Instruction and Management Plan:

Sequence and Organization

This unit on the form of the modern short story is scheduled to run from January 6th
through February 9th, and provide students with the foundational understanding of the form and
structure of modern short stories. The unit is organized with scaffolding in mind and each lesson
and activity lays the groundwork for the next which will build upon what has already been
covered. Every Wednesday the students participate in their service learning programs and do not
have class as such these days will not be included here.
January 6th The first day of the unit is dedicated to establishing a relationship with the
students and providing them a basic overview of the course for the semester. On this day the
students will also take the pre-test for the quarter.
January 8th Students will learn about the history and development of short stories as they
evolved from basic oral traditions to the modern form we will be focusing on. Understanding the
evolution of short stories throughout history is critical in establishing that modern works are
distinct from earlier forms such as fables, legends, fairy tales, etc. It also establishes the fact that
literature is reflective of the people and time that created it. Students will then follow along with
a prepared handout defining the major elements of the short story form. At this stage the
students are simply intended to gain an introduction into the elements that we will be exploring
in greater detail as we progress through the unit.
January 9th In preparation for reading A Clean Well-Lighted Place, students will watch a
brief video and be given an introductory lecture on Ernest Hemingway to establish the authorstory relationship. Following this the teacher will read the story aloud as the class follows along
with their own copies. This will allow me to model good reading and ensure that all students, if
not individually reading, will at least have listened to the story. We will then have a whole class
discussion exploring the text guided by pre-established inquiry questions. The main intention for
the day is to ease students into the class and establish a tone for the semester. As well, students
will be reading a highly revered work of short fiction by one an author who is often considered to
be a master of the craft and a definer of the form. The story is far more complex than it appears
and by using it as the initial reading for the unit I will gain insight into the students general

ability levels in critical and analytical thinking. The lesson will close out with the students
responding to a prompt as an exit ticket.
January 12th Class will begin by addressing any lingering questions students may have
regarding the story. They will then receive a lesson on Hemingways Iceberg Theory (or, the
theory of omission) one of his major contributions to writing in the 20th century. As a class we
will explore how this theory is at work in the story with a special focus on how it aligns with the
essential characteristics of the short story form. The lesson will close with the students writing
on how they think the iceberg theory can be applied to and benefit their own writing
academically and personally.
January 13th The students will listen to a lecture on Poe providing a basic biography and
outlining his contributions to literature and specifically short stories. This will provide necessary
context for the story they will be reading later. Included in this lecture will be the major points
of Poes critical theory on the form and structure of the short story. Following this students will
be introduced to his story William Wilson and we will explore and discuss the concept of the
Doppelgnger which is the central theme of the story and is essential to understanding it on the
most basic level. Time permitting, we will begin reading and analyzing the story.
January 15th The day will be dedicated to the close reading and simultaneous analysis and
discussion of the text focusing on how it adheres to and diverges from the elements of form that
we have been studying. The use of a story by Poe is significant as he is considered a major
figure both as a writer and critical theorist of the short story form. Due to the standards of the
time period in which he was writing, his stories contain characteristics of both modern short
stories as well as the established conventions of longer prose forms such as novels and novellas,
straddling the divide between traditional and modern forms. Too, students will notice how his
own writing is often in contradiction to his criticism and theory. This text, due to its date of
publication, is much more complex in terms of language than the previous one by Hemingway.
The reading and analysis of it will require that students work hard to apply what they have
learned about form as they will also have to decipher the antiquated and highly formal language
and style of the writing.
January 16th As a class we will finalize our reading and group analysis of William Wilson.
Students will have the opportunity to have lingering questions about the text answered and

discussed. They will then begin work (with the option of working with partners) on answering a
series of post-reading questions designed to engage them in higher-level thinking about the text
and respond in detail about how it demonstrates the elements of form, focusing heavily on
elements of character, setting, plot, and the theory of omission.
January 20th Students will finish working on their reading questions, after which we will
review and discuss the answers as a class. The class will then discuss in detail how the story
demonstrates the characteristics of the short story form and how this compares and contrasts to
the previous story we read by Hemingway. Student answers will be turned in for grading and
assessment.
January 22nd Students will be assigned a web quest activity meant to further and deepen their
examination and understanding of the story. Individually or with partners, they will view a Prezi
presentation of an analysis of William Wilson for which they will be required to respond to a
series of questions. The analysis presented in the Prezi does not pertain directly to the study of
form, but the students will be required to use higher-level reasoning skills to use the information
presented to discuss the qualities of form found in the text. They will also be required to
critically analyze the information and present arguments as to if and why they agree or disagree
with the analysis given in the Prezi.
January 23rd The day is dedicated as a student work day to complete the questions for their
web quest. While students work, I will meet with them individually discussing their grades and
addressing any missing work and speaking with them about how well they believe they are
understanding the material. Web quest responses will be collected for grading and assessment.
January 26th We will begin with an anticipatory set before reading The Lottery by Shirley
Jackson. After a short lecture providing background information on the author and the story
including fun facts to jumpstart their thinking about the story, students will participate in a
lottery drawing mirroring that done in the story. Students will be informed that the winner will
get the same prize as the winner in the story, but will not know what it is until we finish reading.
We will then begin reading out loud as a class. While reading, students will be instructed to
highlight, underline, or otherwise note in the text evidence demonstrating qualities of form.
January 27th We will finish reading the text and as a class analyze it for elements of form.
Lingering questions will be addressed clarifying the text and students will begin work on post-

reading questions for the text. Considered to be a pivotal work of short fiction, The Lottery,
despite its simple language is a complex piece of writing that will require the students to
deconstruct the elements of form and consider them in more abstract ways. For instance, the
story includes many people that, although they will likely be considered characters, actually
function more as part of the setting.
January 29th Students will be introduced to the TWIST (Tone, Word Choice, Imagery, Style,
Theme) analysis model. This introductory lesson is intended to take the students thinking on the
short story form to the next level as they consider it in terms of specific literary devices. As a
class we will explore exactly what the different components are through the story The Lottery.
This lesson is introduced at this point to prepare students for the next unit where we will examine
the TWIST elements individually and in depth.
January 30th This day is designated as a student work day to allow them to finish the reading
questions for The Lottery and any other assignments they may be missing.
February 2nd Students are assigned their Independent Story Analysis project. The assignment
is gone over in detail and students are given an overview of the website www.eastoftheweb.com
where they will search for stories to use. For the remainder of class the students will search for
and select a story they would like to use for the project. This will be the culminating project for
the unit and the students will be required to apply all they have learned over the course of the
unit and demonstrate their understanding of the short story form. Prior to this, the stories they
have read have been carefully selected by myself to highlight the essential defining
characteristics of short stories. With this project, students will have to carefully consider stories
on their own and assess whether or not they will be suitable for the assignment. Where
previously the students worked cooperatively or were guided by myself in the analysis of the
stories we read, this assignment will require them to work independently with little to no
guidance.
February 3rd Mini-lesson on writing summaries. In addition to being a part of their final
project as well as an essential skill, the lesson on summary writing will also emphasize the
concise, focused writing style that is characteristic of short stories and a skill the students are
intended to be developing not only through this unit but the entire course. Students will then
have the remainder of the class period to read or reread their stories and write their summaries.

These will be turned in for assessment purposes where feedback will be provided and returned to
the students for revision for the final project.
February 5th Student work day. Students have the class period to work on their projects. The
teacher will circulate checking on progress.
February 6th Student work day. Time permitting, if students all finish they will begin
presenting their work. The presentation portion of the assignment will allow me to make a
formal assessment of their proficiency in public speaking and formal presenting from which I
will be able to determine and focus instruction in this area in later units.
February 9th Student presentations. Final projects are turned in for assessment and grading.
Although much of the material and practice during this unit may seem redundant, the
reality is that at PCA courses move forward at a much slower pace than at traditional high
schools. Too, this material will be entirely new to the vast majority of students and since it is the
foundation on which the remainder of the course will be built it is imperative that a thorough
understanding of these concepts be established. However, as will be made explicit in the details
of the daily lesson plans, the depth of inquiry into the relatively narrow scope of material
increases steadily over the course of the unit. It is also my intention in designing the unit in such
a way that it will provide me greater insight into the strengths and weaknesses of individual
students which will allow me to better cater following units of instruction to their unique needs.