Teachers
at Hobart College designed this activity for their grade 11 students.
In it, students work in groups to read a range of short stories.
They then choose a story for closer analysis. The students create
an assignment sheet for this story, using a model provided. This
helps them to develop a deeper understanding of the significance
of the story and the way it is crafted. Another group then completes
the assignment and the original group assesses their responses.
Below are the instructions given to students.
1.
Here is an assignment on a short story you read earlier in the year.
Use it as a model for creating an assignment sheet for one of the
stories you read. You can work in a group to create the question
sheet.
Text Response Assignment
Short
Story — "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl
A.
What’s it all about? (Analytical response)
Short answer questions. Answer all questions in sentences.
- What
is the significance of the title? Provide another title.
- Read
the first paragraph carefully. What does the description of
the setting tell us about the character of Mary Maloney?
- Read
the story again up to the point of the murder. Make a list
of all the words and phrases used to describe Mary Maloney.
- List
all the words and phrases used to describe Patrick Maloney.
What impression do we receive of him?
- Why
don’t we get any details of Patrick’s conversation
with his wife?
- How
does Dahl build up sympathy for Mary? Does our attitude towards
her change?
- Are
you prepared to excuse Mary’s murder of her husband?
Why/Why not?
B.
Creative response
Choose one of the following.
- Write
a newspaper report of the incident. Assume that the reporter
has interviewed Sgt Noonan and Mrs Maloney. Include their
comments in your report.
Note that a newspaper report has a headline, a short paragraph
of one or two sentences outlining the story and then about
150 words going from most important details to least important.
In a newspaper story paragraphs have only one sentence. Read
some newspaper stories before you start writing.
- Write
the report Sergeant Jack Noonan would have made on the case.
Invent necessary details if they aren’t in the story.
Start it like this: I received a telephone call from Mary
Maloney at 6:15pm.
- Write
Mary Maloney’s diary entry for the night of her husband’s
murder.
2.
Each group will tell the rest of the class what their story is
about and then groups will select another group’s story and
answer the questions they created. Groups will mark each other’s
work.
