Short Stories from the Outer Circle of World Englishes

"English belongs to all who use it, however they use it." That's the core belief behind this anthology of short stories from around the world. Each story is from a country in which English continues to play a major role long after independence from colonization. Although there may be differences in grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and pragmatics, one thing remains the same: All variations of English are legitimate and deserving of a role in the canon of English literature. Each short story in this collection is an authentic example of the power of language to celebrate both our cultural diversity as well as our common humanity. 

Each unit includes:

• author perspective

• country background

• glossary with self-correcting vocabulary practice

• link to the original story in its free authentic online context

• self-correcting comprehension exercises

• opinion questions about the story (both in list form and as literary circle worksheets)

• discussion questions to extend thinking

The website also includes:

• World Englishes backgrounder

• introductory lesson presenting "The Danger of a Single Story" 

• response essay assignment

"Wrapping Your Head Around Wrap-Around Content"
(Oregon Virtual Statewide OER Symposium 2023)

Below are two videos about how this OER was developed. In the first video, Tim Krause talks about the inspiration and design behind this special kind of "wrap-around" OER. In the second video, Davida Jordan discusses how the materials have been used in the classroom and the response from students.