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#1869. Short Story Motivator

Literature, level: Senior
Posted Wed Jul 26 09:51:19 PDT 2000 by Cynthia Charlton (cindyc_97@yahoo.com).
Freeman High School, Richmond,VA
Materials Required: Short Story Map, overhead or chalkboard, and video of a sitcom
Activity Time: 45 minutes
Concepts Taught: Short Story

I've found that my students are motivated more through visual learning than the typical lecturing and reading a short story aloud. A friend of mine helped me out with this my first year of teaching. Record a sitcom on television, be it "Happy Days," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," or some other TV show. Explain to your students that a sitcom follows the same plot format as a short story. Have students fill in a short story map as they watch the program. After watching, discuss the TV show and do a map on the board or overhead with them. That way, all of your students' thoughts are recorded.