Short Story Unit Outline – English 10
Miss Willard
Let There Be Conflict
Solving Conflict in Life and Literature
“…Let the rain beat in our faces
As we go out on the great quest for life;
Let it blind our eyes with bitter tears,
Tears of the fury of pain.
Let us bear great heavy rains, plodding
Over the furrows of unploughed earth;
For only through long bitterness freely spoken
Can new life come to be, for other men.”
From Prayers by John Gould Fletcher
Poetry, Vol. 22, No. 1 (Apr., 1923), pp. 6-10
Leading Question: What skills can we learn from what we read and see in order to resolve conflict in our everyday lives?
Purpose: It is important that students are exposed to many different aspects of writing. The short story is a very manageable
segment of writing; therefore the quick progression that is possible with short story should keep the students interested. As well, this
unit gives the students a chance to cultivate writing skills in a creative way. This unit also enhances students' analytical skills by
identifying the various elements contained within the short story.
Objectives: When this unit is finished, the students will have:
1. Been exposed to the elements of the short story.
2. Further developed functional writing skills in accordance with their ability.
3. Read a selection of short stories.
4. Had experience in creatively writing a short story.
Reading Standards:
E2-1.1
E2-1.2
E2-1.4
E2-1.5
E2-1.6
Compare/contrast ideas within and across literary texts to make inferences.
Analyze the impact of point of view on literary texts.
Analyze the relationship among character, plot, conflict, and theme in a given literary text.
Analyze the effect of the author’s craft (including tone and the use of imagery, flashback, foreshadowing,
symbolism, irony, and allusion) on the meaning of literary texts.
Create responses to literary texts through a variety of methods (for example, written works, oral and auditory
presentations, discussions, media productions, and the visual and performing arts).
Terms to know:
1. Plot
a. Exposition
b. Rising Action
c. Climax
d. Falling Action
e. Resolution
2. Conflict
a. Internal
i. Man v. self
b. External
i. Man v. man
ii. Man v. Society
iii. Man v. Nature
3. Flashback
4. Setting
5. Mood
6. Characterization
a. Indirect
b. Direct
c. Round
d. Flat
e. Dynamic
f. Static
7. Point of View
a. First Person
b. Third Person
i. Omniscient
8. Suspense
9. Irony
a. Dramatic
b. Verbal
c. Situational
10. Theme
Lessons:
Story 1 = Everyday Use by Alice Walker
o Focus on characterization and point of view
o Quilting Project
o Compare/Contrast Essay
Story 2 = By the Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent Benet
o Focus on setting and theme
o Connect to Apocalyptic stories
o Setting and imagery comparison with The Village
*Quiz on first 2 short stories
Story 3 = The Interlopers
o Focus on making inferences, conflict, and irony
Story 4 = The Monkey’s Paw
o Focus on setting, suspense, mood, and irony
*Test on all four short stories
**Narrative writing assignment – original short stories