Short Stories

The 7th and 8th graders have been reading a variety of short stories for literature class. In addition to being wonderful tales, these stories lend themselves to the study of literary concepts. Students had the responsiblitiy of noting the setting, characters, and plot for each story. Then, we dove deeper and identified symbolism, theme, irony, conflict, and elements of suspense.

The 7th grade focused on stories of suspense (Lamb to the Slaughter, The Interlopers, The Most Dangerous Game, The Dinner Party, and Duffy's Jacket), while the 8th graders read stories by American Authors - Washington Irving (The Devil and Tom Walker, Rip Van Winkle, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow), Nathaniel Hawthorne (Young Goodman Brown, The Birthmark, and Dr. Heidegger's Experiment), and Edgar Allan Poe (The Cask of Amontillado, The Tell-Tale Heart, and The Pit and the Pendulum).