Twisting Expectations: Horror Short Stories

Lesson 4
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ELA

Unit 16

8th Grade

Lesson 4 of 20

Objective


Analyze the impact of the lottery tradition on the mood and actions of townspeople in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery."

Readings and Materials


  • Short Story: “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson  — paragraphs 1–42

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Target Task


Discussion & Writing Prompt

How does Old Man Warner respond to the idea of getting rid of the lottery? What argument does he make? Provide specific evidence from paragraphs 31–34 and carefully explain your thinking.

Sample Response

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Key Questions


Key Questions

  • What is the impact of the first sentence of "The Lottery"? Carefully explain your thinking. 

  • What mood does Jackson establish in paragraphs 2–3 of The Lottery? How does she develop this mood? Provide specific words and phrases from these paragraphs to support your answer. 

  • What do paragraphs 4–7 reveal about how people of the town feel about the tradition of the lottery? Provide at least two specific examples from these paragraphs to support your answer. 

  • Reread paragraphs 10–42. How does the mood of the crowd change as people begin to go up and pull papers out of the black box? Provide evidence from the text to support your answer. 

Exit Ticket

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Vocabulary


Text-based

grave

adj.

very serious (The Lottery)

hasty

adj.

done in a very hurried way (The Lottery)

Homework


Finish reading "The Lottery" (paras. 43–79)

While reading, answer the following questions.

  • Which family is "picked" for the lottery?

  • What happens after the father in this family picks the marked paper? What are the next steps in the process?

  • What is the lottery actually for?

Notes for Teachers

Because of the effect of the twist ending, teachers may prefer to read this together with students in class.

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Common Core Standards


  • RL.8.3 — Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
  • RL.8.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.

Supporting Standards

L.8.6
RL.8.1
RL.8.2
RL.8.10
SL.8.1
SL.8.6
W.8.1
W.8.1.a
W.8.1.b
W.8.4
W.8.9
W.8.9.a
W.8.10

Next

Identify examples of foreshadowing and analyze the message Shirley Jackson is trying to convey about human nature in her short story, "The Lottery." 

Lesson 5
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