Short Story Unit: 3+ Weeks of Literary Devices & Classic Stories (with Google)

📚 Student-Led Short Story Unit: Teach Literary Terms Through Group Presentations, Quizzes & Analysis

Editable | Google Classroom Ready | Grades 7–10 | 80+ Pages & Slides

Looking for a high-accountability, student-driven way to teach short stories and literary terms? This flexible, engaging unit scaffolds students into analyzing complex fiction by putting them in charge of the learning process—through group presentations, quizzes, and collaborative note-taking.

Perfect for grades 7–10, this unit works beautifully as a stand-alone short story unit or as a literary terms review before diving into longer works. Great for differentiation, skill-building, and fostering deep comprehension.

🧠 How It Works:

Each small group is assigned one short story to analyze, annotate, and then present to the class. Following each presentation, the whole class takes a comprehension quiz. As the unit progresses, students build a literary terms glossary, identifying and applying 28 literary devices across the stories. The unit ends with a final literary terms test and an optional essay.

📖 Short Stories Included:

• (🎭 Dystopia) “The Lottery” – Shirley Jackson
• (🌧️ Sci-Fi) “All Summer in a Day” – Ray Bradbury
• (👁️ Horror) “The Tell-Tale Heart” – Edgar Allan Poe
• (🐾 Horror) “The Monkey’s Paw” – W.W. Jacobs
• (⚖️ Ethics) “The Lady or the Tiger?” – Frank Stockton
• (💰 Ethics) “The Bet” – Anton Chekhov
• (💔 Plot Twist) “The Story of an Hour” – Kate Chopin
• (🏹 Thriller) “The Most Dangerous Game” – Richard Connell

A mix of American, British, and World authors with varied genres, themes, and difficulty levels—great for differentiation!

💻 What’s Included (80+ Pages/Slides):

✅ Editable Formats: Word, PowerPoint, PDF, and Google Docs/Slides/Forms

✅ Unit Plan + Teaching Guide: Suggested pacing (2–9 weeks), classroom management tips, grading help

✅ Student Packet:

• Project directions & expectations
• Editable rubrics for group work & presentation
• Literary terms glossary (28 key terms with definitions + answer key)
• Quizlet flashcards for easy review
• ✅ PowerPoints:
• Unit Intro Presentation
• Sample Group Presentation
• Editable Student Template
• ✅ Quizzes:
• 1 quiz per short story
• Mix of multiple choice & short answer
• Google Forms version (self-grading)
• ✅ Pre/Post Literary Terms Test (with answer key)
• ✅ Unit Test:
• Literary devices, theme, symbolism, and quote analysis
• Multiple question types
• ✅ Optional Literary Analysis Essay:
• General prompts + story-specific prompts
• Rubric included

🎯 Skills & Standards Targeted:

• Literary Analysis
• Close Reading
• Speaking & Listening (student presentations)
• Argument & Narrative Writing (essay prompts)
• Theme, Plot, Conflict, Symbolism, Figurative Language
• Citing Textual Evidence
• Collaboration & Public Speaking

💡 Why Teachers Love It:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “My students loved teaching each other and took ownership of their learning.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “This made literary terms stick—so much better than direct instruction alone.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “The Google Forms quizzes saved me hours. Highly recommend for middle or high school.”

💬 Bonus:

Includes links to all short stories online—no need to purchase extra texts! (Only public domain stories are provided in full.)

👩‍🏫 Perfect For:

• 8th grade ELA
• High school intro to literature
• Honors & mixed-ability classes
• Test prep review of literary devices
• Short story units with differentiated engagement

This editable and classroom-tested unit helps you move beyond lecture-based instruction and lets students take the lead. Scaffold difficult texts, build a strong foundation in literary terms, and keep your students accountable, engaged, and motivated.

📥 Just download, assign, and watch your classroom come alive!