Page 77 - SpringBoard_ELA_Grade6_Flipbook

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CTIvITy .11
What’s in a Short Story?
LearNING STraTeGIeS:
Collaborative Discussion, Note-taking, Drafting
Literary Terms
A short story is a fictional narrative that presents a
sequence of events, or plot, that include a conflict.
About the Author
Langston Hughes (1902–1967) began his writing career early. By 8th grade, he was named the class poet. He regularly wrote verse for his high school magazine. Hughes entered Columbia University in 1921 and discovered
the arts scene in Harlem. He became a prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance. His poetry, plays, and stories frequently focus on the African American experience, particularly on the struggles and feelings of people in a segregated society. His poetry was especially informed by the jazz and blues rhythms of African American music.
my Notes
Learning Targets
• Identify the theme of a short story by analyzing narrative elements.
• Use narrative writing to develop a character and transform a story from third-person into first-person point of view.
Preview
In this activity, you will read a short story and identify its theme by examining the
incident that takes place and how the characters respond.
Setting a Purpose for Reading
• Read the short story “Thank You, M’am” by Langston Hughes and underline the main incident of the narrative.
• Place a star next to the characters’ responses to the incident.
• Circle unknown words and phrases. Try to determine the meaning of the words by using context clues, word parts, or a dictionary.
Thank You, M’am by Langston Hughes
1 She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but hammer and nails. It had a long strap, and she carried it slung across her shoulder. It was about eleven o’clock at night, and she was walking alone, when a boy ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse. The strap broke with the single tug the boy gave it from behind. But the boy’s weight and the weight of the purse combined caused him to lose his balance so, instead of taking off full blast as he had hoped, the boy fell on his back on the sidewalk, and his legs flew up. The large woman simply turned around and kicked him right square in his blue-jeaned sitter. Then she reached down, picked the boy up by his shirt front, and shook him until his teeth rattled.
2 After that the woman said, “Pick up my pocketbook, boy, and give it here.”
50 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6
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