Short Story Elements
SettingPlotCharacters Point of ViewTheme
1st Hour GroupsGroup 1: “The
Lottery”
Skye, Lidia, Josh, Ashley, Monica
Group 2: “Jury of Her Peers”Austin, Samantha, Anna, Lussine, Timmy
Group 3: “A Rose for Emily”Trevor, Arianna, Caitlyn, Jacob, Alyssa
Group 4: “Where are You Going, Where Have You Been”Paige, Bree, Teagan, Sean, Kirsten
Roles: 1: Setting 2: Plot 3: Characters 4: Point of View 5. Theme
2nd Hour Groups
Group 1: “The Lottery”Danijel, Zach, Austin, Madison, Deborah
Group 2: “Jury of Her Peers”Taylor, Jessie, Jon, Andrew, Devon
Group 3: “A Rose for Emily” Ryan, Noah, Melanie, Marielle
Group 4: “Where Are You Going, Where Have you Been”Jade, Jolee, Harry Daphne, Connor
Group 5: “Scarlet Ibis”Makenna, Ethan, Christina, Blake, Gabby
Group 6: “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”
Matt, Jasmine, Emily, Gabe, Haiden
Roles:1: Setting 2: Plot 3: Characters 4: Point of View 5: Theme
4th Hour GroupsGroup 1: “The Lottery”Tyler, Kimy, Katherine, Sarah, McKenna
Group 2: “Jury of Her Peers”Hunter, Natalie, Taylor T., Devon, Jenny
Group 3: “A Rose for Emily” Selma, Ali, Adam, Olivia, Makenzie
Group 4: “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” McKenzie, Elizabeth, Taylor D., Julie, Drew
Group 5: “Scarlet Ibis”Austin, Kayla, Autumn, Toni, Matt
Group 6: “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”Morgan, Aaron, Emalee, Ryan, Taylor J.
Roles:1: Setting 2: Plot 3: Characters 4: Point of View 5: Theme
Story Groups
• Get together with your story groups • Review the general plot• Each person takes a turn to discuss
their element and how it is portrayed in the story
• Use the “Questions to Consider” to guide your discussion
• Take notes!
Jigsaw Groups
• Get together with the people from the other story groups who have the same element as you.
• Each person talks about how the element is portrayed in his/her story
1st Hour Jigsaw Groups
Setting: Skye, Austin, Trevor, PaigePlot: Lidia, Samantha, Arianna, BreeCharacters: Josh, Anna, Caitlyn, TeaganPoint of View: Ashley, Lussine, Jacob, Sean
Theme: Monica, Timmy, Alyssa, Kirsten
2nd hour Jigsaw Groups
Setting: Danijel, Taylor, Ryan, Jade, Makenna, MattPlot: Zach, Jessie, Noah, Jolee, Ethan, JasmineCharacters: Austin, Jon, Melanie, Harry, Christina, Emily
Point of View: Madison, Andrew, Marielle, Haiden, Blake, Gabe
Theme: Deborah, Devon, Connor, Gabby, Daphne
4th Hour Jigsaw Groups
Setting: Tyler, Hunter, Selma, McKenzie, Austin, Morgan
Plot: Kimy, Natalie, Ali, Elizabeth, Kayla, AaronCharacter: Taylor T., Adam, Taylor D., Autumn, Emalee
Point of View: Sarah, Devon, Olivia, Julie, Toni, RyanTheme: McKenna, Jenny, Makenzie, Drew, Matt, Taylor J.
“Short stories are tiny windows into other worlds and other minds and other dreams. They are journeys you can make to the far side of the universe and still be back in time for dinner.”― Neil Gaiman
Style
Example: Shakespeare
• Poetry: Iambic pentametero rhymed and unrhymed
• Figurative Language: metaphors, symbols, irony, imagery, alliteration, hyperbole (exaggeration)
• Structure: Acts and scenes
Group Work
• First, talk about your author’s style in your short story groups.
• Then, you will get into your jigsaw groups to compare and contrast authors’ styles.
Short Story Project Options
Character Biography Alternate EndingStaging the StorySequelPicture BookExploring Theme
When you read a short story, you come out a little more aware and a little more in love with the world around you.
~George Saunders
Time to Work! • You will have the whole hour to work on your
projects.• You get homework points for this assignment.
You will be graded on completion and how well you follow the general guidelines
• Be creative and have fun!• Projects are due tomorrow, and you will be
sharing them with your groups and then turning them in.
I used to write things for friends. There was this girl I had a crush on, and she had a teacher she didn’t like at school. I had a real crush on her, so almost every day I would write her a little short story where she would kill him in a different way.
~Stephen Colbert
Project Share
• Share your project with your story group.
• Pick one person to share his or her project in front of the class.