Short Story Study: Gary Soto, 'Seventh Grade'

Short stories are a vital part of English literature. These short story studies can be used to build a short story unit, to supplement other texts, or as a standby lesson.

Use this with our FREE Introduction to Short Stories two-page handout.

These activities support Gary Soto’s recent short story ‘Seventh Grade’, which can be found free online by searching for the title.

Activities correspond to Bloom’s taxonomy of lower- to higher-order tasks.

• A comprehension question checks knowledge and understanding
• Application questions ask students to apply their knowledge of literary or rhetorical technique
• Analytical questions interrogate the story’s effect, mood, and construction-strategies.
• Creative writing tasks use an aspect of the story as a springboard to write creatively, discursively, or persuasively.

Soto’s endearing character-driven story has been successfully used with a Stage 4 / Year 7 class (11-12 years).