1. What will we be reading about? Who are the authors?
Short Story Unit
What will we be reading about? Who are the authors?

2. What is a short story ? Fiction that is 3-20 pages in length
pages is a novella
100+ pages is a novel

3. A short story contains…
Setting
Plot
Conflict
Character and their descriptions
Point of View
Theme

4. All of these elements combine and interact…
Conflict
Plot and Setting
Character
THEME

5. What issues & themes will we read about?
Depending on which author you’ll focus on
You may also read about…
Deception and lying
Breaking the law (ex: stealing)
Homelessness
Law enforcement officers
Mistaken identity
Love
Tough, smart, vulnerable young adults
Awkward and embarrassing moments
Death of loved ones

6. Who are the authors?
Gary Soto

7. Gary Soto has written several collections of short stories…
Facts of Life Help Wanted
Baseball in April Local News
Petty Crimes
…his life experiences affect what he writes about in his stories
1. When Soto was just five years old, his father was killed in an accident while working at Sunmaid.
2. As Gary and his siblings grew older they, too, worked in the fields and factories in California.
3. Working left little time for school, and when Soto did go, he made very poor grades. While attending high school, he maintained a D average, and spent more time chasing girls than doing his homework.

8. William Sydney Porter (aka “O. Henry”)
Who are the authors?
William Sydney Porter (aka “O. Henry”)
He grew up a while ago (born in 1862), but is still influential today.
He has a candy bar named after him!
…Get it?

9. …his life experiences affect what he writes about in his stories
Who are the authors?
Did you ever read
“The Gift of the Magi”?
…he wrote that!
He is known for his twists in the plot.
…his life experiences affect what he writes about in his stories
1. When O. Henry was 3, his mother died. He was raised by his aunt and grandmother.
2. At 22, he started drinking heavily. He was suspected of stealing money from a bank in Texas and then fled to Honduras.
3. At 36, he entered prison.