Introduction to Short Stories Essential Question

*Excerpt from her obituary published in the New York Times on August 10, 1965.

December 14, 1916 –
August 9, 1965

Dialogue

• Conversation between two or more characters.
• Set aside by the use of quotation marks and a short explanation of who spoke the words.
• May also include a descriptive word used to show how the words were spoken.
• Every time a speaker changes, a new paragraph should begin.
• Therefore, it won’t always include “said.”

How dialogue is used in Charles:

• Dialogue is used to show the relating of a story from Laurie to his mother.
• His mother becomes increasingly concerned about the environment her son is being taught in.
• What do we find out about Charles at the end of the story?

Dramatic Irony

• Occurs when the reader knows something that a character does not.
• Where do we find dramatic irony in the story, Charles?

Pre-reading for Lottery

• Kids can’t see this slide….
• Before reading the lottery. Tell kids that we are going to have a lottery. Let them pick a piece of paper out of a hat. One of them has a black dot on it. Have kids open it, and tell the kid who gets it he won the lottery….
• Discuss what a lottery is… tell them in the story, the lottery is a bit different than what our culture’s definition is. irony

“The Lottery” ~ Vocabulary

• Boisterous: noisy and lively; unrestrained or unruly
• Reprimand: harsh criticism from an authority figure.

 

• Interminably: endless or seemingly endless because of monotony or tiresome length
• Petulantly: easily annoyed, complaining rudely, impatient irritation

Story Elements to focus on:

• Rising Action - How does the author increase our tension throughout the story?
• Point-of-View - Why does the author choose to tell the story in third person?
• Foreshadowing - How does the author foreshadow the outcome of the story?
• Symbolism - How were the symbols of the rocks and the color black used in the story?
• Irony - When something is the opposite of what you think it should be.