Short Stories

"Cask of Amontillado" audio

Short Story Final Project:

Once you have chosen a short story, you need to write an ACES paragraph answering the following prompt:

Movie Proposal

Choose a short story that was not read in class. This may be one from the book or one you find on your own. The short story needs to be:

  • written by a professional writer (not fan-fiction)
  • At least 5 pages in length
  • one that you can find the full written text for
  • appropriate for school
  • approved by the teacher

You will complete a "movie proposal" to present to the class. This will be done using a slide show or posters. The proposal will be presented to the class. The proposal needs to address all literary elements of a short story. The proposal must be neat, organized and look professional. The proposal needs to be in final draft form (all spelling and grammar mistakes corrected). This must be finished on time and presented to the class.

For the presentation, all pictures must be original. You may not take a picture off Google.

For the presentation to the class, you cannot read from the slides or your iPad. You must talk to us about the story, not read to us.

Example of Short Story Summative Assessment

Audio of the short story, "The Most Dangerous Game"

  • Click the above link
  • On the site, click the title The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell
  • There is a short introduction, and then the story begins.
  • You can fast forward to 16:20 to find where we left off as a class

"The Most Dangerous Game"

Movie Preview

Creating a movie poster that sets the mood of suspense.

You are one of a group of directors working on the action movie for the short story "The Most Dangerous Game." The film is nearly finished; the preview to promote the movie needs to be created. Its purpose is to draw the attention of the public, so they will come to see the movie.

The group must create the movie poster for the preview. The poster must contain the following:

  • Title "The Most Dangerous Game" as a movie title using colors and style to create the feeling of suspense.
  • Illustrate your impression of Ship-Trap Island based on the description in the story.
  • Write a 6 sentence preview about the beginning of the story. Be sure to include color and mood words to create the feeling of suspense. ONE sentence in the preview must be:

The world is made up of two classes - the hunter and the huntees.

  • A short piece of music (without words) that would set the mood of suspense for the preview.
  • Present the finished preview to the class.

Suspense in the real world:

What Do You Think Happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370?

By MICHAEL GONCHAR MARCH 21, 2014 5:00 AMMarch 21, 2014 5:00 am

Photo

CreditThe New York Times. Source: Australian government

What do you think happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370?On March 8 a jet carrying 12 crew members and 227 passengers disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing. Since then, the world has followed this news story with both horror and suspense, wondering what could have gone wrong.

In “Newly Detected Objects Draw Searchers for Malaysian Plane,”Michelle Innis and Chris Buckley provide the latest reporting on the mystery:

Satellite cameras spotted objects floating in the southern Indian Ocean that might be parts of the Malaysia Airlines jet that vanished on March 8, the Australian prime minister, Tony Abbott, said on Thursday.

Mr. Abbott and an Australian rescue organizer both counseled caution about the sighting, found in images recorded on Tuesday. The first Royal Australian Air Force plane to fly over the estimated location of the objects returned to base Thursday without spotting anything that fit the description — a reminder of how the hunt for the missing Boeing 777 jetliner could remain long, difficult and possibly fruitless.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said in a message on Twitter that the search aircraft, a P-3 Orion, was “unable to locate debris — cloud and rain limited visibility — further aircraft to continue search.”

Later, a United States Navy P-8A Poseidon also returned from searching the target area to an air base near Perth, the capital of Western Australia, and “had nothing of significance to report,” according to a message from the United States Seventh Fleet, which is overseeing the American military contribution to the search. Cmdr. William J. Marks, the spokesman for the fleet, said in an email that the Poseidon had found “no indication of debris.”

Mr. Abbott told Parliament in Canberra, the capital, that “the Australian Maritime Safety Authority has received information based on satellite imagery of objects possibly related to the search.” He said that after analyzing the images, “two possible objects related to the search have been identified.”

He cautioned that “we must keep in mind the task of locating these objects will be extremely difficult, and it may turn out that they are not related to the search.” Flight 370 and its 239 passengers and crew members took off from Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing in the early hours of March 8 and disappeared from ground controllers’ screens 40 minutes later.

Students: Read the entire article, then tell us …

— What do you think happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370?

— How closely have you been following this news story?

— What theories sound most plausible? Do you think the disappearance was caused by technical malfunction, pilot error or hijacking? Do you think there is a larger conspiracy at work?

— Why do you think the world is so fascinated with this disappearance?

Application of Literary Terms in a Mitty Fantasy

Write a new fantasy for Walter Mitty.

The fantasy must include 5 literary elements studied in the short story unit (see notes). Highlight these elements and label at the bottom of story.

The fantasy must have the same features as the James Thurber story:

Start in reality

something "triggers" going to fantasy

the fantasy (must include 5 onomatopoeia, 5 made up technical terms, and walter as hero)

something must bring him back to reality

Turn your Mitty Fantasy into a digital photostory. There are examples below. The photostory can be still pictures or video, but the audio must be of you reading the fantasy.

Mittens.m4v

Mitty%20the%20Cowboy.m4v

Answer the questions below about the story "The Cask of Amontillado"

1. Who is the “you” addressed in paragraph 1?

2. What are Fortunato’s crimes against Montresor? Does it matter?

3. What is the quality of the revenge that Montresor seeks?

4. Consider the symbolism of the Carnival setting. What mood does this set at the start of the story? Does this mood change? If so, how?

5. How does Montresor manipulate Fortunato? What does his flattery of Fortunato suggest may be his real motive for killing him?

7. Can you point to any evidence of humor in the story?

8. To what extent is the reader being asked to sympathize with Fortunato?

9. Has Montresor’s crime been entirely successful?

After answering the questions above, complete the following assignment.

You are a local police detective, your task is to investigate the disappearance of Fortunato. Retrace his steps leading up to his disappearance. Remember to interview anyone that may have seen him that night. After gathering all of your information, write a detailed missing person's report on behalf of Fortunato's family detailing Fortunato's last day on earth.

The missing person's report should be completed using the attached form (see bottom of page). An example is included with the form.

Survivor-What does it take?

Day 1-

Read the article by John Blake, "Miraculous Survivors: Why They Live While Others Die."

  • As you read, fill in the Structured Notes page (copy attached at the bottom). The details you list are character traits from the article highlighting what it takes to be a survivor.
  • After completing the notes page, write a summary of the article based on your notes. The FCAs for the summary are:
    • FCA 1- Topic sentence includes "Title of Article" written correctly, author's name,

and the focus of the article.

  • FCA 2- Main body of the summary states specific traits from the article on what it

takes to be a survivor. (These should be from your notes page)

  • FCA 3- Concluding sentence sums up the main idea of the article and draws a

conclusion about a common trait found in all the survivors.

Turn in notes page and summary (either electronically or on paper).

Day 2-

Use the Structured Notes page to pull traits of a survivor from the story "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell.

Complete ONE of the following assignments.

Choice 1- Create a advertising pitch for a video game about survival. You must design the game and include the following

Create a advertising pitch for a video game about survival. You must design the game and include the following:

  • Describe the goal of your game (as it relates to the theme of survival) and the important features of the game. Think about the game box and how the creators often list what the game is like and what it takes to succeed at the game.
  • Come up with a visual representation of the game. You should have written notes or directions explaining what is going on in this scene and how it fits into the game and relates to the story.
  • Write a persuasive pitch intended for the game company you are trying to get to produce the game. Be sure you identify what makes your game unique and why gamers will flock to the store—line up days in advance!—to get your game. Be specific!

Present your game to the class. You should do this in the form of an iMovie. The iMovie must include:

      • What your game is about
      • Why we should invest in it
      • How it is different from other games that already exist
      • Who would love it and why
      • How it works!

Choice 2- Create a Photo Essay detailing the traits of a survivor. The same information you would include in an essay, should go into the Keynote photo essay. The following must be included in the photo essay.

Understanding Figurative Language Practice:

*story and literary term practice page are attached at the bottom of this page. Turn answers in through Google Drive or email (jennifer.strickland@laingsburg.k12.mi.us)

1. Using your notes on figurative language, write 5 (each) original similes, metaphors, and personifications.

NOTE: Original means from your mind and not from a movie, book, internet or your neighbors paper.

For the assignment below, remember that there are more literary terms than those practiced above. You will be assigned specific ones to look for in the story. You may use your notes to complete this assignment.

2. Read the short story "The Sniper" by Liam O'Flaherty. Underline and label examples of any figurative language (again, use your notes) found in the story.

3. Complete the Literary Term Practice page. Author's purpose explains what the intent of the author was in using this literary device.

Bullying in Schools

Spurred by recent news stories and the tragic turn that bullying can take, Michigan legislatures recently passed a law requiring schools to adopt and implement anti-bullying policies. Given the article Area Schools Try United Front to End Bullying and your personal knowledge about this topic, write an essay answering the following prompt:

What should schools do to stop bullying of students? Be sure to include the following:

  • What is bullying?
  • How prevalent is bullying in schools today?
  • Will a law stop this bullying?

Type 3:

FCA 1: Written in correct essay format

FCA 2: Essay addresses all the questions

FCA 3: Evidence from article stated in the essay

Type 3: Argumentative Write

Does doing a job make a person a hero?

FCA 1: 3 body paragraphs

FCA 2: 1 specific citation PER paragraph (In the article Canine Heroes, Jake the dog continued to search through rubble for weeks without stopping.)

FCA 3: Examples are explained (Jake is a hero because he went above and beyond his job to help save the lives of people.)

Digital Storytelling Examples