Middle School Short Stories Homework (by date, latest first)

Craft the ultimate narrative writing journey for your students with our Seasonal Narrative Writing Bundle! This comprehensive collection is designed to spark creativity and enhance writing skills across grades 4-6 throughout the year. Each season brings a unique set of picture prompts that invite students into worlds of imagination, exploration, and storytelling.

Spring Picture Prompts: Dive into the renewal and wonders of spring with our Spring Picture Prompts resource. It features 23 engaging slides that guide students through the elements of a plot diagram, the importance of showing vs. telling, and offers 10 unique, spring-inspired photo prompts. Each image is paired with a comprehensive writing guide to brainstorm settings, characters, and conflicts, cultivating well-structured stories that bloom like the season.

Summer Picture Prompts: Turn up the heat on narrative writing with our Summer Picture Prompts toolkit. This sun-drenched resource walks students through the narrative writing process with warmth and adventure as their backdrop. From mysterious summer camps to beach escapades, the 10 vibrant, summer-themed photo prompts are sure to ignite the spark of creativity. In-depth writing guides accompany each prompt, ensuring students can craft captivating stories under the summer sun.

Winter Holiday Narrative Essay Picture Prompts: Cozy up to the winter season with 10 Winter Holiday Narrative Essay Picture Prompts. This festive resource is perfect for inspiring stories of winter wonderlands, holiday adventures, and heartwarming family traditions. With a focus on narrative essays, this print-and-go package includes planners and engaging slides that help students capture the essence of the winter season in their writing.

Autumn Narrative Essay Picture Prompts: Fall into storytelling with our Autumn Narrative Essay Picture Prompts. This collection captures the essence of fall with 10 autumn-inspired photo prompts, from the mystical to the mundane. Accompanied by a planner and print-and-go slides, it provides a seamless transition into autumnal narratives, encouraging students to explore the rich colors, themes, and emotions of the season.

Narrative Essay Planning Guide with Engaging Picture Prompts: Lay the foundation for effective storytelling with our Narrative Essay Planning Guide. This essential resource is packed with engaging picture prompts that cover various themes and settings, making it a versatile tool for any narrative writing activity. It includes a planning guide to help students structure their stories, focusing on character development, setting, and plot, ensuring a deep and engaging writing experience.

This bundle offers a year-round solution to narrative writing, equipping educators with everything needed to foster creativity, enhance writing skills, and teach critical writing concepts in an engaging and adaptable format. Whether used for creative writing classes, homework assignments, or extension activities, these resources provide a gateway to imagination and critical thinking that will keep students engaged and excited about writing all year long.

Inspire your students to unleash their creativity with our Spring Picture Prompts narrative writing resource! Designed specifically for 4th to 6th graders, this dynamic tool walks students through every step of the writing process using the beauty and renewal of spring as a backdrop. From St. Patrick's Day to the wonders of a spring park, each photo prompt is a doorway to imagination and storytelling.

What’s Inside:

• 23 Engaging Slides: A visual journey that introduces students to the elements of a plot diagram, the critical difference between showing vs. telling, and 10 unique, spring-inspired photo prompts.
• 10 Spring-Inspired Photo Prompts: Carefully selected images that capture the essence of spring, ready to spark creativity in young writers.
• Comprehensive Writing Guides: Each photo prompt is accompanied by a 2-page planning guide to help students brainstorm settings, characters, and conflicts, laying the foundation for well-structured stories.
• Show vs. Tell Examples: Clear, accessible examples to teach students how to bring their stories to life, making their writing more engaging and vivid.

Perfect For:

• ☑️ Creative Writing Classes
• ☑️ Choice Boards
• ☑️ Extension Activities
• ☑️ Writing Units
• ☑️ Homework Assignments

Why You'll Love It:

• ☑️ Fosters Creativity: Encourages students to think creatively, developing unique narratives based on intriguing picture prompts.
• ☑️ Enhances Writing Skills: Guides students through the narrative writing process, from brainstorming to publishing, enhancing their writing skills.
• ☑️ Teaches Critical Writing Concepts: Offers a hands-on approach to understanding and applying key writing concepts like plot development and descriptive writing.
• ☑️ Flexible & Adaptable: Use it for a week-long writing project, a single class period, or as part of a larger unit. It’s designed to fit your needs!
• ☑️ Print & Go Convenience: Everything you need is at your fingertips, ready to be printed or shared digitally, saving you valuable preparation time.

Transform your classroom this spring with narratives that bloom as brightly as the season itself. Our Spring Picture Prompts resource is not just a set of activities; it's a gateway to imagination, critical thinking, and joyous writing. Whether you're diving into a creative writing unit, looking for a meaningful homework assignment, or seeking engaging extension activities, these picture prompts are your key to a vibrant writing experience.

Capture the essence of spring in your classroom. Add our Spring Picture Prompts to your teaching toolkit today and watch your students' writing flourish!

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 social emotional learning lesson uses Langston Hughes' short story Thank You, M'am. During this SEL lesson, students complete a pre-reading journal activity, read the short story (not included), answer questions related to the text, and contemplate the ways that they can build trust with the people in their lives. There is also an opportunity for whole class discussion regarding the idea of building trust.

This resource includes:

- a slides presentation to follow

- 3 worksheets: pre-reading, questions about trust in the text, and building trust reflection

- an answer sheet

Students care deeply about trust. They want to be trusted, but they don't always understand how their actions contribute to their trustworthiness. This lesson encourages students to think about how they can build trust with the people in their lives, and makes them think about what they might receive in return for demonstrating their trustworthiness. Students will think about the ways Roger showed that he was untrustworthy, the things he did to gain Mrs. Jones' trust back, and what he ended up receiving for demonstrating that he was trustworthy.

**Now with newly added material!**

This resource features a bundle of all of our best-selling lesson plans, materials, and activities for your unit on the Master of Suspense, Edgar Allan Poe. Resources perfectly complement any of Poe's twisted tales and can be used to introduce the unit (like the Scavenger Hunt and PowerPoint), throughout the unit (Bell Ringers and the Obituary Project), as a review (Escape Room, Brochure, Human Tic Tac Toe Game), and even to decorate your classroom (Quote Posters). Each product is thoughtfully crafted and inspires students to delve deeply into Edgar Allan Poe's life and works. Lessons have all been classroom-tested and allow for differentiation while encouraging optimal student engagement. You will not find tedious lists of comprehension questions and vocabulary words in this bundle; instead you will find materials that will make Edgar Allan Poe relevant in the eyes of your students and bring the Father of Horror back to life!

Included in this Bundle:

⭐ Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe PowerPoint

This product features a highly-engaging introductory PowerPoint Presentation for the Father of Horror himself, Edgar Allan Poe. A unit of study on Poe is not complete without learning the gory and heartbreaking details of his life and what made him into the master poet and writer whom we continue to marvel at today. This 20-slide powerpoint runs through his tragic family life and childhood, relationships, early occupations (before he was the Poe that you know), synopses of some of his most famous works, death theories, and current pop culture references. It concludes with a 10 question quiz to see how well students listened... and trust me, they will be hanging on your every word! This powerpoint encourages class participation, is fully editable to suit your class' needs, and lasts about 30-40 minutes to run through. I suggest presenting this on the very first day of your unit on Edgar Allan Poe. Enjoy and let the horror begin!

⭐ Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe Scavenger Hunt

This resource features a comprehensive introduction to the life and times of Edgar Allan Poe. Students will be shocked to learn some of the gruesome details of his life. The scavenger hunt includes 15 questions about Poe, a full answer key, and links for credible websites to use to find the information.

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Bell Ringer Journal Prompts

This resource features a set of 20 reader response journal prompts for use during your unit on Edgar Allan Poe. Each bell ringer is comprised of a quote from the Master of Suspense himself and a thoughtfully crafted question that encourages students to personally connect and appreciate the timelessness of his musings. Prompts can be used as bell-ringers (most popular and mean the first 5 minutes of every class for more than a month are planned for you!), exit tickets, stations, full class or small group discussion questions, for homework, task cards, sub plans, as a filler activity… the possibilities are endless!

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe ESCAPE ROOM

Get ready to have the most fun you'll have teaching with a lesson that your students will be talking about for years to come with the Edgar Allan Poe ESCAPE ROOM! There is no wonder why escape rooms are so popular; they are highly engaging and encourage people to work together and think creatively in order to solve different puzzles... all while trying to beat the clock! This meticulously-crafted resource features all of the materials you need to conduct a full-length Escape Room on the Father of Horror himself. Planning an escape room may seem like quite the daunting task, but this product provides everything from the basics and set-up instructions to signs and answer keys so that yours runs smoothly from start to finish. The activity involves movement, energy, creative thinking and most of all, collaboration. Your students will be having so much fun that they won’t even realize the higher order thinking skills they are applying in the playing of this game!

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Brochure - Final Project

This product features an engaging final project that meaningfully incorporates technology in a culmination of your unit on Edgar Allan Poe. For this final assignment, students will showcase their knowledge of Edgar Allan Poe, his works, and his life by creating brochures using Microsoft Word. Students will love the chance to practice using technology with this project as opposed to writing the same-old same-old essay and if they are like my students, will not even realize how much research and writing they are actually doing!

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe's Obituary - Halloween Lesson Plan

This product features an engaging activity that will fit in perfectly with your unit on Edgar Allan Poe or on Halloween. Students get the chance to create the epitaph for the gravestone of one of the most revered authors in American literature. The activity encourages students to be thoughtful with their knowledge of Poe but also to be creative with their inscriptions. This can be done in or outside of class and also works as a great emergency substitute plan during the month of October. To be festive, I love to give this assignment on the anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe's actual death day, October 7.

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Human Tic Tac Toe Review Game - newly added material!

This resource features a lesson plan and materials for the Human Tic Tac Toe Review Game, an engaging and competitive way to review the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe. Let's face it, review days can be boring for both teachers and students, so liven them up with this collaborative game. The resource includes not only a meticulously detailed lesson plan and set-up instructions, but 25 questions on the Master of Suspense. Besides simple set-up, very little preparation is needed for this lesson and if your students are like mine, they will ask for this form of review for every unit of study!

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Quote Posters

Make your classroom pop with this set of 25 beautifully-made posters featuring quotes from Edgar Allan Poe. Each 7.5 x 7.5 (square) PDF poster contains a noteworthy Poe quote imposed over a stunning photograph that will spruce up your ELA classroom, especially during Halloween. The square format is reminiscent of Instagram and makes for an eye-catching arrangement on your wall or bulletin board. I suggest laminating the posters and using them not just during your Edgar Allan Poe unit, but all year long.

By purchasing these great resources as a bundle, you save 20% off the cover price of all materials!

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Looking for something more specific? We have enough Edgar Allan Poe literature guides 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 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

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⭐Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence⭐

**Now with newly added material!**

This resource features a bundle of all of our lesson plans, materials, and activities for the study of Shirley Jackson's shocking tale of tradition gone wrong, The Lottery. The numerous activities as well as full-length lesson plans provide an excellent basis for comprehension and vocabulary acquisition for the short story and encourage students to think critically about literary elements, theme, and symbolism. An Introduction to Dystopia Powerpoint and Crossword Puzzle helps to set the groundwork for the dystopian tale. Social media activities will encourage your students to bring the story to modern day and all the materials needed for a formal set of Socratic Seminars are included to ensure deep thinking and close reading of the text. A full answer key is provided along with student-tested lesson plans to help guide you through teaching the story. We have now also included the wildly popular Escape Room with tasks on characters, vocabulary, plot, quotes, and literary elements of the story - perfect for a review before the final test. The wide range of lessons in this unit will keep your students engaged from start to finish and help them to gain a deep understanding of one of the most controversial tales of American literature.

Product Includes:

• Introduction to Dystopia Powerpoint & Crossword
• "Tossing Lines" pre-reading activity
• Lesson plan for reading the story
• Comprehension questions
• Vocabulary worksheet
• Literary elements chart
• The Lottery Theme Jigsaw Lesson Plan
• Socratic Seminar lesson plan and materials
• Escape Room
• The Lottery "Silent Conversation" Quote Pass Activity
• Social Media materials and lesson plan
• Dystopia Quote Posters - newly added!
• Complete teacher's key
• Bonus: Symbolism Worksheet and Lesson Plan included for free!**

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Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

This digital resource features a comprehensive list of questions to introduce the life and times of Edgar Allan Poe. Students will be shocked to learn some of the gruesome details of his life. This resource works great as homework prior to beginning your Poe unit or can be done in the classroom with computer access. As a Google Apps document, this resource is made with distance learning in mind and is therefore completely paperless.

Resource includes:

• 15 questions about Edgar Allan Poe on Google slides
• Full answer key
• List of credible websites for students to explore when looking for answers

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More resources to round out your Edgar Allan Poe unit:

⭐ Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe Scavenger Hunt (paper version)

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Digital Bell Ringer Journal Prompts

⭐ Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe PowerPoint

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Crossword Puzzle

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Brochure

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe's Obituary

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Human Tic Tac Toe Review Game

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Quote Posters

Chilling literature guides 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

⭐ The Fall of the House of Usher Literature Guide

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Short Story BUNDLE

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Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

This resource features a meticulous lesson plan for reading the story, comprehension questions, a literary elements chart, a vocabulary worksheet, and comprehensive answer keys for Shirley Jackson's chilling tale of a small town, The Lottery. Materials encourage students to examine the text closely and make inferences based on their observations. Each resource is meant to enhance your students' understanding of the story so that you can really dive into the deep stuff! This product is suitable for inside or outside of class and can also function as an emergency substitute plan.

Product Includes:

• Comprehensive Lesson Plan for Reading the Story
• Comprehension Questions
• Literary Elements Chart
• Vocabulary Worksheet
• Answer Keys for all Components

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

⭐Introduction to Dystopia Powerpoint Presentation

⭐ The Lottery "Tossing Lines" Pre-Reading Activity

⭐ The Lottery Social Media Activities

⭐ The Lottery ESCAPE ROOM

⭐The Lottery Socratic Seminar Lesson Plan & Materials

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Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

This resource features a comprehensive list of questions to introduce the life and times of Edgar Allan Poe. Students will be shocked to learn some of the gruesome details of his life. This resource works great as homework prior to beginning your Poe unit or can be done in the classroom with computer access.

Resource includes:

• 15 questions about Edgar Allan Poe
• Full answer key
• List of credible websites for students to explore when looking for answers

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We've gone digital! Check out our paperless version to support distance learning:

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Digital Scavenger Hunt

Save 20% off this resource when you purchase as part of a bundle of Edgar Allan Poe products:

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Resource Bundle

More resources to round out your Edgar Allan Poe unit:

⭐ Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe PowerPoint

⭐ 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 Human Tic Tac Toe Review Game

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Quote Posters

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Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

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

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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

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⭐ Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence⭐

This is a sample of a twenty story set that can be found at:

https://www.TeachShare.com/Product/Ontario-Grade-6-20-Young-Immigrant-Journeys-1600-1900-12400978

The entire set includes:

• 20 Engaging Stories with images: Immerse your students in the lives of young immigrants from diverse backgrounds, including French, Scottish, German, Irish, Chinese, Icelandic, Ukrainian, Acadian, Black Loyalist, and British.

• Historical Accuracy: Each story is meticulously researched to ensure historical accuracy, providing a rich and authentic learning experience.

• Differentiated Instruction: The stories are written in clear, accessible language suitable for Grade 6 reading levels, with opportunities for differentiated instruction.

• Cross-Curricular Connections: These stories connect to various subjects, including social studies, language arts, and even art, providing a holistic learning experience.

• Discussion Questions: Thought-provoking discussion questions are included for each story to encourage critical thinking and classroom engagement.

• Project Ideas: Inspire your students with 10 creative project ideas, ranging from digital storytelling to family history research, to deepen their understanding of immigration.

• Vocabulary List: A vocabulary list with definitions is provided to enhance students' understanding of key terms related to immigration and Canadian history.