Great Short Stories to Read Aloud Middle School

Teachers love using short stories for so many reasons, and brusk stories found online offer added convenience and motivation!  A great short story can get our students thinking and making connections. Short stories are perfect for teaching literary terms and vocabulary.  Plus, students enjoy discussion around the conflicts and themes in brusque stories. And because these gems can be taught in a few form periods, students gain some solid literary momentum when we add together several to a unit of measurement.

I similar starting the twelvemonth with short stories to build my students' appreciation for brief, attention-grabbing fiction. Students can toss effectually their ideas on characters' decisions and infer and predict as the action rises. At the same time, I tin accustom them with pertinent literary terms. In fact, I find that I can really dig into many of the standards for literature, including new words, figurative linguistic communication, development of theme, and more.

Brusk stories online – What are the benefits?

Many teachers have lots of short stories to choose from, but at that place are too many who don't! If your school is low on resources, your students tin can savor 10 amazing short stories for middle school by using the links below. Hither are some other benefits of finding great short stories online:

• Students can read the stories from their laptops or other devices. Whether you have a i:1 classroom or you're able to use (or borrow) a cart of devices, students do enjoy reading from their screens.
• Reading is easy to assign for homework. Instead of having to take home a textbook, or you having to make copies, you lot can have students read at home on their devices. This system too works well for students who have missed class.
• You can plan lessons in advance without an anthology. Teachers who are starting at a new school or grade level can access the stories and commencement planning lessons without wondering if the stories will be bachelor in impress for students.
• The stories are always at your fingertips. The stories are wherever yous are, and so you can refer to them whenever yous need to.

Here are 10 all-time brusk stories found online – perfect for center school:

1.  The Scholarship Jacket

Nearing graduation, an 8th-grade Hispanic student in a minor Texas school is denied the scholarship jacket she has earned with pinnacle grades. This story addresses the topics of prejudice and unfairness in a school setting, integrity, and grandparenting. Read the story here: The Scholarship Jacket

2.  The Medicine Pocketbook

Martin feels embarrassed when his aging Sioux granddaddy shows up at his family unit'southward dwelling unannounced. Wearied and sickly, Grandpa has come up to pass a Sioux tradition on to Martin, causing Martin fear. Instead, Martin learns startling things well-nigh his grandad he never knew, causing him to change his outlook profoundly. Read the story here: The Medicine Bag

3.  Cheers M'am

Langston Hughes' classic story begins with Roger trying to snatch a pocketbook from Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. Later on shaking him up quite a scrap, she takes Roger to her home, shares a meal with him, and talks about wanting things she couldn't have when she was young. She gives him money to buy the shoes he wanted, and Roger leaves having learned a lesson nigh right and wrong. Read the story here: Thank You Ma'am

Here's a story brochure yous might like for this one: Cheers Grand'am Story Brochure

4.  The Treasure of Lemon Brown

When he leaves his house upset with his father, 14-year-one-time Greg finds a homeless man in an old tenement. Greg and the homo, Lemon Brownish, scare away some menacing thugs, and when Lemon Brown reveals a "treasure" he claims to have, Greg learns something about parents that causes him to have a modify of eye towards his male parent. Read the story here: The Treasure of Lemon Brownish

5.  Stop the Lord's day

This story centers around xiii-yr-old Terry and his father, who is suffering with mail service-traumatic stress syndrome from the Vietnam War. His father has go totally withdrawn, and very frequently his "optics become abroad." Later on he has a breakdown in public, Terry attempts to talk to him, and is surprised when his dad of a sudden opens up near the killings he witnessed and the guilt that haunts him. Read the story here: Stop the Sun

vi.  Born Worker

Jose comes from a poor family and has been a hard worker all his life. His cousin, Arnie, is merely the contrary: wealthy, lazy, and deceptive. When Arnie proposes that he find jobs for them with Arnie taking a fifty/50 cutting, Jose knows he must keep his caput and his values as he deals with Arnie'due south dishonest nature.  Jose gains the understanding that there will always be people in the world like Arnie, simply he will be similar his father, a born worker. Read the story here: Born Worker

7.   The Ransom of Red Master

In this humorous O. Henry story, two drifters, Sam and Pecker, plan to kidnap a boy in a small town and hold him for ransom money. Their plan backfires when the boy, Johnny Dorset, becomes a total behavior problem that both men can't handle. The men attempt to but return him without being caught, but run into more problems when they implement their program.  Discover information technology hither: The Ransom of Cherry Chief

Hither's a flip volume you might like using with this story: The Bribe of Cerise Chief FLIP Volume – Common Core-aligned

8.  All Summer in a Twenty-four hour period

Margot is different because she is from Earth, unlike her schoolmates on Venus. They are jealous of her by experiences, especially her memories of the lord's day. After seven years of solid rain, when the sun is almost to make a rare appearance on Venus, the students punish Margot with a cruel act of bullying.  Read the story here: All Summer in a Day

nine.  The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

This 1 is a teleplay—an episode of Rod Serling'south Twilight Zone. Neighbors fear that aliens accept landed when a bright flash appears in the sky and foreign things begin to happen. Incited by a young male child'south stories, people accuse each other of beingness an conflicting sent in advance. Panic and a mob scene leave readers questioning who the existent monsters are. Keen for engaging students in a dramatic read-aloud! Find it here: The Monsters are Due on Maple Street

Hither's a resource y'all might similar for this one: Monsters Are Due on Maple Street Literature Response Package

10.  Seventh Grade

Victor begins his first day in seventh grade hoping to make Teresa his girlfriend. After a serial of bad-mannered run-ins with her, he attends his French course, where she is also enrolled. To impress Teresa, Victor pretends to know French but has to employ gibberish when responding to his teacher'southward questions. Mr. Bueller does non embarrass Victor, but instead his empathy leads to new understandings and confidence for Victor.  Read this brusk story online here: Seventh Grade

Simply looking over this list gets me excited about teaching short stories! Classroom-tested stories by acclaimed authors that middle school students volition love . . . available for you online.

Thanks for reading!  Click on the images to meet my story resources.

Click to read near twoscore Book Recommendations for Eye School Readers

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