American Short Stories | GRADES 9–12

A distinguished and challenging collection of short stories by America's finest writers

Aligned to Common Core State Standards

This balanced collection of stories from the 1820s to today exposes students to classic authors who've shaped America's literary history—Poe, Hemingway, and Faulkner—as well as modern greats, including Alice Walker, Joyce Carol Oates, and Sherman Alexie.

Six units organized by era give students a holistic understanding of the development of common themes and movements in American literature and encourage them to compare and contrast works from different periods. 768 pages.

Special Focus: Author's Style

• Each story emphasizes understanding the author's style through pre-reading summaries and post-reading discussion and writing.
  

• Literary Lens callouts give students a purpose for reading as they analyze literary techniques, including symbolism, color imagery, satire, characterization, and stream of consciousness.
  

• Students analyze, evaluate, and emulate the literature through longer writing projects at the end of each unit.