This document provides definitions and explanations of short stories as a text type for teaching purposes. It defines short stories as works of fiction involving imagination that tell of a single event in a concentrated way through characters connected by a plot. Short stories are typically between 1,000-20,000 words and can be read in one sitting. The document also discusses elements of short stories like setting, characters, style, theme, and plot. It explores using short stories to help students develop reading comprehension, analysis, and writing skills. A multi-stage approach to teaching short stories is presented, including pre-reading, reading, and extension activities.

1. Teaching
SHORT STORY

2. What is a short story?
Why use short stories
in class?

3. EXTREMELY SHORT STORIES
For sale: baby
shoes, never worn.
- Ernest Hemingway
Corpse parts
missing. Doctor
buys yacht.
-Margaret Atwood
wired.com Internet magazine. Issue 14.11

4. SOME DEFINITIONS:
• It’s a work of fiction, so it involves the
imagination
• A short story tells of one event in a very
concentrated way.
• It’s about people who don’t really exist
• It describes something at a moment of crisis
• It has a plot and characters who are
somehow connected with each other.

5. SOME MORE DEFINITIONS:
A short story…
•Can be read in one sitting (E.A.
Poe)
• Is 1,000 – 20,000 words long
•Has a limited set of characters,
a single setting and a simple
plot

6. SOME MORE DEFINITIONS:
A short story…
•involves chronology, or
sequence of events, and
causation – the fact that
events are somehow
connected with each other,
and that one event may result
from another.

7. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WOULD
YOU DESCRIBE AS A STORY?
A.Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet.
B.Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet,
eating her curds and whey.
C.Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet,
eating her curds and whey.
Along came a spider, and sat
down beside her.

8. E. Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet,
eating her curds and whey.
Along came a spider, and sat
down beside her, and ate its
curds and whey.
F. Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet,
eating her curds and whey. Along
came a spider, and sat down
beside her, and frightened Miss
Muffet away.

9. G.Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet,
eating her curds and whey. Little
Jack Horner sat in a corner,
eating his pudding and pie.

10. Traditional stories
• “flat” characters
• Unspecified settings
• Simple and fast
moving plot
• Ending is clear and
usually happy
• Formulaic language
• Simple past tense
• Third person
narration
Modern stories
• “round” characters
• Setting may be
described in detail
• May not be much
background at
beginning
• Ending may be
inconclusive
• Present tenses may be
used
• First person narration
can be used

11. Setting
Location &
time
Characters
The people &
their
relationships
Style
Writing
techniques
Theme
Main or
recurrent idea
(could also be a
lesson to learn)
5
Elements
Plot/
story line
Actions and
events

12. THE STRUCTURE OF A STORY

13. Understanding
the cultural
background of
the story
Student
problems with
short stories
Appreciati
ng the style
Inadequate
reading
strategies
-Tendency to
focus on
every word
rather than
general
meaning.
Making
interpretations.
-Confidence to
make own
interpretations.
-Coping with
ambiguity
Comprehensio
n
-Following the
plot
-Understanding
the characters
-Understanding
vocabulary
-Understanding
the role of the
narrator
Motivation
-Lack of
confidence
-Content of stories
uninteresting
-Short stories not
relevant to
passing exams in
English

14. WHY TEACH SHORT STORY?
•Respond to texts
•Give opinions
•Justify opinions
•Knowledge of text
features
•Applying knowledge
to their writing
•Responding to
characters
•Responding to plot
•Responding to themes
•(writing, oral,
performance)
•Reading skills
•Making inferences
•Getting the main
idea
•Predicting events

15. APPROACH TO TEACHING A SHORT
STORY
1.Understand the features of the
text type
2.Understand the features of the
genre
3.Analyze the text
4.Decide teaching objectives
5.Plan lessons and materials

16. STAGES IN WORKING WITH THE TEXT
Pre- reading
While-reading /
Post-reading
Extension
activities
Building up
knowledge of
the topic
Understanding
the details
Integrating and
applying

17. PRE-READING STAGE
When?
• In class – teacher-guided
How?
• Recall previous knowledge and
experience
• Make predictions about the setting of
the story
• Pre-teaching/providing background
information
What activities?
• Brainstorming
• Predicting from titles, pictures, etc

18. WHILE-READING/ POST-READING
STAGE
When?
• In class – teacher-guided
How?
• Applying reading strategies
• Connecting the story to reader’s mind
and experience
• Responding to the writer
What activities?
• Engaging in discussions
• Identifying story elements using story
organizer
• Summarizing events

19. EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
When?
• After teaching the story
Purposes:
• Integrative use of skills to show interpretation and
appreciation
• Consolidating understanding of the story
• Applying the language skills learnt
What activities?
• Performing (ex. Readers’ theatre)
• Writing stories
• Extended tasks and projects

20. WORKSHOP
• Briefly analyze the story “Moonlight” by
Guy de Maupassant and think of learning
objectives to help them in the analysis of
the story.
• Put your group’s ideas on the first column
of the paper
• Think of one teaching and learning
activity for each.
• Choose one teaching point and learning
activity to share to class.

21. Teaching focus Strategy/ activity
used
1. Teaching students to
understand and
respond to character
descriptions
Teaching students to
understand and
respond to plot
development
Completing a chart of
the main character’s
emotions
2. Understanding and
responding to
characters’ point of
Writing a diary