Language Arts Electives Learning English through Short Stories

What is a … Short Story?

The short story … ~ is a literary genre ~ is usually fictional ~ is usually more concise than longer works of fiction, e.g. novels ~ has its origins in oral story-telling traditions

Short Stories usually have … one incident one plot one setting a limited number of characters, and cover a short period of time

Example 1 Cinderella

Example 2 The Three Little Pigs

Example 3 A Little Red Riding Hood

What different types of short stories are there?

Types of Short Story ~ Horror Story ~ Fable ~ Love Story ~ Detective Story ~ Ghost Story ~ Fairy Story ~ Science Fiction ~ Adventure Story

What is the purpose of the Short Story Module ? ? ?

The purpose is to … … help students to understand the concepts of narration, setting, character, theme and symbol, as well as to consider ways of creating mood, and of writing good story openings, closings and dialogue AND … help students to apply the concepts and techniques they have learned in their own writing

Content The module comprises 3 parts. Part 1: Students are introduced to the aims, design and content of the module. They will learn to identify and understand the key features of a short stories, and read stories with appreciation.

Content Part 2: Students read and write specific aspects of a short story, e.g. setting, character, theme, dialogue, opening and closing. They will also start to write their own story.

Examples: A good opening starts with a sound effect. “Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin.” The author begins with an action, including a sound effect.

Content Part 3: Students share a story of their choice with the class. They will also tell and perform short stories orally.

Assessment A range of activities will be used for assessing student performance, including: ~ short pieces of writing ~ an end-of-course short story ~ oral performances

Examples: Students will be able to … ~ plan & organize a story ~ write openings and closings ~ create a storyline ~ create characters ~ expand vocabulary & create setting ~ write dialogue ~ write twists to surprise readers

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