The Short Story

Description: This English literature course is designed to teach students how to read and analyze literature by gaining a basic understanding of plot, character, and setting, and with a basic analysis of poetry. It includes a representative sampling of classic short stories and essays by great authors such as Kipling, Hawthorne, Buck, Conan Doyle, Irving, Twain, Maupassant, Chekhov, Faulkner, Cather, Hemingway, Crane, and others. Basic composition techniques for expository essays will also be presented. Students should devote approximately 45 minutes per day for this course. The assessment will be based on participation, quizzes, plot diagrams for each story, collaborative discussion forums, reflections, and essays. Students are required to write clear, relevant, and well-formed entries. This encourages a deep consideration of the story and also trains the students to note important elements and glean insights from others. Students can post observations about the reading, starting a discussion over the reading, as well as reply to other discussion threads. This class is worth 1 high school credit in English, Language Arts, or Literature.

Grade Level: 9-12 (ages 14-18)

Prerequisites: None

Required Materials: All stories will be provided online at no cost. See the reading list. Students will need a USB headset microphone (built-in microphones also work).