8^th Grade Short Story Unit

(Exploration In Literature, Scott Foresman red book)

Day One:

Elements of a Short Story (handout)

Read “The Chaser” by John Collier – handout (www.members.accessus.net/~bradley/thechaser.html)

Outline the short story as a class

Review a completed outline of the story

Short Story Outline Assignment

Day Two:

Complete vocabulary for “The Moustache”

Read “The Moustache” pages 3-10

Answer questions 1-7, 9

Day Three:

Complete vocabulary for “The Treasure of Lemon Brown”

Read “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” pages 23-30

Answer questions 1-9

Day Four:

Complete vocabulary for “The Inspiration of Mr. Budd”

Begin reading “The Inspiration of Mr. Budd”

Day Five:

Complete “The Inspiration of Mr. Budd”

Answer questions 1-6, 8-10

Review for vocabulary and spelling test on day seven (covers “The Moustache,” “The Treasure of Lemon Brown,” and “The Inspiration of Mr. Budd”

Day Six:

Writing Assignment – Letter (handout)

Review for vocabulary and spelling test tomorrow

Day Seven:

Vocabulary and spelling test

Complete vocabulary for Paw-Paw

Day Eight:

Watch The Ransom of Red Chief and take a quiz over movie

Day Nine:

Read Paw-Paw pages 46-53

Answer questions 1-9

Writing: Complete Writing a Description ½ page

Day Ten:

Complete vocabulary for “A Christmas Memory”

Begin reading “A Christmas Memory” pages 57-67

Day Eleven:

Conclude “A Christmas Memory”

Answer questions in class

HW: Supporting an Opinion – ½ page

Begin watching A Christmas Story

Day Twelve:

Conclude watching A Christmas Story

Day Thirteen:

Complete vocabulary for “A Tell-Tale Heart”

Begin reading “A Tell-Tale Heart” pages 109-113

Day Fourteen:

Conclude “A Tell-Tale Heart”

HW: Composition – Changing the Point of View – ½ page

Watch movie version of “A Tell-Tale Heart”

Day Fifteen:

Review for vocabulary and spelling test tomorrow (covers “Paw-Paw”, “A Christmas Memory,” “A Tell-Tale Heart”, and “Mr. Mendelsohn”.

Read “Charles” pages 116-120

Day Sixteen:

Vocabulary and Spelling Test

Complete vocabulary for “Mr. Mendlesohn”

Day Seventeen:

Read “Mr. Mendlesohn” pages 122-134

Answer questions 1-7, 9-10 and Composition – Supporting Your Opinion – ½ page

Day Eighteen:

Begin watching O’Pioneers

Day Nineteen:

Conclude watching O’Pioneers

Take quiz over movie

Day Twenty:

Read “Rain, Rain Go Away” pages 101-107

Answer questions in class

HW: Composition – Reporting the News

Day Twenty-one:

Review Elements of a Short Story

Begin writing a short story

Outline your short story

Day Twenty-two:

Continue writing short story

Day Twenty-three:

Peer edit short story

Revise short story

Day Twenty-four:

Turn in completed short story

Elements of a Short Story Test

Day Twenty-five:

Watch PuddnHead Wilson

Day Twenty-six:

Conclude PuddnHead Wilson

Take quiz on the movie