Why I love this: We enjoy doing this as a read-aloud, to lead into reflective writing or discussion. The peak of the strawberry season was over and the last few days the workers, most of them braceros, were not picking as many boxes as they had during the months of June and July.” Ito, the strawberry sharecropper, did not smile. “ The Circuit” by Francisco Jiménez “It was that time of year again. Why I love this: Read it with the students, and then dive into magical realism or fantasy. “Like all men of the Library, I have traveled in my youth I have wandered in search of a book, perhaps the catalogue of catalogues now that my eyes can hardly decipher what I write, I am preparing to die just a few leagues from the hexagon in which I was born.” “ The Library of Babel” Jorge Luis Borges Why I love this: It’s a perfect anchor text for a discussion assignment. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death.” “ The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin “Knowing that Mrs. Why I love this: It’s great for honors students and for teaching how to write compelling characterization. “ The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant “The sight of the little Breton girl who came to do the work in her little house aroused heart-broken regrets and hopeless dreams in her mind.” Expect that short stories like this one will make middle schoolers get mad at you, though. Why I love this: It’s a poetic fairy tale, and it’s great for teaching theme. “ The Fir Tree” by Hans Christian Andersen “And the Wind kissed the Tree, and the Dew wept tears over him but the Fir understood it not.” Henry’s language can be tough for kids today, “Hearts and Hands” is quick and clear and hits exactly as you want his stories to hit. Henry “Among the newcomers were two young men, one of handsome presence with a bold, frank countenance and manner the other a ruffled, glum-faced person, heavily built and roughly dressed. For example, let the talkative kids ham it up, let the quiet kids just follow along, and let the sound-effects kids do their thing. Why I love this: Reading a play can be a wonderful classroom management trick. Maple Street in the last calm and reflective moments … before the monsters came!” “ The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” by Rod Serling “Maple Street. This story unfolds its terrible tension to reveal a perfect ending. Why I love this: It’s rich with descriptive language and fast-paced, dialogue-heavy action. “ A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury “‘Does this safari guarantee I come back alive?’” “‘We guarantee nothing,’” said the official, ‘except the dinosaurs.’” Why I love this: Morrison’s stated goal in this short story, which begins in an orphanage, was to remove “all racial codes from a narrative about two characters of different races for whom racial identity is crucial.” Also, it’s perfect for studying style and spurring conversation. It was one thing to be taken out of your own bed early in the morning-it was something else to be stuck in a strange place with a girl from a whole other race.” “ Recitatif” by Toni Morrison “The minute I walked in and the Big Bozo introduced us, I got sick to my stomach. Best Short Stories for Middle Schoolers 1. Finally, before you bring these short stories for middle schoolers to your classroom, make sure the material (and whatever twist ending is in store) is previewed and appropriate. Always remember to check in advance for typos, and be sure to respect copyright protections. Links to each story are included below (they are sometimes scanned reproductions). We’ve compiled this list of short stories that are great for teaching middle schoolers. Also, between stylistic intricacies and plot twists, short stories hook readers and hold middle schoolers’ attention like nothing else. Because they require less time to read, they’re an easy way to expose your students to new authors and genres. Short stories are a perfect teaching tool for middle schoolers.
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