When it comes to selecting what we want to read in our classrooms, we should consider several things like our students’ reading level, text language/vocabulary, complexity, literary value, and engagement. Short stories popular with middle and high school students seem in short supply at times, but I would argue that HOW we lure students in before reading and WHAT we do during and after reading can make the biggest difference.
Even though I was an avid reader during my school years, there were many times I didn’t want to read what I was assigned. Perhaps, it was the rebel in me or a text initially sounded boring, but I struggled once in a while.
Many of our students feel the same way, and that is simply a part of the teaching and learning process. Over time, we see what our students will love to read no matter the generation because the literature is just really that good. The tale captivates us right from the beginning, and the ending usually satisfies us in some tangible and lasting way.
Keep reading for 7 Short Stories Popular With Teens!
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What makes certain short stories popular?
There are many reasons why short stories become popular and are ubiquitous throughout the United States:
- They suck us in and engage right from the start of the story.
- They incorporate language that is challenging but not impossible to understand (with a teacher’s help).
- They contain realistic, complex characters who develop in some way.
- They include a twist ending that surprises the audience.
- They showcase universal themes that connect to readers.
I’m sure every teacher has a list of their go-to short stories popular with their own students, so check out my own list below!
7 Short Stories Popular With Teens
1. The Lottery
By far and away, Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” tops short stories popular with my high school students. While you could teach this text to middle school students, they won’t be able to get much past the basic plot of the story.
In contrast, upper middle and high school students can dig more deeply into the relevant themes and symbolism much more easily.
Symbolism:
- The box- The box represents the rigid, stark nature of death and ignorance that continually pervades the town every year it performs the lottery.
- The town- The town represents every town, city, or society stuck in tradition for the sake of tradition or those stuck in the past for the past’s sake.
- The lottery- The lottery, while typically a good thing, creates a moment of irony and symbolizes luck, or the lack thereof.
Themes: messages of the text.
There are so many themes revolving around tradition, assimilation, and ignorance. Take the time to flesh out these ideas in a Socratic Seminar or write a paragraph response about a student-created theme.
Reading this particular short story WITH your students is an absolute MUST!
If you need more ideas for choosing texts that include short stories popular with students, check out 11 Short Stories With Twist Endings below!
2. Thank you, Ma’am
I would definitely use “Thank You, Ma’am” (also known as “Thank You, M’am”) by Langston Hughes for middle school or more struggling high school students. It is not a particularly difficult short story to read, but there is so much to teach within.
If you focus on characterization and theme, your students will get to think critically about the important societal values in this short story. Asking questions about generosity, character motivation, dialogue, and tension will guide all of your students’ understanding of the story!
Do you need several days of easy-to-teach lessons for this classic Langston Hughes’ short story? See here!
3. The Tell-Tale Heart
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” is probably the most taught of the short stories popular with teens. While the diction and syntax are a bit difficult, I have rarely had students not understand the most important aspects of what is going on.
Following the intricate thoughts and actions of the narrator really captivates teen readers who love the macabre! Plus, the ending is such a great part of the story, emitting an extreme frenzy that is unforgettable.
You could teach vocabulary, tone, mood, and characterization quite easily with this murderous tale!
Want help teaching “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the epitome of short stories popular with students? Click below!
4. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” has become a favorite for my high school students. Set during the Civil War, Peyton Farquhar, a Southern gentleman, takes it upon himself to help Confederate forces by participating in a plot to thwart the Union soldiers.
As a consequence, he gets captured and is about to be hung at the start of the story.
The background knowledge required to fully understand the story can be developed by viewing a Civil War mini-documentary beforehand. As many juniors take American Literature in conjunction with United States History, integrating this short story with the Civil War unit would be helpful.
There is so much to teach in this story: flashback, plot, vocabulary, character development/perception, etc.!
Click below to get EASY-TO-TEACH resources for this classic tale!
5. After Twenty Years
“After Twenty Years” is one of the best O. Henry short stories popular with teens. You may have heard of “The Gift of the Magi” or “The Cactus,” but I prefer teaching “After Twenty Years” by far and away.
This story is EXTREMELY short, involves two childhood friends, and emits a sense of intrigue from start to finish.
You can provide instruction in literary devices, characterization, and setting. I love incorporating all three in various activities to engage even my most reluctant readers!
6. The Pedestrian
“The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury personifies a dystopian world consumed by technology. Leonard Mead, a silent citizen who rebels against the invasion of the television screen, simply chooses to walk outdoors while his neighbors sit contentedly in their houses every night.
One night, a police car manned by no one but a computer/AI proceeds to question him while he is out walking. Finding his answers unsatisfactory and deviant from the social norm, the car takes Leonard to a psychiatric hospital for treatment.
That is it! Creepy, right?
Analyzing Leonard, the neighbors, and the car is a perfect way to fully comprehend and examine the world Bradbury sees in the near future. The story was written in 1951, but let’s be honest, much of what is described is true for us today!
Reading this story in conjunction with Ray Bradbury’s “The Veldt” can help your students build more connections to dystopian literature like Fahrenheit 451, Anthem, and 1984. When students make more of these connections, they are more apt to remember and apply certain ideas in their future reading!
7. The Necklace
This list would be incomplete without Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace!” This short story relates particularly well to my students every year because of the protagonist, a young wife who laments her current situation and desires the finer things in life. I mean, don’t we all at some point in our lives?
The resolution really makes the story stand out, and the protagonist’s revelation will make teaching both characterization and the theme quite easy.
You can start by locating evidence that describes the main characters, identifying the character traits linked to the evidence, and writing about how the characterization contributes to the theme of the story!
Check out this readymade activity bundle for help with teaching this perennial short story!
OTHER SHORT STORIES POPULAR WITH TEENAGERS
- “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell
- “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe
- “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst
- “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry
- “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
- “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
- “The Cactus” by O. Henry
- “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs
- “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl
- “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury
- “A Vendetta” by Guy de Maupassant
SHORT STORIES POPULAR WITH TEENS RESOURCE
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This resource includes 390+ Q&A based on 19 short stories such as “The Most Dangerous Game,” “The Monkey’s Paw,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “After Twenty Years,” “The Gift of the Magi,” “The Veldt,” “The Lottery,” “The Pedestrian,” and MORE!!
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