short story assignment grade 8

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Sherry A. Weaver

English, yearbook and ell teacher.

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Writing Workshop #4: Revealing a Character's Perspective

• internal thoughts
• Use strong verbs "her feet froze " instead of "her feet stopped"
• Use descriptive adjectives and adverbs "she stepped briskly "
• Use Figurative Language (similes and metaphors) "As if in a fuzzy dream..."
• Describe what the character saw
• "She looked into the dark audience, but there was no one there to help her."
• Share the character's thoughts
• "She had no idea how long she'd been petrified like that. Seconds? Minutes? Years? Now, what were her parents going to think?"
• Show perspective throughout the story, not only in one part.

Conventions in Short Stories

• Foreign Words : Italicize foreign words if they are somewhat unfamiliar to readers. If, on the other hand, a foreign word has been used so much that it has become part of English, you use regular type
• Example:  He had accepted his position here at the local madrasa , which taught mainly Arabic and the rudiments of Islam.
• Emphasis : Use italics to emphasize something. But do this sparingly. If you overuse italics, then nothing will stand out.
• Example:  Leo felt proud. And for the first time in a long time, Leo felt fast .
• Internal thoughts : Occasionally, use italics to show a character’s internal thoughts that you want to draw attention to.
• Example :  He was just going to say, “Hey, lady.” when he thought, Gee. Maybe it isn’t the lady. Maybe it’s a spooky thing.
• Extra space between paragraphs (sometimes with a symbol in the space)

Short Stories as Mentor Text

How to cite a short story in a bibliography.

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Short Story Projects for the Eighth Grade

Related articles, examples of analyzing text structure for elementary, creative ways for students to demonstrate reading comprehension, hands-on activities for 8th grade language arts class.

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The eighth grade language arts curriculum covers both reading and writing objectives, including reading comprehension, narrative writing and text analysis and comparisons. Short stories provide a tool for incorporating many of the standards for the eighth grade level. Whether the students write the stories themselves or use published short stories, the projects provide an interactive means to better understand the intricacies of literature.

Writing Comprehension and Presentation

A story fair is similar to a science fair as students create displays and share information. This concept expands the typical read-and-discuss format, allowing eighth graders to show their comprehension of the story. Each student selects a short story to use as the basis for the presentation. She creates a display board that includes graphics and key information about the story, such as characters, setting, conflict and resolution. To incorporate eighth grade learning standards, have the students demonstrate how those elements support the main idea or theme of the short story. Invite other classes to visit the story fair so the students can give presentations about their stories.

Create and Perform

Eighth graders read many short stories in language arts class, but writing is also a critical component in the language arts curriculum. Writing narratives teaches eighth graders about point of view, characterization, dialogue and descriptions -- all features eighth graders should include in written work. Instead of a teacher or peer review, let the eighth grade students read their short stories to an audience. Preparing the stories before the performance allows the eighth graders to focus on creating a clear piece of writing that is organized, sticks to a particular style and works for the selected audience, per the eighth grade standards. Have the students practice reading the stories with expression. Unlike a play, a short story is typically read aloud by one person without acting out the details. Practice performances in the classroom prepare the eighth graders to perform in front of other groups, such as parents, other eighth grade classes or elementary classes.

Student Teachers

Instead of having the students always on the learning end, let them take over the teaching role. Short stories are particularly suited for student instruction because of the length. The students can easily read and analyze the short stories in one sitting. Break the class into small groups and assign a specific short story. That group takes is responsible for planning and instructing the lessons based on the story. This requires the students to read and analyze the story first to develop discussion questions, written assignments or extension projects on the piece of literature. Because the short story typically focuses on one main character with few major events, students can easily narrow down the focus of the teaching portion. Assign each group a date for teaching the short story lesson to the class. You can schedule them close together, or spread them throughout the grading period. Since each group is teaching only a short story and not an entire novel, the lesson should only take one class period.

Creative Representations

A creative project to complement a short story allows eighth graders to represent their understanding in a hands-on way. Unlike a novel that may have too many details and characters to accurately represent, a short story has a manageable number of details to use as the basis for an artistic project. Create a list of projects that work with any short story. Ideas include a collage, song, artifact, sculpture, drawing or other piece of artwork that depicts a central theme or component of the story. Another option is to use the original story as inspiration for a new piece of writing. Examples include a letter written from the perspective of the main character, a poem based on the story or an advertisement based on the story.

• Read Write Think: Short Story Fair Projects
• Common Core State Standards Initiative: English Language Arts Standards -- Reading: Literature -- Grade 8
• Common Core State Standards Initiative: English Language Arts Standards -- Writing -- Grade 8

Based in the Midwest, Shelley Frost has been writing parenting and education articles since 2007. Her experience comes from teaching, tutoring and managing educational after school programs. Frost worked in insurance and software testing before becoming a writer. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education with a reading endorsement.

Collaborative Student Projects in High School English Classrooms

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eighth grade short story unit

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The setting is the time and place where the story takes place. This includes the landscape, buildings, and weather to create the stage where the story unfolds.

Conflict is a struggle. It may be between people, aspects of nature, society, emotions, health, etc..

• Internal conflicts occur within a character where values or traits are in opposition to each other.
• Human vs. Human
• Human vs. Nature
• Human vs. Society
• Human vs. Self (Internal Conflict)
• Human vs. Fate or Destiny (seemingly External Conflict)

The theme within a story is a central idea, belief, insight, or lesson

Discussion :

• Who is Charles? - How do you know?
• When did she realize?
• When did you realize?
• Dramatic irony -opposite or contrast between what reader thinks is going on and what is really. There is irony in that the family finds Charles so fascinating -glorifying the misbehaviors through phrases like "Pulling a Charles" while not realizing they were giving Laurie the attention he desired.
• What else did you find humorous? Why do we enjoy mischief and pranks in class? Why is a rebel often idolized? They break the rules! We get to live outside the box and not follow the rules.
• Misbehavior, attitude.
• Staying after school - "And so all the children stayed to watch him" Was this true?
• The mischievous child
• The concerned, relaxed, clueless, parents
• What is the stereotype of the teacher?
• Reader sympathy - who do you feel sympathetic towards? Why Charles, Laurie, parents (anyone?)
• Why did Laurie do the things he did? What do you think he learned? What happens next?
• What do you think of how the parents dealt with their son? What should they have done differently? What will they do now?

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