The unit “Short Stories — Reflections of Two Worlds”, analyzes in detail six short stories. Three of them are by prominent American writers; “The Egg” by Sherwood Anderson; “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “Desiree’s Baby” by Kate Chopin. The other three stories are exponents of Italian literature. As the students are guided through the reading and analysis of Italo Svevo’s “The Mother,” Giovanni Boccaccio’s “The Pot of Basil” and Giovanni Verga’s ‘The She-Wolf”, they come to be acquainted with some very famous Italian literary figures and examples of their work.
Both sets of short stories are accompanied by activities for the students. In completing these exercises the students will demonstrate their retention and understanding of the material covered.
This unit can be used with an English as a Second Language class, an Italian III class, or a mainstream English class where the teacher is willing to introduce the students to American and Italian authors.
(Recommended for 9th through 12th grade English as a Second Language, 11th grade Italian III and 11th grade English III)
Key Words
Short Stories Reading Instruction
