AP Unit 7: Short Fiction III

This is a short unit that allows students to further their skills developed in Units 1 and 4 of AP Lit. In unit 7, students are asked to demonstrate an understanding of more complex aspects of prose fiction, and they also work to better appreciate the use of figurative language (symbols, images, simile, and personification) in both specific moments and over the course of a narrative. The unit is simply structured: students read a short story, discuss it in small groups, and then track how their understanding of Unit 7’s Essential Knowledge develops as a result of reading the story. They repeat this 2 more times, interacting with most of Unit 7s required EKs.

Unit Resources

A Note About the Resources

Virtual or In-Person
This unit was originally conducted virtually. After reading and discussing the stories, (some students chose to read them with me online, others completed the reading on their own) students worked in breakout rooms to complete the Unit 7 Essential Knowledge Tracker. I kept them in the same groups for the whole unit so they wouldn’t have any clashes in their charts, though with more time and if we were learning in-person, I think this might have yielded interesting conversations and sharing.

Story Choices
I’ve chosen three rich stories for the purpose of this unit – Michael Cunningham’s “White Angel” (1988), Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” (1966) and Kristiana Kahaukawila’s “This is Paradise (2013). Of course, the stories can be swapped out for any that you enjoy using in your classroom.