The Lottery and Other Stories Lesson Plan

The Horror of Shirley Jackson

Kind of Activity:

Creative Writing

Objective:

Students will consider elements of the horror genre in Shirley Jackson's fiction.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4

Structure:

By now, some of your students may have picked up on the elements of horror—perhaps even the supernatural—in Shirley Jackson's writing. Indeed, Jackson has been cited as a major inspiration for the horror writings of Stephen King, and her novel The Haunting of Hill House was recently adapted into a very spooky, ghost-filled miniseries. The short stories in the this collection don't feature ghosts or monsters, but they do...