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Learning and Teaching Resources
for Learning English through Short Stories
The resources presented here are meant to be examples to show the types of activities/materials that can be designed and developed to help students to work on the various focuses of the module in the Suggested Schemes of Work for the Elective Part of the Three-year Senior Secondary English Language Curriculum (Secondary 4-6) (2007) (hereafter referred to as “SoWs”). Teachers are encouraged to adapt, modify and develop their own resources or make use of other relevant materials to suit the needs and interests of their students.
Part 1: Reading and appreciating short stories
Lessons 1-3: Understanding the key features of a story (please refer to SoWs pp.14-15)
Activity Read one of the following stories. Then answer the questions that will help you to understand the key features of a story (e.g. character, setting, theme, opening/ending, title). Explain your views where appropriate.
A. “The Dance” by Tara Milliken (available at: http://www.merlynspen.org/)
- Based on your reading of the first two paragraphs, where do you think the story takes place?
- At the beginning of the story, what does the narrator do? How about the people around her?
- Is the narrator able to see clearly? Why/Why not?
- Why does her “body start to shake” (paragraph 4)?
- What happens to the narrator at the end?
- Do you think she feels better or worse than when she was at the beginning? Give a reason.
Teachers’ notes *“The Dance” is a fairly short story of around 300 words. However, depending on students’ needs and abilities, teachers might like to simplify the language before asking them to read it. Vocabulary activities and/or a glossary may also be provided. *As students work through the questions, teachers might like to discuss interesting features of the story with them.
B. “A Long Walk Home” by Jason Bocarro (available in Canfield, J., Hanson, M.C. and Kirberger, K. (1997). Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. Deerfield Beach, Florida: Health Communications.)
- What does Jason’s father ask him to do, after taking the car to the garage for inspection?
- Why is Jason late? What reason does he give his father?
- Why does his father choose to walk home after he discovers that Jason lied?
- How does Jason feel about his father’s decision to walk all the way home? Explain your answer.
- What does Jason learn from this experience?
Teachers’ notes *“A Long Walk Home”, a story of around 450 words, is set in Spain. Before asking students to read the story, teachers might like to draw their attention to the fact that the car is an important means of transportation in the country and that it is common practice that families take their cars regularly to servicing stations for maintenance. *The language is generally accessible but if appropriate, teachers might like to provide students with additional help through vocabulary activities and/or a glossary. *As students work through the questions, teachers might like to discuss interesting features of the story with them.
C. “The Fun They Had” by Isaac Asimov (available at: http://users.aber.ac.uk/dgc/funtheyhad.html)
- How do the children feel about the “real book” Tommy has found?
- Describe the characters of Maggie and Tommy. How does Tommy feel towards Maggie?
- Which part of paragraph 9 is meant to surprise readers?
- How does Maggie feel about her education?
- What contrast does the story make between education now and education in the future?
- We see the events of the story through the eyes of the children. Why do you think Asimov chose to tell it this way?
- What might surprise readers in the last paragraph?
- What do you think the message of the story is?
_Teachers’ notes *“The Fun They Had” is a sci-fi story of around 1150 words. Before they read it, students might be asked to share any sci-fi stories they have read, whether in English or Chinese. They might also be asked to consider what education will be like in 2157, which aspects they think might be better and which less fun.
- Vocabulary activities and/or a glossary may also be provided._
Story Resources
The following is a short list of story resources for further reading: Books:
- Simplified readers which come in different levels:
- Macmillan Readers
- Oxford Bookworms Library
- Penguin Longman Readers
- Collection of short stories for intermediate or advanced learners:
- Adkins, Alex and Shackleton, Mark (Eds.) (1989). Recollections. Surrey: Nelson.
- Royston, Mike. (Ed.) (2000). Tales in the Telling. Oxford: Heinemann New Windmills.
- Shackleton, Mark (Ed.) (1989). Further Recollections. Surrey: Nelson.
Websites:
- Modern short stories:
- www.merlynspen.org (a site with stories written by students)
- www.rong-chang.com/qa2/ (contains 100 free one-page English stories for ESL learners)
- www.short-funny-stories.com (for one interested in humorous stories)
- www.short-stories.co.uk (a wide range of stories of different types and lengths)
- www.shortstoryradio.com (a site where one can listen to short stories)
- www.storiesmania.net/community/ (contains a wide range of stories and offers good examples of readers’ comments and responses to stories)
- Classic short stories:
- www.bnl.com/shorts/
- www.geocities.com/short_stories_page/
- www.literaturepage.com/category/stories.html
- www.readbookonline.net/
Part 2: Reading and writing specific aspects of a short
reading some notes when I suddenly felt someone was staring at me. I looked up to see who it was and saw a boy of about my age with his eyes fixed on me from down the bus. When he realised I had noticed him, he quickly looked down.
(Further types could be a diary entry, a narration by an observant fellow- passenger, memories of an old man about how his friend met his future wife and so on.)
Activity Produce a simple story outline following the examples given above or in any capacity of a writer you can think of.
Lessons 11-12: Creating setting (please refer to SoWs pp.16-17)
- It is important for a writer to create a suitable setting as it helps to set the scene for the development of the story and make it appealing to the readers. Making use of the example of the simple story outline illustrated in the previous lesson (e.g. boy sees girl and falls in love), a number of settings can be created. In fact, the love story could happen in any part of the world, at any time of human history, and might even be set in another world or in another galaxy. Read the following example as an illustration of a historical setting.
Spring was in full blossom. The air was scented with flowers and small puffs of cloud floated along gently through the blue sky. Chung was leading his horse along the street when he looked up and saw just for a moment a face he could never forget.
- To add to the effect of your setting, you can make use of the five senses by thinking what you would see, hear, smell and possibly touch (which includes feel on the skin, sensations of heat and cold, etc.) and taste in a certain setting. These aspects are most typically represented by means of adjectives and adverbs as well as physical detail.
Activity 1
Read the following examples and discuss how the effect is created.
- It was hot. New York boiled. You could cook eggs on the sidewalk. I had to keep on brushing sweat out of my eyes. No amount of sweat could stop me from seeing what I saw next. A girl. The girl. My girl.
- The smell of salt, sea and fish filled the air in the bustling waterfront market as hawkers called out to passers-by about how fresh and cheap their goods were. Mei Ling was sitting quietly on her sampan mending her father’s net and watching the cat snooze, dreaming of victories over harbour rats daring to approach her boat.
Activity 2
Create a setting for the simple story outline you have been working on
Suggested answers: Activity 1
- The scene takes place on a hot day in the busy city of New York. The intensity of the heat is described in vivid sensory terms - the city “boiled” (touch) and one “could cook eggs on the sidewalk” (touch and taste). The sun is so strong that it blurs one’s vision, as the main character has to “keep on brushing sweat out of his eyes”. This hot, “sizzling” environment sets the scene for the emotional experience that the main character is about to encounter.
- The text presents a vivid seaside picture. The bustling fish market, with which the scene opens, is brought to life through images associated with smell (that of “salt, sea and fish”) and sound (hawkers calling out to passers-by). A more relaxed, restful atmosphere is, however, created as our attention is drawn to another part of the setting, where we see the main character, Mei Ling, quietly mending her father’s net and her cat soundly asleep. Altogether, this is a soothing scene where people and nature seem to co-exist in harmony – Mei Ling, the cat, the sea and the market.
Lessons 13-14: Establishing a character (please refer to SoWs pp. 16-17)
Activity 1 Read the following sample pieces of writing about character based on the simple story outline in Lesson 10: boy sees girls and falls in love. Discuss how they try to make the characters come alive. You might like to consider some of the following:
- description (of appearance)
- the way in which the story is told (e.g. by the author, by one of the characters in the story)
- context/setting
- actions
- feelings of others towards the character
- She was listening to music on a discman and her face had a dreamy expression. He wondered if she was listening to a favourite love song. Her hair was long and glossy. She was dressed in soft colours. Just then the passenger next to her wanted to leave and spoke to her. She turned and smiled sweetly and then moved to let the man pass.
- She reminded me of a bird, nervously looking around and constantly ready to fly off. She seemed unable to keep still. There was a lock of hair that kept on falling over her eyes and she had to flick it away every few minutes. Her voice was low. Although I could hear her friend as they chatted about school I could not catch her replies.
- He was in most ways a normal Hong Kong schoolboy, but when you looked again you saw that his eyes had a special sparkle of fun and his clothes were worn with a fashionable grace that broke no rules but made him smarter than most. He had a ball in a bag casually flung over his shoulder. He was not aware that I was watching him but he was carefully surveying the other passengers on the bus.
Suggest other ways that can be used to make a character interesting.
Activity 2 Produce a short piece of your own, possibly based on the story outline you worked on or any others to establish character for your story.
Activity 3 Read one or more of your classmates’ work and say what you learn about the character from what you have read and see if it agrees with the writer’s intention. Add some brief comments at the bottom of the piece of writing you read.
Lessons 15-16: Writing a dialogue (please refer to SoWs pp.
Activity 1 Read the following dialogues and share your views on what sort of character and setting you feel is established. You may also discuss if they are necessary to a story and what sort of stories they would contribute most to.
- “I do not have time to waste. Respond to my question at once,” my boss demanded. “Well…” “Well what?” he erupted. “Did you or did you not take the confidential file?” “Sort of…I didn’t mean… it wasn’t…” “Do you never finish sentences? You cannot half take something. Anyway my patience is over. I am calling the police,” he announced with determination. I could see he had already lost all interest in me and my story.
- “Now,” she smiled, “take a seat and let’s talk about it. Can I get you a cup of tea? You look awfully upset you know.” “It’s me son,” the old woman sobbed. “He’s gone. He ain’t at home.” “Could he have gone on a trip? Here take a tissue. Yes, have a good cry. It will be good for you,” she said holding out a packet of tissues. “No, he’s taken his clothes.”
- “I am leaving you.” “What?” he shrieked. “After all I have done for you? How can you go? Have you no sense of shame? I should have known you’d do this. For years I have put up with your stupid ideas knowing they’d get you into trouble one day.” “I wish you could just let me go and say goodbye gently.” “Never, you evil woman. My curses will follow you everywhere. How can you be so selfish? I need you to do the cooking and cleaning. I hope you die in misery in the streets. Never come back here. My door will be forever closed to you.” “Goodbye then and I wish you some happiness,” and so saying she walked out of the house of torment.
Activity 2 Write a dialogue/speech of your own. You may base your work on the simple story outline you have been working on, any others you think of or one of the following:
- a teenage boy tries to make friends with a teenage girl he has just
Peer Feedback Form on Writing a Dialogue/Speech
Tick the appropriate boxes and add comments in the ‘Comments’ box at the
end.
Needs Improveme nt
Satisfactor y
Well Done
Content
- The dialogue/speech is clear
- The dialogue/speech is relevant to the plot
- The dialogue/speech is interesting
- The dialogue/speech helps the reader to understand the character(s) better
- The dialogue/speech helps to create the setting of the scene in the reader’s mind
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Organisation
- The dialogue/speech is free of unnecessary details
- The ideas are connected to each other
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Language & Style
- (^) The dialogue/speech is natural
- (^) Grammar structures are used
accurately
- (^) Words and expressions are
appropriately used
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Comments
Activity 1 Many short stories have a theme (or even a number of themes). These can often be expressed as abstract nouns, e.g. loyalty, friendship, family values, despair, sportsmanship, romantic love, etc. Read and identify themes in the following story summaries and share your views with your classmates. Try to use some abstract nouns to express the themes.
- A man believes his best friend has stolen a much valued possession. He won’t listen to denials and ends the precious friendship. Years later he finds the missing item where it has been all these years. He is filled with regret.
- A spider tries to build a web but fails, tries again but the wind breaks it, tries again and succeeds.
Activity 2 Choose one of the following films and discuss with your classmates what themes they have identified and justify your views:
- Lord of the Rings
- Titanic
Activity 3 Try to produce some ideas for your module story to illustrate some themes or adapt your outline to make it appropriate for a particular theme of your choice.
Suggested answers: Activity 1
- trust, suspicion, forgiveness, regret
- perseverance Activity 2
- good versus evil, ambition, loyalty, bravery, home, trust, loyalty, etc.
- love, class, pride, bravery, nobility, etc.
Lessons 21-22: Writing opening and closing sentences (please refer to SoWs pp.18-19)
When constructing a story, you do not have to follow a strict chronological order of the events. You can make use of some interesting ways to open and close stories, such as the ones below, to attract your readers:
- speech starting in the middle of the action
- setting the scene
- startling the reader
- a proverb or saying
- a formula
- starting with the end of the story and working backwards
- ending at the beginning, coming full circle
- a summing up/a comment on the action
- a question
- a surprise
- a death/sunset
- the achievement of a goal (marriage, killing the dragon, overcoming the fear of seeing the dentist, the protagonist succeeding in speaking to the girl he admires, etc.)
Activity 1 Read the examples of opening and closing below and try to classify them according to the categories on the list above.
Examples based on the “ boy meets girl and falls in love” outline:
Opening sentences
- Do you believe in love at first sight?
- They say she had made a wish on a wishing star the night before. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I do know…
- It was one of those late October days when Hong Kong was one of the loveliest cities on earth.
Closing sentences
- Sadly, I never saw her again.
- Reader, I married him and he is sitting in the next room now.
- Well, the first move in the game has been made. The final outcome is yet unknown.
Some other examples:
Opening sentences
- Should he turn and look back at the island where he had spent the last five years? No, he wouldn’t! The future was before him.
- Have you ever met an alien?
- “Pride comes before a fall,” they say – and how true it is.
Closing sentences
