Less than $5 10th Grade Short Stories Activities (by price, low to high)

This is a sample station from my A Sound of Thunder Escape Room! The Escape Room includes 7 stations; this is the one that analyzes Bradbury's use of diction and syntax. Hopefully it will give you a taste of what the whole product is like! Please check it out in a separate listing.

Product Description:
Looking for a rich, thought-provoking short story assignment that engages students in literary analysis and Indigenous perspectives? This detailed assignment on Thomas King's "Borders" invites students to explore deep themes like identity, colonial borders, sovereignty, power dynamics, and media influence, all through an accessible and age-appropriate narrative.

🌍 Why This Resource Works:
This resource breaks down key literary elements (point of view, symbolism, narrative structure, etc.) while encouraging students to connect text to real-world issues like immigration, Indigenous rights, and government-imposed identity labels. It’s a perfect tool for building critical literacy and social awareness in your English Language Arts or Indigenous Studies classroom.

🎯 What's Included:
✅ A breakdown of 6 major literary elements and their significance in "Borders"
✅ Analysis of key themes like resistance, power structures, and liminality
✅ Prompts for student reflection and discussion
✅ Opportunities to integrate Indigenous worldviews and contemporary social issues
✅ Ready-to-use for Grades 9–12

✨ Perfect For:

• Grade 9–12 English or Literature classes
• Indigenous Studies and FNMI curriculum links
• Truth and Reconciliation discussions
• Cross-curricular links with Social Studies or Civics

📌 Bonus:
This resource pairs perfectly with inquiry-based learning and culturally responsive teaching. It's ideal for teachers who want to go beyond surface-level comprehension and guide students into meaningful analysis of Indigenous voices in literature.

This resource should accompany Walter Dean Myers's short story Sometimes a Dream Needs a Push. The story is not included but can be found in the book Flying Lessons and Other Stories.

This resource includes 5 worksheet pages in color for posting online and in b/w for easy printing. A presentation aligns with the worksheets and includes an answer key for vocabulary and short answer questions.

This resource has:

- a pre-reading journal prompt

- story vocabulary

- tiered reading questions

- a focus on the standard: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

- answer keys

This lesson should accompany the short story Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds. The story can be found in the anthology Fresh Ink.

This lesson focuses on making inferences and identifying themes. Students will provide and explain textual evidence that supports inferences and themes that they identify from the story.

This resource includes 6 slides for display at the front of the class and 2 student worksheet pages which come in color and b/w.

This resource should accompany the short story The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn by Kelly J. Baptist. The page numbers listed in this resource align with the book Flying Lessons and Other Stories. This resource includes 4 pages of both color and b/w worksheets which include a pre-reading journal question, tiered reading questions, vocabulary, and a focus on supporting analysis with textual evidence. A 10 page presentation accompanies the worksheets and includes an answer key.

This is a sensitive story. One of the tiered reading questions addresses coping strategies in times of grief. This question needs to be approached in an open, honest, non-judgmental way. If this is not the way you operate, skip this resource.

This resource should accompany the short story Secret Samantha by Tim Federle. This story can be found in the book Flying Lessons and Other Stories.

This resource includes five student worksheets in color and in b/w for printing. There is also a presentation to accompany the worksheets. The presentation and worksheets include a pre-reading journal entry, vocabulary from the story, tiered reading questions, and post-reading questions focused on a standard about determining the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text.

This resource should accompany Tim Tingle's short story Choctaw Bigfoot, Midnight in the Mountains. This resource includes 4 student worksheet pages in both color and b/w. There is also a 12 page presentation to accompany the worksheets. The presentation contains answer keys for vocabulary and short answer questions. You will also get an Easel reading quiz with this resource.

This resource includes:

- a pre-reading journal question

- story vocabulary

- tiered reading questions

- questions focused on ELA standard about point of view and its impact on suspense and humor

- an Easel reading quiz

This resource should accompany Meg Medina's short story Sol Painting, Inc. This short story can be found in the book Flying Lessons and Other Stories, which is an amazing compilation of short stories by diverse authors about diverse characters. This resource includes a 12 page presentation and 6 student worksheets. The worksheets and presentation include a pre-reading journal entry, a focus on theme and central idea (which I teach as two separate things), vocabulary using context clues, tiered reading questions, and post-reading questions regarding the story's themes and central idea. The worksheets come in a colored version for posting online and a b/w version for printing.

This resource defines theme as the message, lesson, or moral of the story. Central idea is defined as what the story is all about- a single sentence which unifies all elements of the story.

This product will allow your students to easily understand and analyze Sara Teasdale's "There Will Come Soft Rains" by breaking it down line-by-line!

Instruct your students to fold the paper in half the long way, and to cut along the black lines into the midline of the paper. They will end up with a long, skinny version of the poem on the front of the flaps, and analysis question inside.

As they read the poem, they will peel back the flap to reveal questions that ask them to analyze the poem for word choice, author’s purpose, syntax, mood, repetition, alliteration, personification, and theme. I've included a suggested answer key for your convenience. Please ask if you have any questions!

This is a 10-question quiz for Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder". This text-based quiz asks about symbolism, characterization, elements of suspense, figurative language, syntax, and foreshadowing. An answer key is included for your convenience!

This engaging assignment asks students to think critically about the events detailed by an unreliable narrator in Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart. Did the old man truly have no inkling of the narrator's hatred of him? Did the police officers really "chat pleasantly" as they interrogated the increasingly agitated man?

In the assignment, students must consider these questions and more, then write a short narrative through the perspective of either the old man or a police officer at the scene. The assignment is fun but more importantly, it leads to sophisticated discussion about the concept of an unreliable narrator. This is a perfect supplement for any unit on Edgar Allan Poe!

Product Includes:

• Comprehensive Directions
• Scoring Guide

This activity is included in a full-length lesson plan: Unreliable Narrator of "The Tell-Tale Heart" Lesson Plan

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Check out these great products to supplement your study of The Tell-Tale Heart:

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart Literature Guide

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart Anticipation Guide and Lesson Plan

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart Figurative Language Challenge Activity

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart/The Black Cat Compare Contrast Essay

More resources to round out your Edgar Allan Poe unit:

⭐ Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe PowerPoint

⭐ Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe Scavenger Hunt

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Bell Ringer Journal Prompts

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Crossword Puzzle

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Brochure

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe's Obituary

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Quote Posters

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Resource Bundle

But why stop with one story? We have enough Edgar Allan Poe resources to frighten your students for months!

⭐ The Raven Literature Guide

⭐ The Black Cat Literature Guide

⭐ The Pit and the Pendulum Literature Guide

⭐ The Masque of the Red Death Literature Guide

⭐ The Cask of Amontillado Literature Guide

⭐ The Fall of the House of Usher Literature Guide

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Short Story BUNDLE

_______________________________________________________________________________________

⭐ Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence⭐

This is a fun, engaging mini-project in which students act as newspaper staff writer and illustrator for Poe's most gruesome tales, The Tell-Tale Heart and The Black Cat. The project is differentiated for multiple learning styles and is a fun way to bring the stories of Edgar Allan Poe to life! I recommend giving this assignment after reading both stories as close to Halloween as possible. This assignment works just as well in class as it does for homework.

Product Includes:

• Comprehensive project directions
• Scoring Guide

________________________________________________________________________

Check out these great products to supplement your study of The Tell-Tale Heart and The Black Cat:

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart Literature Guide

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart Anticipation Guide and Lesson Plan

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart Figurative Language Challenge Activity

⭐ Unreliable Narrator of The Tell-Tale Heart Lesson Plan

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart/The Black Cat Compare Contrast Essay

⭐ The Black Cat Literature Guide

⭐ The Black Cat ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Unreliable Narrator of The Black Cat Lesson Plan

More resources to round out your Edgar Allan Poe unit:

⭐ Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe PowerPoint

⭐ Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe Scavenger Hunt

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Bell Ringer Journal Prompts

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Crossword Puzzle

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Brochure

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe's Obituary

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Quote Posters

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Resource Bundle

But why stop with these stories? We have enough Edgar Allan Poe resources to frighten your students for months!

⭐ The Raven Literature Guide

⭐ The Pit and the Pendulum Literature Guide

⭐ The Cask of Amontillado Literature Guide

⭐ The Fall of the House of Usher Literature Guide

⭐ The Masque of the Red Death Literature Guide

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Short Story BUNDLE

________________________________________________________________________

Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

This resource features an anticipation guide for O. Henry's ironic tale of love and sacrifice, "The Gift of the Magi", and a meticulously-explained lesson plan that I believe is the absolute best way to approach a new story. Using a non-intimidating method called "Numbered Heads", this activity will get your students thinking, writing, conversing, and reporting about themes you will be encountering during your study of "The Gift of the Magi" and your overall short story unit. I am confident that your students will enjoy this thoughtful, engaging activity and beg you to begin reading the classic story this holidayseason.

Product Includes:

- 2 Page Anticipation Guide with 7 Debate Statements

- "Numbered Heads" Lesson Plan

______________________________________________________________________________________

Also, check out these resources to round our your unit on The Gift of the Magi:

⭐ The Gift of the Magi ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ The Gift of the Magi Socratic Seminar Materials

⭐ The Gift of the Magi & The Necklace Compare Contrast Essay

More great holiday products by Language Arts Excellence:

⭐ Christmas ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Christmas Poetry ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ A Christmas Carol ESCAPE ROOM

⭐‘Twas the Night Before Christmas Figurative Language Lesson Plan

⭐ The Little Match Girl Sensory Details Lesson Plan

⭐"Christmas Talk" Lesson Plan

⭐Figurative Language in Christmas Songs Task Cards

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

This resource features an anticipation guide for Edgar Allan Poe's chilling tale of murder and mutilation, The Tell-Tale Heart, and a meticulously-explained lesson plan that I believe is the absolute best way to approach a new story. Using a non-intimidating method called "Numbered Heads", this activity will get your students thinking, writing, conversing, and reporting about themes you will be encountering during your study of The Tell-Tale Heart and your overall Poe unit. This lesson is particularly useful for Poe's tale which can be difficult for students to understand at first, thus going in with knowledge of themes will help them connect. I am confident that your students will enjoy this thoughtful, engaging activity and beg you to begin reading one of the most notoriously gruesome stories in American literature!

Product Includes:

• 2 Page Anticipation Guide with 7 Debate Statements
• "Numbered Heads" Lesson Plan

___________________________________________________________________________

Check out these great products to supplement your study of The Tell-Tale Heart:

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart Literature Guide

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart Figurative Language Challenge Activity

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart Human Tic Tac Toe Review Game

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart & The Black Cat Socratic Seminar Materials

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart/The Black Cat Compare Contrast Essay

More resources to round out your Edgar Allan Poe unit:

⭐ Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe PowerPoint

⭐ Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe Scavenger Hunt

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Bell Ringer Journal Prompts

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Brochure

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Quote Posters

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Resource Bundle

___________________________________________________________________________

Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

This MACBETH [PLAY PRESENTATIONS] resource provides 14 Slides, a major PROJECT and 2 worksheets, with black and white versions and it's editable! Lessons on the importance of tempered ambition, gender roles, the significance of children, and other topics are included. This resource will make teaching students themes and characterization through Shakespeare's phenomenal issues a lot more relatable and current. 10th - 12th Graders will love this piece through these activities. Check it out!

• Kids do content presentations and an essay. Yes, the heavy lifting while they learn from themselves and each other.

SUMMARY:

Set in medieval Scotland, Macbeth charts the prophetic rise to power and tragic downfall of general Macbeth. Already a successful soldier in King Duncan's army, Macbeth is informed by Three Witches that he is to become king. As part of the same prophecy, the Witches predict that future Scottish kings will be descended not from Macbeth but from his fellow army captain, Banquo. Macbeth, and his power-hungry wife - Lady Macbeth, is taken aback when King Duncan nominates his son Malcolm as his heir. Propelled by ambition, confusion, and greed, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth scheme to take the thrown and keep it...even if it means to murder the king.

This 10th - 12th grade canonized work allows students to delve into the importance of what happens when we don't check our ambitions. Can we be too ambitious? Can one person show both heroic and villainous sides at the same time?

This Product Includes:

1. 2 worksheet pages

2. 6 questions (great for group or sub work)

3. 12 PLAY PRESENTATION TOPICS

(with Instructions for students and teacher)

You may also appreciate:

• DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE [NOVEL PRESENTATIONS]
• THE METAMORPHOSIS [BUNDLE]
• THE MONKEY'S PAW [LESSON ACTIVITIES]
• EVERYMAN: A MORALITY PLAY [LESSON ACTIVITIES]
• ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS [BUNDLE]

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING ME ON THESE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS:

TheAngryTeacherBLOG

EMAIL LIST

INSTAGRAM

YOUTUBE

Facebook

Pinterest

TIKTOK

THREADS

Hey ANGRY TEACHER FAM,

I'm Richard Williams, The Angry Teacher. I've been teaching for 20+ Years , and have amassed quite a bit of knowledge to share. Please consider joining the Angry Teacher family; we'll enjoy having you in the fam!

Please consider checking out the other EDUCATIONAL materials and resources in my store.

Also, guys, remember that leaving REVIEWS is a way that TeachShare gives you credit on products! So let's do it!

Thanks for stopping by!

This resource features an engaging lesson plan for students to discuss symbols found within Kurt Vonnegut's dystopian short story, Harrison Bergeron. The gallery walk is an ideal technique to achieve 100% student engagement within your classroom in a non-intimidating way. It is a great lesson for administrator observations due to the high level of student engagement, physical movement around the classroom, and deep level of interaction with the text.

Resource Includes:

• Full-length CCSS-aligned lesson plan
• Student worksheet

___________________________________________________________________

Also, check out these great resources to complement your unit on Harrison Bergeron by Language Arts Excellence:

⭐ Harrison Bergeron Pre-Reading Activity

⭐ Harrison Bergeron ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Introduction to Dystopia Powerpoint

⭐ Escape from Dystopia ESCAPE ROOM

___________________________________________________________________

Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

This Arthur Miller The Crucible [DRAMA PRESENTATIONS] resource provides 17 Slides, a major PROJECT and 2 worksheets, with black and white versions. Lessons on the duality of man, money, reputation, secrecy, and other topics are included. This product will make teaching students themes and characterization through Miller's phenomenal issues a lot more relatable and current. 10th - 12th Graders will love this piece through these activities. Check it out!

SUMMARY:

Miller's The Crucible is a play set in 1692 during the Salem witch trials in colonial Massachusetts. The story revolves around a small Puritan community that becomes consumed by mass hysteria when a group of young girls claims to be possessed by witches. The play explores the destructive power of fear, mob mentality, and the consequences of fanaticism. As the play plays out, students will question if the young girls were witches or not?

This 10th - 12th grade canonized work allows students to delve into the powerful exploration of the human capacity for deception, cruelty, and the consequences of moral panic.

This Resource Includes:

1. 2 worksheet pages

2. 6 questions (great for group or sub work)

3. 12 DRAMA PRESENTATION TOPICS

(with Instructions for students and teacher)

You may also appreciate:

THE METAMORPHOSIS [BUNDLE]

THE MONKEY'S PAW [LESSON ACTIVITIES]

EVERYMAN: A MORALITY PLAY [LESSON ACTIVITIES]

ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS [BUNDLE]

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING ME ON THESE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS:

TheAngryTeacherBLOG

EMAIL LIST

INSTAGRAM

YOUTUBE

Facebook

Pinterest

TIKTOK

THREADS

Hey ANGRY TEACHER FAM,

I'm Richard Williams, The Angry Teacher. I've been teaching for 20+ Years , and have amassed quite a bit of knowledge to share. Please consider joining the Angry Teacher family; we'll enjoy having you in the fam!

Please consider checking out the other EDUCATIONAL materials and resources in my store.

Also, guys, remember that leaving REVIEWS is a way that TeachShare gives you credit on products! So let's do it!

Thanks for stopping by!

This resource features an anticipation guide for Roald Dahl's ironic tale of a scorned housewife, Lamb to the Slaughter, and a meticulously-explained lesson plan that I believe is the absolute best way to approach a new story. Using a non-intimidating method called "Numbered Heads", this activity will get your students thinking, writing, conversing, and reporting about themes you will be encountering during your study of Lamb to the Slaughter and your overall short story unit. I am confident that your students will enjoy this thoughtful, engaging activity and beg you to begin reading this creepy yet cheeky tale.

Product Includes:

• 2 Page Anticipation Guide with 7 Debate Statements
• "Numbered Heads" Lesson Plan

___________________________________________________________________________

Check out more great resources for your study of Lamb to the Slaughter by Language Arts Excellence:

⭐ Lamb to the Slaughter Literature Guide

⭐ Lamb to the Slaughter Escape Room
⭐ Lamb to the Slaughter & The Black Cat Compare Contrast Essay

⭐ Lamb to the Slaughter Activity Bundle

___________________________________________________________________________

Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

This EVERYMAN [DRAMA PRESENTATIONS] resource provides 17 Slides, a major PROJECT and 2 worksheets, with black and white versions. Lessons on the journey of man, possessions, faith, importance of family and friends, and other topics are included. This resource will make teaching students themes and characterization through this phenomenal classic a lot more relatable and current. 10th - 12th Graders will love this piece through these activities. Check it out!

SUMMARY:

God is angry that Man no longer respects and fears him as he should, so God sends Death to take Man on his final pilgrimage. When Death finds Everyman, he tries to weasel his way out of going on this journey. Everyman's excuses become the drama, but does Everyman learn in the end? Check it out!

This 10th - 12th grade canonized work allows students to naviga

This Resource Includes:

1. 2 worksheet pages

2. 6 questions (great for group or sub work)

3. 12 DRAMA PRESENTATION TOPICS

(with Instructions for students and teacher)

You may also appreciate:

THE METAMORPHOSIS [BUNDLE]

THE MONKEY'S PAW [LESSON ACTIVITIES]

EVERYMAN: A MORALITY PLAY [LESSON ACTIVITIES]

ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS [BUNDLE]

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING ME ON THESE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS:

TheAngryTeacherBLOG

EMAIL LIST

INSTAGRAM

YOUTUBE

Facebook

Pinterest

TIKTOK

THREADS

Hey ANGRY TEACHER FAM,

I'm Richard Williams, The Angry Teacher. I've been teaching for 20+ Years , and have amassed quite a bit of knowledge to share. Please consider joining the Angry Teacher family; we'll enjoy having you in the fam!

Please consider checking out the other EDUCATIONAL materials and resources in my store.

Also, guys, remember that leaving REVIEWS is a way that TeachShare gives you credit on products! So let's do it!

Thanks for stopping by!

This resource features an anticipation guide for Edgar Allan Poe's chilling tale, "The Fall of the House of Usher," and a meticulously-explained lesson plan that I believe is the absolute best way to approach a new story. Using a non-intimidating method called "Numbered Heads", this activity will get your students thinking, writing, conversing, and reporting about themes you will be encountering during your study of The Fall of the House of Usher and your overall Poe unit. This lesson is particularly useful for Poe's tale which can be difficult for students to understand at first. I am confident that your students will enjoy this thoughtful, engaging activity and beg you to begin reading Poe's tale of the most haunted of houses!

Product Includes:

- 2 Page Anticipation Guide with 7 Debate Statements

- "Numbered Heads" Lesson Plan

___________________________________________________________________________

This product is in included in The Fall of the House of Usher Literature Guide by Language Arts Excellence.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Check out these great products to supplement your study of The Fall of the House of Usher:

⭐ The Fall of the House of Usher ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ The Fall of the House of Usher Socratic Seminar

More resources to round out your Edgar Allan Poe unit:

⭐ Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe PowerPoint

⭐ Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe Scavenger Hunt

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Bell Ringer Journal Prompts

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Crossword Puzzle

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Compare Contrast Essay

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Brochure

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Socratic Seminar Materials

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Unit Test

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe's Obituary - Halloween Lesson Plan

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Quote Posters

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Resource Bundle

But why stop with one story? We have enough Edgar Allan Poe resources to frighten your students for months!

⭐ The Raven Literature Guide

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart Literature Guide

⭐ The Black Cat Literature Guide

⭐ The Pit and the Pendulum Literature Guide

⭐ The Masque of the Red Death Literature Guide

⭐ The Cask of Amontillado Literature Guide

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Short Story BUNDLE

___________________________________________________________________________

Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence