Really Short Short Stories Bundle: Time-Fillers for High School

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No matter how well high school English teachers plan lessons, awkward gaps in the schedule are inevitable. Manage these gaps more comfortably with this bundle of time-filler resources: ten really short short stories, ten reading comprehension assessments, and ten close reading analysis worksheets. (Answer keys are provided.) The variety of resources helps educators adapt to the duration of gaps, as the comprehension quizzes serve as quick checks of knowledge and the close reading analysis activities require more time to think critically.

The following texts, in order of length, are featured:

  • "The Buckwheat" by Hans Christian Andersen (693 words). This is a cautionary tale about the consequences of hubris.

  • "What the Moon Brings" by H.P. Lovecraft (720 words). This is a brief, yet compelling short story that features elements consistent with the fantasy genre: a bizarre dreamscape, an anxious narrator, and the discovery of an underwater city.

  • "The Elves and the Shoemaker" by the Brothers Grimm (734 words). This is a fairy tale about the positive effects of doing good deeds for others.

  • "Home" by Gwendolyn Brooks (747 words). This is a short story about a family facing the prospect of losing their house and everything the house symbolizes.

  • "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros (1,191 words). This is a coming-of-age short story involving a girl who, for the first time, experiences public marginalization and must learn to navigate an unjust world.

  • "The Sea Hare" by the Brothers Grimm (1,307 words). This is a short story about characters who defy expectations in order to achieve personal goals.

  • "Geraldine Moore the Poet" by Toni Cade Bambara (1,637 words). This short story features a young woman with unfavorable life circumstances who is on the verge of an important self-discovery: that she has a natural talent for expressing herself poetically.

  • "The Sphinx" by Edgar Allan Poe (1,828 words). This short story features plot elements consistent with the horror and psychological fiction genres: a cholera epidemic, social isolation, omens, fear of death, and more.

  • "An Hour with Abuelo" by Judith Ortiz Cofer (1,886 words). This is a coming-of-age short story involving an intelligent teenager whose youthful determination and stubbornness keep him from learning an important lesson about controlling one's destiny—that is, until an hour-long meeting with his grandfather.

  • "The Colomber" by Dino Buzzati (2,129 words). This is a short story representing the magical realism genre in which a sailor's son is said to have a type of shark stalking him throughout his life.

The reading comprehension quizzes and close reading analysis activities complement each of the abovementioned narratives. Although the term time-filler is not typically associated with academic rigor, resources in this bundle prompt students to perform the following tasks:

  • Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly

  • Isolate the inciting incident of a story

  • Define complex words and phrases as they are used in the text

  • Explore nuances in words with similar meanings

  • Determine the functions of particular excerpts

  • Discern the tone of particular excerpts

  • Examine how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact

  • Compare and contrast characters

  • Explore how point of view affects the readers' perceptions

  • Apply knowledge of literary devices including symbolism, simile, metaphor, verbal irony, dramatic irony, situational irony, and more

  • Explore themes in literature

  • Make predictions based on context clues provided by the author

  • Defend claims with valid reasoning and relevant textual evidence

  • Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision

  • Come to class/leave class better prepared to discuss literary materials

Consider placing some of these materials in an emergency lesson plan folder in the event of an unexpected absence. To facilitate the sub planning process, the following items are also included for free:

  • A brief welcome note for substitutes

  • An essential information reference page on which classroom teachers identify their daily schedules, points of contact, general classroom policies, emergency procedures, and more

  • A structured lesson plan template to ensure lessons are carried out successfully

Materials are delivered in zip files containing both Word Document and PDF versions. (Alternatively, a Google Drive option is available.)

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No matter how well high school English teachers plan lessons, awkward gaps in the schedule are inevitable. Manage these gaps more comfortably with this bundle of time-filler resources: ten really short short stories, ten reading comprehension assessments, and ten close reading analysis worksheets. (Answer keys are provided.) The variety of resources helps educators adapt to the duration of gaps, as the comprehension quizzes serve as quick checks of knowledge and the close reading analysis activities require more time to think critically.

The following texts, in order of length, are featured:

  • "The Buckwheat" by Hans Christian Andersen (693 words). This is a cautionary tale about the consequences of hubris.

  • "What the Moon Brings" by H.P. Lovecraft (720 words). This is a brief, yet compelling short story that features elements consistent with the fantasy genre: a bizarre dreamscape, an anxious narrator, and the discovery of an underwater city.

  • "The Elves and the Shoemaker" by the Brothers Grimm (734 words). This is a fairy tale about the positive effects of doing good deeds for others.

  • "Home" by Gwendolyn Brooks (747 words). This is a short story about a family facing the prospect of losing their house and everything the house symbolizes.

  • "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros (1,191 words). This is a coming-of-age short story involving a girl who, for the first time, experiences public marginalization and must learn to navigate an unjust world.

  • "The Sea Hare" by the Brothers Grimm (1,307 words). This is a short story about characters who defy expectations in order to achieve personal goals.

  • "Geraldine Moore the Poet" by Toni Cade Bambara (1,637 words). This short story features a young woman with unfavorable life circumstances who is on the verge of an important self-discovery: that she has a natural talent for expressing herself poetically.

  • "The Sphinx" by Edgar Allan Poe (1,828 words). This short story features plot elements consistent with the horror and psychological fiction genres: a cholera epidemic, social isolation, omens, fear of death, and more.

  • "An Hour with Abuelo" by Judith Ortiz Cofer (1,886 words). This is a coming-of-age short story involving an intelligent teenager whose youthful determination and stubbornness keep him from learning an important lesson about controlling one's destiny—that is, until an hour-long meeting with his grandfather.

  • "The Colomber" by Dino Buzzati (2,129 words). This is a short story representing the magical realism genre in which a sailor's son is said to have a type of shark stalking him throughout his life.

The reading comprehension quizzes and close reading analysis activities complement each of the abovementioned narratives. Although the term time-filler is not typically associated with academic rigor, resources in this bundle prompt students to perform the following tasks:

  • Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly

  • Isolate the inciting incident of a story

  • Define complex words and phrases as they are used in the text

  • Explore nuances in words with similar meanings

  • Determine the functions of particular excerpts

  • Discern the tone of particular excerpts

  • Examine how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact

  • Compare and contrast characters

  • Explore how point of view affects the readers' perceptions

  • Apply knowledge of literary devices including symbolism, simile, metaphor, verbal irony, dramatic irony, situational irony, and more

  • Explore themes in literature

  • Make predictions based on context clues provided by the author

  • Defend claims with valid reasoning and relevant textual evidence

  • Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision

  • Come to class/leave class better prepared to discuss literary materials

Consider placing some of these materials in an emergency lesson plan folder in the event of an unexpected absence. To facilitate the sub planning process, the following items are also included for free:

  • A brief welcome note for substitutes

  • An essential information reference page on which classroom teachers identify their daily schedules, points of contact, general classroom policies, emergency procedures, and more

  • A structured lesson plan template to ensure lessons are carried out successfully

Materials are delivered in zip files containing both Word Document and PDF versions. (Alternatively, a Google Drive option is available.)

No matter how well high school English teachers plan lessons, awkward gaps in the schedule are inevitable. Manage these gaps more comfortably with this bundle of time-filler resources: ten really short short stories, ten reading comprehension assessments, and ten close reading analysis worksheets. (Answer keys are provided.) The variety of resources helps educators adapt to the duration of gaps, as the comprehension quizzes serve as quick checks of knowledge and the close reading analysis activities require more time to think critically.

The following texts, in order of length, are featured:

  • "The Buckwheat" by Hans Christian Andersen (693 words). This is a cautionary tale about the consequences of hubris.

  • "What the Moon Brings" by H.P. Lovecraft (720 words). This is a brief, yet compelling short story that features elements consistent with the fantasy genre: a bizarre dreamscape, an anxious narrator, and the discovery of an underwater city.

  • "The Elves and the Shoemaker" by the Brothers Grimm (734 words). This is a fairy tale about the positive effects of doing good deeds for others.

  • "Home" by Gwendolyn Brooks (747 words). This is a short story about a family facing the prospect of losing their house and everything the house symbolizes.

  • "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros (1,191 words). This is a coming-of-age short story involving a girl who, for the first time, experiences public marginalization and must learn to navigate an unjust world.

  • "The Sea Hare" by the Brothers Grimm (1,307 words). This is a short story about characters who defy expectations in order to achieve personal goals.

  • "Geraldine Moore the Poet" by Toni Cade Bambara (1,637 words). This short story features a young woman with unfavorable life circumstances who is on the verge of an important self-discovery: that she has a natural talent for expressing herself poetically.

  • "The Sphinx" by Edgar Allan Poe (1,828 words). This short story features plot elements consistent with the horror and psychological fiction genres: a cholera epidemic, social isolation, omens, fear of death, and more.

  • "An Hour with Abuelo" by Judith Ortiz Cofer (1,886 words). This is a coming-of-age short story involving an intelligent teenager whose youthful determination and stubbornness keep him from learning an important lesson about controlling one's destiny—that is, until an hour-long meeting with his grandfather.

  • "The Colomber" by Dino Buzzati (2,129 words). This is a short story representing the magical realism genre in which a sailor's son is said to have a type of shark stalking him throughout his life.

The reading comprehension quizzes and close reading analysis activities complement each of the abovementioned narratives. Although the term time-filler is not typically associated with academic rigor, resources in this bundle prompt students to perform the following tasks:

  • Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly

  • Isolate the inciting incident of a story

  • Define complex words and phrases as they are used in the text

  • Explore nuances in words with similar meanings

  • Determine the functions of particular excerpts

  • Discern the tone of particular excerpts

  • Examine how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact

  • Compare and contrast characters

  • Explore how point of view affects the readers' perceptions

  • Apply knowledge of literary devices including symbolism, simile, metaphor, verbal irony, dramatic irony, situational irony, and more

  • Explore themes in literature

  • Make predictions based on context clues provided by the author

  • Defend claims with valid reasoning and relevant textual evidence

  • Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision

  • Come to class/leave class better prepared to discuss literary materials

Consider placing some of these materials in an emergency lesson plan folder in the event of an unexpected absence. To facilitate the sub planning process, the following items are also included for free:

  • A brief welcome note for substitutes

  • An essential information reference page on which classroom teachers identify their daily schedules, points of contact, general classroom policies, emergency procedures, and more

  • A structured lesson plan template to ensure lessons are carried out successfully

Materials are delivered in zip files containing both Word Document and PDF versions. (Alternatively, a Google Drive option is available.)

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No matter how well high school English teachers plan lessons, awkward gaps in the schedule are inevitable. Manage these gaps more comfortably with this bundle of time-filler resources: ten really short short stories, ten reading comprehension assessments, and ten close reading analysis worksheets. (Answer keys are provided.) The variety of resources helps educators adapt to the duration of gaps, as the comprehension quizzes serve as quick checks of knowledge and the close reading analysis activities require more time to think critically.