Charles by Shirley Jackson - Short Story Presentation, Assignments, & Activities
Charles by Shirley Jackson - Short Story Presentation, Assignments, & Activities: Introduce your students to Charles by Shirley Jackson using this all-in-one teaching resource bundle. Included are presentation slides to guide the lesson, reading analysis questions to build comprehension, a vocabulary mystery activity to reinforce the use of context clues, and targeted assignments on foreshadowing and point of view. Students will respond to the story in a creative way by writing Laurie’s report card, reimagining the narrator, and crafting their own short story with a twist ending. This ready-to-use short story resource provides teachers with everything needed to explore Charles by Shirley Jackson.
Included in This Charles by Shirley Jackson Short Story Resource:
➡️ Charles Presentation: Guide students through all stages of the lesson with this 24-slide PowerPoint presentation that includes:
- Biographical information about Shirley Jackson
- Background information on Charles
- Pre- and post-reading discussion questions
- Literary device analysis notes (foreshadowing, plot diagram, conflict, inference, theme)
- Answers to analysis questions
- Prompts for whole-class and individual activities
➡️ Charles Reading Analysis Questions: Reinforce comprehension with text-based questions on irony, theme, characterization, suspense, and point of view. A detailed answer key is included for easy grading or discussion.
➡️ Vocabulary Mystery Word Activity: Students match vocabulary words with definitions and story quotes to uncover a key theme in the story—perfect for reinforcing context clues and inference.
➡️ Finding Foreshadowing Assignment: Have students identify and explain three examples of foreshadowing that hint at the story’s twist ending.
➡️ Unreliable Narrator Point of View Assignment: Encourage deeper analysis by having students consider how the story would change if narrated by someone other than Laurie’s mother.
➡️ Laurie’s Report Card Assignment: Have students step into the teacher’s shoes and write Laurie’s report card based on story evidence, practicing inference and text evidence.
➡️ Writing a Twist Ending Creative Task: After examining how Jackson crafts her surprise ending, students will brainstorm and write their own short stories that build to a clever and unexpected twist.
Help your students annotate the short story with this resource:
>>> Annotating Fiction Lesson and Student Guide
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