This is a flex schedule course and does not have weekly meetings.  Although there aren’t live classes, students will have the opportunity for teacher support through Zoom.  Students will receive and be responsible for watching prerecorded videos, reviewing handouts, and completing activities and assignments. Email is an alternative option to receive responses in a timely manner.  This course is similar to a live class,  but is an alternative means for learners who cannot participate in the scheduled live classes due to scheduling conflicts, comfort level or unfamiliarity with the live version of the class. 

The selection of short stories in this class are designed to encourage students to develop reading skills through comprehension of events and to integrate History and Language Arts. To ensure this is taking place, there will be daily posts on the classroom page to keep communication open. Students will be expected to engage with the teacher and classmates through weekly guided discussions. Ongoing feedback for learners and responses to questions or concerns will also ensure there is active communication between teacher and students. The environment will have the feel of a live class, but allowing for flexibility while having interaction with peers and the teacher. This course will also offer a sense of community so we can each learn from each other's observations, thinking, and experiences.

Students will:
-understand and review biographical information about a variety of authors and the time period they lived
-identify the emotions revealed through literature
-read short stories and summarize basic elements (plot, characters, setting, perspective)
-define the meaning of words in the story
-comprehend the story's events through critical thinking questions
-share ideas and participate in classroom discussions or debates

This class will consist of optional meetings, guided discussion board questions, interactive games (ex. Quizizz, Kahoot, Nearpod, etc), practice worksheets and other materials, notes, and assessments to show learning.

The tentative schedule for this course is:
Week 1: Historical events that were taking place between 1860-1900 and two short stories written between the decades 1890-1910.  

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (1890, 1891) by Ambrose Bierce
This a suspenseful story about a Civil War soldier, Petyon Farquhar, who has been captured by enemy troops. The story opens in a dangerous predicament, with the soldier about to be hanged, "A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama ... A rope closely encircled his neck." 

The Monkey's Paw (1902) by W.W. Jacobs
The short story involves Mr. and Mrs. White and their adult son, Herbert. Sergeant-Major Morris, a friend who served with the British Army in India, comes by for dinner and introduces them to a mummified monkey's paw.
The British Indian Army, officially called simply the Indian Army (IA), was the army in British India during British rule (1858–1947).

Week 2: Historical events that were taking place between 1890's-1910's and two short stories written between the decades 1910-1930.

The Open Window (1914) by Saki
The Open Window, frequently anthologized short story by Saki, first published in the collection Beasts and Super-Beasts in 1914. Vera, a charming teenager, plays a practical joke on a nervous visitor, causing him to flee the house.
During this time, England was at the peak of its colonial power and its people enjoyed wealth and confidence because of their nation’s status in the world. The wealthy leisure class was perhaps overly confident, not seeing that political trends in Europe, including military treaties between the various major powers, would lead to World War I and the resulting destruction of their comfortable way of life. It is this complacency that Saki often mocks in his stories. 

The Most Dangerous Game  (1924) by Richard Connell
The Most Dangerous Game is a suspenseful adventure story about celebrated hunter Sanger Rainsford. After falling overboard while sailing to a hunting vacation, Rainsford washes ashore on Ship-Trap Island, an eerie place.
In 1905 President Roosevelt urged European nations to keep out of Latin America. By 1924, the year “The Most Dangerous Game” was published, the United States was firmly committed to Latin American politics. Military concerns and economic interests, including banking, investments, and the exploitation of natural resources, tied American interests to Latin America and resulted in expansionist legislation. 

Week 3: Historical events that were taking place between 1920's-1940's and two short stories written between the decades 1930-1950.

The Split Cherry Tree (1939) by Jesse Stuart
This story takes place in the rural hills of Kentucky.  Young Dave Sexton finds himself trapped between the modern world that demands an education and his father's past where hard work may have held more value than "book learning." 
The Split Cherry Tree is about the life of isolated farmers in the early 1900's.  During this time period, ideas in education that had begun in American cities were beginning to influence schools in the rural areas as well.

The Lottery (1948) by Shirley Jackson
This story was probably intended as an allegorical lesson but it sparked controversy and even outrage across the United States, particularly in rural communities like the one where the story takes place.
When this story was written in 1948, it was not long after the end of World War II and The Great Depression. These two events changed society's mindset to an “every man for himself” kind of thinking in order to survive. 

Week 4: Historical events that were taking place between 1940's-1950's and two short stories written during the decades 1960-1980.

The Swimmer (1964) by John Cheever
This story has a "feel" about the mid-century American sensibility, and particularly the mid-century American suburbs.
In 1964 when this story was published, it was at time of great prosperity for middle- and upper-class Americans. Having survived World War II, which ended in 1945, and the Korean War, which took place in the 1950s, many Americans were enjoying the wealth and affluence of the postwar era.

The Lesson (1972) by Toni Cade Bambara
The story is about a trip initiated by a well-educated woman named Miss Moore who has taken it upon herself to expose the unappreciative children of the neighborhood to the world outside of their oppressed community.
During the 1950's, The Civil Rights Movement was taking place.  African Americans began taking a more active stance to end discrimination in the United States. The 1952 Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka successfully challenged segregation in public schools. 

Weeks 5 and 6:  Historical events that were taking place between the 1960's - 1990's along with three short stories written during the decades 1990 - 2010.

Story of Your Life (1998) by Ted Chiang
The story revolves around a renowned linguist and how she makes a breakthrough in communicating with the aliens that have landed all over the world in massive spaceships.
In 1967, extra-terrestrial vessels prompted a major police and military response when one of the six saucers was found in the Isle of Sheppey. Also, on July 20, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on Earth's moon for the first time in human history. Four days later, they were locked up on an American aircraft carrier in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Death by Scrabble (2005) by Charlie Fish
This fictional story is about a husband and his wife playing scrabble. Scrabble is a game in which players earn points for the words made by them with available letters.
Basic Tenets of Feminist Criticism, coming into its own in the 1970s-90s, (along with several other important types of criticism and theory) specifically takes issue with New Critical assumptions.

Cell One (2007) by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
In this short story, Adichie focuses on the wayward, rebellious son and his experiences with the corrupt political system. She also criticizes the “professor parents” who have condoned the irresponsible behavior of their offspring.
This story is based on Nigerian history and politics, showing how the breakdown of authority and civilian laws in society caused struggles in family structures. A sense of lawlessness took hold as many of the younger Nigerians joined subversive cults. Cult wars became common throughout the world during the late 1900's.

Although meetings are available to assist students, students should try to complete most work independently.  They should be self- disciplined and motivated.  Students will be expected to watch videos, complete homework, complete quizzes, and ask/answer questions that are posted in the classroom.