Mister Porter - Porter Has Class

Student Responses to “Flowers for Algernon” in 2021

Post published:May 6, 2022
Post category:Student Work

Introduction Unbelievably, it's 2022 and nearly the end of another school year. My students commented that they went "stalked" my blog and said that I have not published anything in a LONG time. LOL! They're not wrong. So, please allow me to jump on the Way-Back Machine and post a couple of their essays from earlier this school year. Writing Task You have read the short story “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes about a man named Charlie Gordon who undergoes surgery to increase his intelligence. On March 6 and April 22 of the story, Charlie undergoes a Rorschach Test.…

Student Response to “The Landlady” in 2021

Post published:January 23, 2022
Post category:Student Work

Introduction It's 2022 and I'm just now posting responses from 2021. I apologize. I am way behind. Please read this student response from October of 2021 and continue reading down below to see some of the teaching details that went into this response. Writing Task You have read “The Landlady” a short story about a man named Billy Weaver who finds himself in the company of an unusual hostess yet feels compelled to stay. Write an essay explaining the word “dotty” as it is used in the passage and how it impacts the plot of the story. Be sure to…

Student Response to “The Monkey’s Paw” in 2021

Post published:January 17, 2022
Post category:Student Work

Writing Task You have read “The Monkey’s Paw,” a short story about a family that is granted three wishes, but after receiving their wishes, suffer unexpected consequences. Write an essay explaining how the story’s point of view creates suspense. Be sure to use specific evidence to support your response. Student Response Have you ever believed in wishes like in the movie Aladdin where a genie gives a boy three wishes? “The Monkey’s Paw” is a short story written by W.W. Jacobs about a family that is granted three wishes, but after receiving their wishes, they suffer unexpected consequences. Throughout the…

Student Response to Henry Slesar’s “Examination Day”

Post published:November 1, 2021
Post category:Student Work

Teachable Moments After reading "Flowers for Algernon," my students took a unit test comprised of text-dependent multiple-choice questions and a standardized writing task. Independently, while my students showed progress, many of them failed in including everything necessary for a complete student response. Therefore during the month of October, I decided to include some suspenseful stories and incorporate more writing. The first story of the month was Henry Slesar's "Examination Day." Overall, the students enjoyed the story even though they couldn't understand how something like that could really happen. Writing Task You have read “Examination Day” a short story about a…