Junior The Greatest Short Story Debate

Performance Indicators:
P.S ELA-2 Reading Analysis: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.A. Evaluate the relevant themes and synthesize how they are present in the novel in oral and written responses.
B. Interpret the implications of setting and circumstance.
C. Analyze the role of characters in the plot in oral and written responses.
D. Analyze important quotations from the text in oral and written responses.
E. Annotate the text.
P.S. ELA-7 Speaking and Listening: Engage effectively in a well-reasoned exchange of ideas
A. Attentively listen to the words of a speaker.
B. Summarize what someone has said.
C. Defend, refute, or challenge the ideas of others.
D. Use evidence to support a position.
E. Organize ideas clearly and logically.
F. Use annotations of the text to contribute to class discussion.P.S ELA-3 Reading Craft and Structure: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of a text.A. Understand SOAPSTone: Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject, Tone
B. Analyze the plot and/or design of the text, following shifts in time and place.

 

You have been assigned to perform a role for one of the short stories listed.  You should meaningfully pursue the responsibilities relative to your role as this assignment is valued as a speaking and listening and reading assessment of 800 points each.   

1.Your first responsibility is to select from one of the assigned short stories the story that you feel is the greatest short story.   

2.  Your next responsibility is to determine what role you are assuming in order to demonstrate that your selected short story is the greatest short story.  The roles are:  orator, artist, defender, and critic.   A description of your selected role follows the list of short stories on this link. 

3.  Once you have selected a short story along with a role you need to adhere to the points of emphasis listed with each story.  The points of emphasis listed alongside each story are the literary points that you must focus on in order to promote the greatness of the short story that you select.  

A Good Man is Hard to Find.  (characters, local color, foreshadow)
Young Goodman Brown.   (symbolism, story of initiation, denouement)
A Perfect Day for Bananafish. (symbolism, crisis situation, conflict)
For Esme’ With Love and Squalor.   (realism, conflict, exposition)
The Outcasts of Poker Flats.  (characters, irony, parable)
Silent Snow Secret Snow.  (symbolism, realism, flat characters)
 The Cask of Amontillado  (irony, setting, point of view)
By the Waters of Babylon.  (story of initiation, setting, theme) 

The Orator
The orator is responsible for explaining the story to the class while convincing her/his peers that the assigned story is the greatest short story.  The student must appear sincere, even excited to express why the short story is the best of all time.  Information about the author may prove to be helpful after all a writer writes about what she/he knows.  The manner in which you express the strengths of the story is contingent upon how you feel the narrative is best presented to the class as the greatest short story of all time.  You should rely upon a prepared formulaic strategy for presenting the strengths of your story.

The Artist
Another role requires a person to design and produce a poster depicting your story’s title, author, a selected passage that best expresses the story’s theme and a scene which incorporates literary devices to display the story’s greatness.  Naturally, your poster should be the greatest poster ever.  The poster needs to be in the general size of 30″ x 24″ and it should be created according to the similar quality of the student work displayed in the classroom.  

The Defender
This responsibility requires you to be accountable to field criticism from your classmates based on how they interpret your story’s weaknesses.  The disparagement against your story is not to be personal, yet the criticism may appear sharp.  You will need to consider your story’s weaknesses and be prepared to defend attacks against your story.  The individual defending the story cannot rely on support from other students who have read the same story.  Your ability to appear composed and sensible will be important skills for this role.

The Critic
The final responsibility is to thoughtfully listen to the other stories, identify apparent weaknesses of each story and pose questions that must be addressed by the person defending each story.  Each individual criticizing a story will be responsible for two questions, a question or observation will be voiced and the other cynics will follow with their criticism followed by another round of questions.  If another group asks your question, you must have another inquiry prepared.  Your responsibility is to uncover weaknesses in the story that you are questioning; do not ask