Printable short stories for seniors how to#
Printable short stories for seniors serial#
Printable short stories for seniors series#

Printable short stories for seniors serial#

The delivery of the story provides a rich jumping-off point for teachers who want to discuss serial fiction, which played an important role in American literature but has recently been in decline.

Printable short stories for seniors series#

Created across a series of tweets, EganвЂ™s 8,500 word science fiction story is filled with both suspenseful and surprising moments that will keep students hooked. Writer and novelist Jennifer Egan echoed the tech-savvy nature of Robert Olen ButlerвЂ™s experiment in her short story, Black Box. The entire exercise can be watched on YouTube, by searching Inside Creative Writing.

Butler is also a creative writing teacher himself, and says the experimental writing process was very much about teaching and learning. The story began with a single vintage postcard, plucked at random, which is an exercise teachers could emulate in the classroom. As one of the first stories ever composed in this manner, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Olen Butler offers a wealth of educational initiatives for high school students with this creation. This 4,800 word genre-bending story was written online, in a series of seventeen, two-hour live webcasts.

Whether youвЂ™re looking for a story that teaches advanced syntax and vocabulary, or youвЂ™re simply seeking to teach from a strong narrator, Pond and its accompanying stories wonвЂ™t let you down. Moreover, McGregor explains that Finishing Touch is a greatly narrated tale that follows the main character not only in her meticulous preparations, but in her own life struggles. This story is extremely funny and detailed, offering lessons writing about both humor and in tragedy. One story from this collection is called Finishing Touch, and it details a woman trying to prepare for the perfect evening. Finishing Touch by Claire-Louise BennettД¬laire-Louise Bennett is a modern fiction and essay writer with a standout short story collection, Pond. The novel helps children understand that books are the key to understanding the unfair and often heartbreaking world in which we live. It helps them realize the immense terror of the period and solidifies the importance both of learning lessons so that history does not repeat itself and of speaking up when something feels wrong. The story by Morris Gleitzman is a great history lesson for middle or high school students. A work of fiction inspired by true events, it follows the adventures of a young Jewish boy who sets out across Poland in search of his parents. This is a heart wrenching tale that details the history of Nazi-occupied Europe. It can certainly be a jumping off point for teaching about personal essay writing in the narrative voice.

Printable short stories for seniors how to#

The story also showcases the power of character voice, and can be paired with a number of exercises on how to develop character voice in fiction writing. As the first tale in SaundersвЂ™ short story collection Tenth of December, Victory Lap teaches a great lesson in character building. In addition to his standout prose, he also knows how to tell a lesson through short stories. George Saunders just might be one of the greatest fiction writers of the modern era. Cell One is a standout story about familial relationships, struggles between parents and children, and among siblings, which can be relatable for teens of any background.Д¬ell One also offers an insightful look at Nigerian history and politics, showing how the breakdown of civilian laws in society can echo the struggles in a family structure. In a short story collection called The Thing Around Your Neck, Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie touches on themes like equality, politics and family relationships. When read side-by-side, students can compare and contrast the two perspectives. This is a unique approach to storytelling that can offer many lessons in voice, character, and gender for student writers. McGregor reimagined the story a decade later, writing In Winter the Sky - the same story, but from a female perspective.

In his 2002 short story, What the Sky Sees, McGregor tells the tale of a male teen who causes a terrifying accident, then tries to live with the aftermath. Jon McGregorвЂ™s stories often discuss ordinary characters and rural themes. When youвЂ™re looking for exciting, meaningful material, refer to this list of contemporary short stories your students are guaranteed to love.

For high school students in particular, short stories provide a platform for teaching about both the English language and life itself. Short stories offer a wealth of teaching opportunities for students of all ages.