I highly recommend Richard Matheson’s first published short story (1950), “Born of Man and Woman”. I’ve used it with high schoolers and middle schoolers. I read it aloud to students and then have them split into groups depending on if they think the narrator is human or if they think the narrator is nonhuman. The two groups must go back through the story and find evidence from the story’s content and style to support their interpretations and then the two groups debate
This sounds like a great activity, and one that I think I can adapt for my 5th graders. I love the idea of students debating a text and then poring through their annotations for evidence. Thank you for sharing!
Congrats, Adrian. I honor your courage to do what’s right for your students. That quote — hurt the system or hurt the student — wow. That is beautifully said and challenges all of us.
I humbly offer a few short story collections to consider. Maybe not as challenging as the ones you mentioned. But well written and meaningful for 5th. Lots of great choices in every collection.
I bet your students are so proud of themselves! I’m having my seniors read something a Harvard professor wrote for his students, and when my student struggle, it’s so great to tell them “this is hard! College students at the most elite university in the US struggle with this!” Then they don’t feel stupid and I swear they get back in there and try even harder :)
I highly recommend Richard Matheson’s first published short story (1950), “Born of Man and Woman”. I’ve used it with high schoolers and middle schoolers. I read it aloud to students and then have them split into groups depending on if they think the narrator is human or if they think the narrator is nonhuman. The two groups must go back through the story and find evidence from the story’s content and style to support their interpretations and then the two groups debate
This sounds like a great activity, and one that I think I can adapt for my 5th graders. I love the idea of students debating a text and then poring through their annotations for evidence. Thank you for sharing!
Congrats, Adrian. I honor your courage to do what’s right for your students. That quote — hurt the system or hurt the student — wow. That is beautifully said and challenges all of us.
I humbly offer a few short story collections to consider. Maybe not as challenging as the ones you mentioned. But well written and meaningful for 5th. Lots of great choices in every collection.
-Every Living Thing by Cynthia Rylant.
-Baseball in April by Gary Soto
-What Do Fish Have to Do With Anything by Avi
-and the story “eleven” by Sandra Cisneros
Happy Reading. :-)
Thank you for these recommendations! I have always loved Baseball in April. I’m looking forward to checking out these other stories.
I bet your students are so proud of themselves! I’m having my seniors read something a Harvard professor wrote for his students, and when my student struggle, it’s so great to tell them “this is hard! College students at the most elite university in the US struggle with this!” Then they don’t feel stupid and I swear they get back in there and try even harder :)