Lesson 4.3B: Solving Short Stories
 Stories can be omniscient, objective, full of flashbacks, and epiphanies. (Don't worry if all this terminology seems overwhelming. All these terms will be explained in the lessons following.) Stories can be long and short, complex and simple, rife with many characters or have just one first person narrative. In other words, stories come in many different forms, and it helps to have some questions to understand. As with poetry, we must once again put on our literary detective hats and have in hand a list of questions to ask. With these questions we will be able to solve the mystery of any short story!
In this lesson you will look closely at one short story and then write a paragraph on how the story ends.
How to Get a Story to Talk
Much like the way you handled those mischievous poems in the previous part of this module, you will want to handle stories with similar careful questioning. You'll have to get the story to talk about its plot, flashbacks, characters, setting, point of view, and more! But before you start to get nervous about all those tricky terms, remember that in this lesson you will be guided through an interrogation of a story.
Preparing to Read "Borders"
Sometimes, before you read a story, it is a useful technique to think about what you already know. In this case, you already know the title, "Borders." Hmmmm… there is the Canadian-American border. You can border on the edge of something. A border is sort of like a boundary. People have boundaries. Do you see how one word can already empower you with so much information?
So now let's prepare to read "Borders" by first loosening up our own creative thinking with a journal entry.
Journal Entry 4.3B: Family Trip
In the journal section of the assignment template, respond to the following questions.
What is your favourite memory of a family trip? Describe in detail the setting, the action, and the characters that you encountered. Did you have to cross a border? If so, what do you remember about the process? Was it a relief to get back home?
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 Read "Borders" by Thomas King on page 79 of your Sightlines 10 textbook. Apply a reading strategy that you have learned, such as underlining key words, phrases, or events; take notes as you read; divide the story into thirds, & write a summary of each section after you read!
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 Complete Section Assignment 4.3A: A Heart and the Border - A Comparison on the assignment template now.
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Summary
Completing this lesson has helped you to:
- learn what questions to ask of a short story
- practise thinking and writing about short stories
- consider the terms flashback and frame when talking about a short story
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