Teaching Comprehension and Literary Elements With Short Stories For Middle School Students

BUNDLE- THANK YOU MA’AM, SEVENTH GRADE AND THE LANDLADY

Teaching literary elements and comprehension with novels is great, but you can get the same benefits from teaching with short stories, and you can do it quicker while covering more material. This has great appeal for teachers who are short on time and have enormous expectations to cover literary standards.

Here’s my favorite short story! My students absolutely love it and the social/emotional lessons are incredible! Thank You, Ma’am by Langston Hughes. This version is paired with an amazing Ted Talk that ties in perfectly with the story.

STORY SYNOPSIS: A young boy, Roger, tries to steal a purse from an elderly lady, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. He gets more than he bargained for when she snatches him up and drags him to her house. Roger fully expects punishment, but rather Mrs. Jones feeds him and treats him respectfully, making him want to earn Mrs. Jones’s respect and do better.

THANK YOU, MA’AM DIGITAL WORKSHOP & TED TALK

TED TALK SUMMARY AND CONNECTION TO THANK YOU, MA’AM

Judge Victoria Pratt uses principles of fairness and procedural justice to show respect to the defendants who come before her. She believes when people are shown respect and dignity they are more likely to obey the law. Similarly, Mrs. Bates operates under these principles when dealing with Roger. Roger is so moved by this treatment that he does not try to steal Mrs. Jones’s purse when she leaves it unattended in the apartment, nor does he try to escape.

This digital workshop is NO PREP, SHARE AND GO!

In this digital short story workshop students can read (or listen to) Thank You, Ma’am by Langston Hughes and analyze conflict, theme, inference, plot, and character motivation while answering text-dependent questions and prompts using R.A.C.E. strategy, and completing engaging activities.

Here’s What You Will Get:

✔️ 22 text-dependent questions and prompts (CCSS)

✔️ Pre-reading Activity: Personal connection and building background knowledge

✔️ ACTIVITY: Trace the theme through conflict and resolution

✔️Link to text

✔️ Audio narration

✔️ Informational slides for:

Conflict
Theme
R.A.C.E.

✔️ EXTENDED THINKING ACTIVITIES

Pygmalion Effect: ( Pygmalion effect is the theory that high expectations lead to improved performance) Students relate this effect to Mrs. Jones’s treatment of Roger

Video
2 Prompts
TED Talk: How Judges Can Show Respect – Students relate the effects of how both Judge Pratt and Mrs. Jones use principles of fairness to treat people mercifully and respectfully. (Watch this Ted Talk video linked in the description to make sure it is appropriate for your students. There is a version of this workshop available that does not include this activity. This link is also available in the description)
- 4 questions
- Video link
- Sample answers