaired student. So that they can use their exceptionality to aid other
students.
7. IEP for Oppositional deficiency- If they are struggling to complete/understand the
assignment, they will have more than one chance to fix their work, as well as ask
questions. I might also match them with a gifted student to look to in troubled areas.
8. ADHD- I will teach them to use a bookmark/pointer to track written words while we read
the stories.

Lesson
1. Time: 10 minutes
Teacher work: calling on students to read different sections of the story.
Students work: Paying attention to the story, following along, and being prepared to read.
Teacher questions and formative assessment- I will notice who is listening and taking the story
in.
2. Time: Time 5 minutes
Teacher work: ask students to write down their immediate reaction, and ask for responses.
Student work: writing down thoughts and sharing them.
Teacher questions and formative assessment- I will get a good idea on how the students are
understanding/taking in the unit based on their responses.
3. Time- 15 minutes
Teacher work: Ask the class these important questions: Why are the townspeople holding the
lottery? Why dont they stop? From here, you can talk a little about the sacrifice rituals of other
cultures, making moral judgements on those cultures. Is this writing style a type of horror? What
type of atmosphere does Jackson create at first, and how does that change?
Have the students supply the definition of a theme or image pattern in stories and novels. From
their thoughts and definition, ask the students if there are some themes that appear in the story.
Some typical ones are evil disguised as good, prejudice and hypocrisy, minds slipping the bonds
of reality.
Student work: Students will participate in the discussion
Teacher questions and formative assessment- Based on the discussion I will get a good idea on
the students understanding of the unit. As well as daily participation points.
4. Time- 10 minutes
Teacher work: break students up into groups and hand out questions for the students to discuss.
Student work: Participate in group discussion
Teacher questions and formative assessment- Notice if the students are equally participating in
the activities of the day. If there is a lack of participation, is that due to a lack of understanding
of the subject matter?
5. Time: 10 minutes
Teacher work: Have each group report to the class their major points of discussion.

Student work: Present their findings to class and listen to the other groups.
Teacher questions and Assessment- Did the students read and understand the story correctly? Are
they seeing how each new story can relate back to the basic points of the short story?

Learning
1. How will I know my students achieved my learning goals?
When we are discussing different aspects of the lesson I will see who is grasping the
important concepts. Based on the group worksheet and their answers I will see how
they are interpreting the lessons.
2. How will I assess participation and their learning?
I will be reading all of the students reactions to the story and their participation
levels.
3. What will I be assessing?
This is a day of participations so they will have the chance to earn up to 20
participation points.
Alignment with course level expectations
Determine an author, Shirley Jacksons, point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is
particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness,
or beauty of the text.

Session Five
The Most Dangerous Game
Purpose
This lesson will focus on setting and how the setting can influence the psyche of a character
Objectives: When the students have finished this lesson, they:
1. Will be able to define setting.
2. Will have examined different methods that authors use to instil fear in readers.
3. Will give special attention to setting = fear in a creative assignment
Tasks
1. Ask what made The Most Dangerous Game frightening, or was it at all?

2. Define setting; talk about it in relation to The Most Dangerous Game. Note that setting can
pertain to physical surroundings as well as state of mind (psychological setting). Where is the
story set (geographically)? What kind of island is it? What are the buildings like? What is the
difference between this island and one like, say, Bermuda? Would the setting be scary if General
Zaroff didnt live on the island? If the island were inhabited, would the story be as scary?
3. Discuss the state of mind of Rainsford before he lands on the island versus that after he meets
the General. What is different? (Especially about how he perceives animal feelings.)
4. Talk about how Connell inspires fear without obvious bloodshed/grotesqueness. Hopefully,
they will come up with some of the following: isolation, setting, power/powerlessness, conflict,
suspense, and control/lack of control.
5. Ask why The Blair Witch Project (or Psycho, depending on which movie you choose to use)
was scary. Note that the subtlety/lack of overt violence (left up the observers imagination) added
to the fear.
6. Draw parallels between the movie and The Most Dangerous Game.

Homework: If you were going to direct the movie The Most Dangerous Game, how would you
do it? You are going to pitch your idea to a big-shot Hollywood producer who will decide if they
will fund your movie. If they agree to make the movie, you will have an unlimited budget. Pay
particular attention to setting. How would you make it as frightening as possible? Who would
you cast in the roles? Where would you shoot it? How would you shoot it? Would you have it
narrated or would you just have it acted out? Pitch your idea to me on audiotape and hand it in
next class
Materials

PowerPoint
Movie- The Blaire Witch Project

Before Class Preparation

Read and Understand the story

Go over discussion points

Special Adaptations
1. ADD- I will always give a positive attitude toward my students when they are struggling.
I will also place the student near my desk and away from the windows.
2. IEP for Reading Deficiency- I will have students read the stories aloud as a class. I will
have a PowerPoint presentation and lecture. The class will break off into groups for
discussions.
3. Wheel-chair bound- I will have their seat in an area of easy access. When the class
breaks off into groups, their partners will come to them.

4. Visually Impaired- If necessary I will have their handouts in larger print. A lot of this
class will be discussion based so they will not have to rely on their vision to succeed in
class. I will put them next to the TV so they can hear it better.
5. Hearing impaired- Students will get handouts of the stories, as well has PowerPoint slides
on all of the main points. I will partner him/her up with a gifted student so that if they
missed important information they can ask their partner for help. For the movie we will
have subtitles.
6. Giftedness- I will partner my gifted students with either a student struggling in class or
my Hearing Impaired student. So that they can use their exceptionality to aid other
students.
7. IEP for Oppositional deficiency- If they are struggling to complete/understand the
assignment, they will have more than one chance to fix their work, as well as ask
questions. I might also match them with a gifted student to look to in troubled areas.
8. ADHD- I will teach them to use a bookmark/pointer to track written words while we read
the stories.
Lesson
Day 1
1. Time: 20 minutes
Teacher work- discuss what happened in the most dangerous game and what made it frightening
Student work- participate in the discussion
Teacher questions and formative assessment- this will show me which of my students read the
story for homework from the previous night.
2. Time: 15 minutes
Teacher work- Break off the students into groups with the handout of questions regarding the
Most Dangerous Game. Be prepared to help with any problems.
Student work- Participate in group work and answer questions
Teacher questions and formative assessment- Do these questions help the students understand
different aspects of this short story? Are they getting enough out of the group work?
3. Time: 15 minutes
Teacher work- discuss answers to the handout
Student work- present findings from the group time
Teacher questions and formative assessment- Did the group discussion provide insight to what
was happening in this story?
Day 2
Time- 50 minutes

Teacher work- play Blaire Witch Trials

Student work-watch Blaire Witch Trials. Take notes if necessary.
Teacher questions and formative assessment- Will the students be able to draw parallels between
the movie and the short story?
Day 3
1. Time- 10 minutes
Teacher work- As students to discuss parallels between the movie and the short story.
Student work- Be open for discussion and participation
Teacher questions and formative assessment- Were the students able to grasp the parallels
between the two?
2. Time- 40 minutes
Teacher- give homework assignment
Student- work on homework assignment
Teacher questions and formative assessment- I want to allow the student to work on this in class
so that they have time to be creative and they can bounce their ideas off me or their peers.
Learning
1. How will I know my students achieved my learning goals?
Based on their homework and participation, I will be able to see who is grasping all
major concepts.
2. How will I assess participation and their learning?
As long as students are showing interest and effort, they will get all participation
points. I like to use group work so that students can help each other see the material
in a new perspective.
3. What will I be assessing?
I will give the students up to 15 participation points for their effort in class over these
couple of days. They can earn up to 40 points for their homework.

Alignment with course level

Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals,
ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.

Unit Three: Short Story Final project

This units final project will be linked to lesson three, Modern Fear and Suspense. It will
involve you writing a short story detailing the events that led to one of the following incidents;
1. A group of high school students are taking a tour of the Samuel Claggert
Memorial Private Museum, when one of the students notices something strange in
the Delver mirror. Suddenly, the student finds himself wishing he was back in his
class.
2. An English Duchess has just been given the DeIver mirror as a present from her
fianc. Tonight, she and her future husband are throwing a party. However, their
celebration will take a turn for the worse.
3. A Pennsylvania rug merchant has just had a successful business trip to New York.
So successful, in fact, that he decided to celebrate his earning buy acquiring a new
piece of art. Unfortunately for him, he chose the DeIver mirror. As he settles in for
an evening of quit relaxation he notices something strange about his new piece.
4. Alternately, the students may approach you individually with their own ideas.
Emphasize that original plot concepts must be passed by you first.
This activity will test the students knowledge of the short story, as well as their ability to use that
knowledge to create an original piece of work. This activity will require creativity, writing skills,
and grammar skills.
The students will each come up with an original peace of work. The story should be
approximately 3-4 typed pages in length. Time will be given in class to work on their story. We
will have a day for peer review, on this day you must have at least two pages of your rough draft
complete.
Final project rubric
30%

Format (rising action, climax, etc.)

20%

Creativity-characterization

20%

Creativity- convention usage

20%

Flow and Grammar

10%

Breakdown

** Students creativity will be the most subjective of the marked areas.

Topic
Format

For an A
The Student
used all proper

For a B
The student
used most of

For a C
The student
used some of

For an F..
The student failed
to use the proper

short story
format as
discussed in
earlier classes.
Student showed
a lot of creativity
within his/her
characters.

the proper short

story format as
discussed in
earlier classes
Student showed
good creativity
within his/her
characters.

Convention
Usage

Student used one

of the scenarios
given and came
up with a very
creative plot.

Flow and
Grammar

Students story
flowed very
nicely and have
great use of
grammar,
sentence and
paragraph
structure.
Student had a
great critique
that included: the
critical incident,
the nature of the
conflict, and the
climax of the
story.

Student used
one of the
scenarios given
and game up
with a creative
plot.
Students story
flowed well and
had good
grammar use,
and sentence
and paragraph
structure.

Characterizatio
n

Breakdown

Student had a
good critique
that included
most of these
requirements:
the critical
incident, the
nature of the
conflict, and the
climax of the
story.

the proper
story format as
discussed in
earlier classes
Student
showed some
creativity
within his/her
characters.
Students used
one of the
scenarios but
showed little
effort in
creativity.
Students story
had little flow
and had a lack
in grammar
usage and
sentence and
paragraph
structure
Student had a
fair critique
that included
few of these
requirements:
the critical
incident, the
nature of the
conflict, and
the climax of
the story.

story format
discussed in earlier
classes.
Student showed
poor creativity
within his/her
characters.
Student failed to
use one of the
scenarios and
showed no
creativity in the
plot.
Students story
failed to flow and
failed to use
correct grammar
sentence and
paragraph
structure.
Student failed to
critique his/her
story and did not
included: the
critical incident,
the nature of the
conflict, and the
climax of the story.

Points Possible: ____/100

Comments:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

What did you think?

Name _________________
Date:_________________
Reflection:
What was your favorite part of this unit?

What was your least favorite part? Why?

Did the final project help you to further understand the concept of the short story?

Did it clarity how some of the conventions of fear and suspense function?

Did you enjoy the activity?

If you could, what would you change about this project? This unit?