Interpreting a short story

Students will study the literary genre of the short story and examine how, through writing, an author can comment directly/indirectly on our society as a whole. Hopefully, the students will develop an awareness of the problems/concerns facing our society and an appreciation of how a skilled writer can mirror society's ills and sometimes offer solutions for the problems that plague us.

A lesson plan for grade 8 English Language Arts

By Regina Johnson

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Related topics

• Learn more about Langston Hughes, analysis, character traits, language arts, literature, role playing, and stories.

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• predict what will happen next in a story.
• act out a scene from the story, experimenting with different roles.
• discuss/evaluate scene and outcome.
• relate the problem of the main character to problems faced by some members of our society.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

90 Minutes

Materials/resources

The short story entitled “Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes

Pre-activities

Phase I: Warm-up the group

• Ask students, “Do you recall reading the article about a problem being experienced in some middle schools? Pupils wear uniforms in an attempt to thwart school violence. Some students had been attacked by others because of the type of tennis shoes or jackets worn. Youngsters who did not have the “in” items were assaulting and stealing from their classmates. Sometimes it is difficult not to have what others have.”
• Have students discuss the article and share feelings about what is taking place in some schools.
• Tell students, “We are going to read a story today entitled ‘Thank You, M’am;’ by Langston Hughes. It is about a boy who wants things that he doesn’t have. We will also discuss possible endings for the story.”
  • “Thank You, M’am” is the story of an adolescent named Roger who attempts to steal a lady’s pocketbook. Mrs. Louella Bates Washington Jones, the lady from whom Roger tries to steal, does the unexpected. She kicked him “right in his blue-jeaned sitter”, and she “shook him until his teeth rattled.” Mrs. Jones took Roger to her home where she tried to teach him about “wanting things he could not get”.
• After reading the story, the teacher will focus the discussion on what might happen next in the episode.
  • What do you think Roger will do next?
  • Do you think Mrs. Jones successfully taught Roger that stealing is wrong?
  • Do you think that Mrs. Jones has influenced Roger’s life in a positive way?
  • Do you think that Roger will lead a “straight” life in the future?

Activities

Phase II: Selecting the Participants

Ask students to describe the characters from the story and tell what they are like, how they feel, and what they might do next. Make sure that the students understand that Roger and Mrs. Jones are the main characters; people on the street who witnessed the attempted theft are minor characters. Have students volunteer for the roles.

Phase III: Creating the line of action

The stage has been set. The role players outline the scene, but they don’t prepare dialogue. A section of the classroom becomes the street where Roger attempted to steal from Mrs. Jones. Another corner of the classroom becomes the home of Mrs. Jones, where she talks to Roger, attempting to teach him that stealing is wrong. The student playing Roger decides where in the action he wants to begin.

Phase IV: Preparing the observers

Now different jobs will be assigned to students. Someone will evaluate the role playing, one will comment on the effectiveness of the behavior of the role players, and another will define the feelings of the persons being portrayed. Students volunteer for the tasks, or the teacher assigns them.

Phase V: The enactment

The students portray their roles, responding realistically to each other. The players/roles can be changed.

Phase VI: Discussion and Evaluation

The enactment has been completed. Now we will discuss the following questions:

1. How did Roger feel when Mrs. Jones said that she, too, had once wanted things that she could not have?
2. What was Roger thinking about when Mrs. Jones left her purse out in the open where he could easily snatch it if he wanted to?
3. What was going on in Mrs. Jones’ mind when she gave Roger money?
4. What did Roger mean when he said that he “did not trust the woman not to trust him”?
5. Why do you think Roger could only utter a “Thank You” before Mrs. Jones closed the door?

Phase VII: Share experience and generalize

The students and teacher relate Roger’s problem to real situations and current social problems. The teacher asks students to write in their journals about a time they had an experience similar to Roger’s, where they wanted something they could not have. How did that make them feel? How did they act? The teacher then asks the students if they know of anyone like Mrs. Jones who decided to overlook their flaws and see the best in them. How did that make them feel? Did it change their feelings or behavior?

Assessment

Teacher/peer evaluation of discussion/role playing

Supplemental information

Comments

This lesson works best with gifted/talented students, but all students could benefit from it.