Session 1 · How a short story works

Sessions 1 · Structure 2 · The Necklace 3 · Comparative literature 4 · The Gift of the Magi 5 · The Interlopers 6 · The Cask of Amontillado Evaluation C1/C2 essay Teacher

Worksheet of this session
Scan to open it on a phone or print it.

Recap check · marked · starts as you come in

Sit down, take your notebook and answer on paper at once. 3 students are drawn at random and marked.

Give the title of a story, film or series with a surprise ending.
In French class, what is « la chute » of a story?
Name one short story you have read in French.

Marking scale	Points
Each correct answer	1
Full sentence in English	bonus 1
Total	3 + 1

Corrigé

Any relevant title.
The unexpected ending.
For example La Parure.

Objective

Understand how a short story is built, from its first line to its last surprise. Final task of the sequence: write the opening and the twist of your own short story.

What is a short story?

A short story can be read in one sitting. Edgar Allan Poe, one of the inventors of the genre, wanted every word to serve a single effect. Few characters, one main event, and very often a final surprise.

1. The story arc

Stage	Question to ask	Key words
Exposition	Who? Where? When?	setting, characters
Inciting incident	What starts the problem?	suddenly, one day
Rising action	How does tension grow?	then, as, while
Climax	What is the turning point?	at that moment
Falling action	What are the consequences?	after that
Resolution	How does it end?	finally, in the end

2. Hooking the reader

Type of hook	How it works	Our stories
In medias res	the story starts in the middle of the action	The Interlopers
A shocking statement	the narrator confesses something strong	The Cask of Amontillado
A precise detail	a number or object raises a question	The Gift of the Magi
A portrait	a character and her desire	The Necklace

Worksheet: match each opening with a type of hook

Opening line	Type of hook
“The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge.”	...
“One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all.”	...
“The girl was one of those pretty and charming young creatures who sometimes are born, as if by a slip of fate, into a family of clerks.”	...

Corrigé

The Cask of Amontillado: A shocking statement
The Gift of the Magi: A precise detail
The Necklace: A portrait

3. Twist endings

Type of ending	Definition	Effect on the reader
Twist ending	an unexpected final revelation	surprise, we reread the story differently
Situational irony	the result is the opposite of what the characters expect	bitterness or tenderness
Open ending	the reader must imagine what comes next	suspense, discussion
Moral ending	the narrator gives a lesson	reflection

Speaking

In pairs, tell the ending of a film or series that surprised you. Your partner names the type of ending.

Writing

Write the first sentence of a story using one type of hook (one or two sentences).

C1/C2 track

Read the definition of the short story by Poe in his review of Hawthorne (1842): the writer conceives “a certain unique or single effect”. In 150 words, explain why a twist ending suits this idea, and when it can feel artificial.

Homework · required

To do for next lesson. It is checked at the start of the lesson in the Recap check.

Exercise 1 · Put the stages of the arc in order: climax, exposition, resolution, rising action, inciting incident, falling action.
Exercise 2 · Match: (a) In medias res (b) A shocking statement (c) A precise detail. 1. “One dollar and eighty-seven cents.” 2. The story starts in the middle of the action. 3. “I vowed revenge.”
Exercise 3 · Write the first two sentences of a story with a hook (30 words).

Corrigé of the homework

exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution
a2, b3, c1
Model: “The letter had been waiting under the door for ten years. Nobody in the house dared to open it.”

For the teacher

Gerex step	What the class does
Warm up (5 min)	Recall of the last story in three sentences, cold calling or volunteers.
Discovery (15 min)	Reading of the text or extract of the opening lines, first with a gist question.
Analysis (20 min)	Tables in pairs, text dependent questions, shared correction.
Speaking (10 min)	Short oral task, the teacher circulates and notes two strengths per group.
Writing (5 min + homework)	Short writing task, finished at home.

Need	Lever
Struggling readers	Glossary given in advance, audio reading by the teacher, questions 1 to 3 only.
Fast finishers	Extension question, a quotation to explain, a sentence of the story to translate into French.
Dys students	Dys version of the page: Lexend font, larger spacing, sentence starters, shorter tasks.

Recap check, how to run it	Detail
Before the bell	The questions are on the board or projected when students walk in.
Minutes 0 to 4	Everyone writes; no talking. The teacher takes the register meanwhile.
Minute 4	Random draw of three names (cards, app or dice), oral answers.
Marking	Marks on the scale given, noted in the gradebook; homework checked at the same time.
Why	Not one idle minute: the class starts the moment students enter, and homework is reinforced.

Sessions 1 · Structure 2 · The Necklace 3 · Comparative literature 4 · The Gift of the Magi 5 · The Interlopers 6 · The Cask of Amontillado Evaluation C1/C2 essay Teacher

Reminder, the sequence online: https://short-stories-anglais.netlify.app