Thread by @SteveChiger

English teachers: I’ve seen a number of requests for stories that could be read & discussed within a *single* class period. So, let’s do a fast 🧵. I’ll share a linked story with a possible discussion Q, imagining the following thumbnail lesson plan for secondary English…

… 1) start w/an opening activity that asks s’s to retrieve relevant knowledge 2) s’s read/annotate, jot their own q’s & answer the discussion prompt 3) turn&talk in partners or sm groups, then class discourse 4) s’s “stamp” takeaways/connections to their lives & current study…

… 5) s’s revise/develop their initial response to close class. I’ll share a resource at the end of this thread, but for now, let’s go!..

…“The Flowers” - (Alice Walker) What do you make of that last line? How would the story be different w/o it? … d.umn.edu/~cstroupe/hand…

“The Story of an Hour” (Kate Chopin) - How does this text play with characters’ and readers’ expectations? Why? (Bonus: this link has some other short classics you might use) wlwv.k12.or.us/cms/lib8/OR010…

“The Egg” - (Andy Weir) Why might this story be in 2nd person? To whom is it speaking and about what? wjccschools.org/wp-content/upl…

… “Salvador Late or Early” - (Sandra Cisneros) Why might Cisneros have chosen the name Salvador — savior — for this character? Is it appropriate? Ironic? Something else?…
fwisd.org/cms/lib011/TX0…

… “Good Form” (Tim O’Brien, from The Things They Carried) - Whats the difference between story-truth and happening-truth? Does the distinction matter? … lessonbank.kyae.ky.gov/wp-content/upl…

… “Girl” - (Jamaica Kincaid) questions included with this link… bpi.edu/ourpages/auto/…

…”The Cough” - (Harry Humes) What is the “it” that the final lines refer to? Why does that matter?… static1.squarespace.com/static/54bc608…

…OK, that’s a start. Now it’s your turn! Can you add to the list? Rules are: can be read in 1 period (1-3 pages) and invites conversation/analysis appropriate to secondary ELA (or if primary, just label as such.) Hope this is helpful!… #Engchat #teamenglish

PS If you’d like to see resources on supporting class discourse like I described above, here’s a link with videos/1-pagers. middleweb.com/46342/for-real…