Short+Story+Analysis+Assignment

=Short Story Analysis= As much as possible I find opportunities to offer students choice. For many students English Language Arts is not a strength, so offering choice can motivate them to succeed in a difficult area. For example, to motivate them to read I allow the students to choose outside reading novels that appeal to them topically and are at a good reading level for them individually. I also allow students, wherever possible to exercise choice in other assignments. The short story unit is no exception.

All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury (science fiction) The Stolen Party by Liliana Heker (realistic fiction) Sachiko Means Happiness by Kimiko Sakai (realistic fiction) The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe (psychological fiction)
 * Procedure**: As a class we read several short stories at a variety of reading levels and of a variety of types and topics.

Students participate in scaffolding activities such as completing charts, journal jots and answering questions as well as class discussions to further their understanding about the stories before writing a formal assignment. We also read other texts that have thematic connections with the text. Below find the activitites used for "All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury. During our study of this story students review vocabulary words (Words to Know), read the story and "make their marks on it" (make notes on their copy of the text to further understanding), complete a chart (Contrast Chart), and read another text, a poem, that has thematic connections to "All Summer in a Day" (Connections) as well as participate in class discussions where they can rehearse their ideas, compare to other's ideas and refine their thoughts.

Then students are asked to choose one story and complete a formal writing assignment to evaluate their understanding of the story (see below). A significant part of our writing curriculum at eighth grade is revision. Students will complete this assignment as a first draft and may be asked to revise at a later date. Below find the assignment and the rubric used to evaluate. Note that in addition to making comments on the student's draft, the teacher will highlight parts of the student work in pink or yellow, to indicate the level of critical thinking demonstrated. See Three Levels of Critical Thinking, and Writing Rubric below.


 * Assignment**: Using critical thinking, write two good paragraphs analyzing the story of your choice. Be sure to include title and author and details from the story to back up your ideas.

Authors sometimes emphasize contrasts- differences- between characters. Bradbury uses the differences between Margot and the other characters to create conflict in this story. What is the conflict in the story? Think about the differences between the main character and her classmates. List some of the differences and discuss how the author uses the differences to emphasize the conflict in the story.
 * All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury**

Samples of Student Work- coming soon