Freshman Short
Story Collections 2 and 3
Worth 40 points Due : February 2, 2004
“Thank You, Ma’am” (p. 121) “The Gift of the Magi” (p. 203) “A Man Called Horse” (p. 167)
“Harrison Bergeron” (p. 132) “Snow” (p. 215) “The Cask of Amontillado” (p. 233)
“The Necklace” (p. 221)
1. Make a storyboard
Draw a story board for one of the short stories we
read. Be sure to include all major
events from the plot and have dialogue as well as images.
2. Handicap Skit
Construct “handicaps” out of aluminum foil,
construction paper, and other items to resemble those mentioned in “Harrison
Bergeron”. Use your imagination and
create a short skit, which you will perform for the class, to show how wearing
the handicap might affect your behavior.
3. Informational Poster (you
need to include a bibliography)
a. Research how amendments to the United States Constitution
are made. How many amendments have been
added to the original constitution? How
many proposed amendments have failed to be ratified?
b. Investigate the tradition of the medicine men and women in
American Indian life. What are they
responsible for? What role did medicine
men and women play in Crow culture in the 1800s?
c. Explore another culture’s gift-giving traditions. What types of gifts are traditionally
given? What occasions prompt the giving
of gifts? Is a ceremony necessary to
give the gift?
d. What was America like in the early 1900s? Find out what you can about the government
(presidents), communications, transportation, and popular entertainment.
e. Research the subject of niter (salt-peter). Be sure to address these issues: chemical composition, types, past uses, uses
in modern industry, and places found.
Explain why it was so important in The Cask of Amontillado.
4. Create a Collage
A collage is a collection of images and words. The goal is to create an impression of a
place or a person. Create a collage for
one of the characters we read about. Be
sure to fill up at least a 8 ˝ x 11 sheet of construction paper with the images
and words. Then write a short paragraph
explaining why you chose those particular items.
5. Conduct an Interview
Interview a Parkview student or another person you know who moved to
the United States from another country.
Find out what their first few months were like in America and what they
found to be confusing, surprising, or hard to adapt to. Take detailed notes or tape the interview
and then explain to the class what you found out.
6. Musical Soundtrack
Pick three songs that might appropriately accompany a movie adaptation
of one of the short stories. Divide the
story’s plot into three main sections and pick music to fit the mood of each
section. (For example, in “The Man
Called Horse” he went through a time of being tired of being rich, a time of
fighting the dogs for food and being a slave, and a time of mourning for his
wife.) Include the lyrics to each song,
the names of the artist(s) and songwriter(s), and a short explanation of how
each song fits a part of the story.