Free 6th Grade Short Stories Lesson Plan (English)

Topic: The Importance of Short Stories

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will understand the importance of short stories in their lives and the lives of other people.

Materials

• Short stories from various sources
• Writing paper and pen/pencils for each student

Warm-up

• Ask the students if they have ever read a short story before.
• Ask them to share their experiences with the class.
• Ask the students to brainstorm what they think a short story is and what it is about.
• Write the students' ideas on the board.

Direct Instruction

• Explain that a short story is a fictional narrative that is shorter than a novel.
• Distribute the handouts with the descriptions of the short stories.
• Have the students read the descriptions and discuss what they expect from each story.
• Ask the students to note any themes or elements that appear in more than one story.

Guided Practice

• Divide the students into small groups and give each group one of the short stories.
• Have the students read the story and discuss what they think will happen next.
• Encourage the students to use the themes and elements they noticed in the other stories to help them predict the outcome of their chosen story.
• Allow time for the students to write a brief summary of the story they have read.

Independent Practice

• Have the students choose a short story from the list that they have not already read and write a short essay analyzing the role of the themes and elements in the story. Encourage the students to use specific examples from the story to support their analysis.

Closure

• Have the students share their essays with the class and discuss the themes and elements as they relate to the story.

Assessment

• Observe students during independent practice to ensure that they are accurately identifying and describing the major themes and elements of their chosen stories.
• Collect and grade their essays for completion and accuracy.