If you have never read, the O Henry Gift of the Magi short story, you and your students are in for a treat! This classic short story is traditionally taught in both middle and high school, and there are several reasons for that.
- The writing is simply that good! Classic lit transcends time for many reasons, but right from the start, the reader is captured by how O. Henry portrays the characters and situation.
- The story is engaging! Many people struggle with money and relationships at some point in their lives, so connecting emotionally to this couple is quite easy.
- The themes are universal! Everyone can relate to the messages of love, sacrifice, and generosity, especially around the holiday season.
- It is easy to read and understand! This feel-good tale is a perfect text to teach in December because most students can follow the story without breaking a mental sweat.
Keep reading for 5 Fun Activities for the O Henry Gift of the Magi Short Story!
Need help with Test Prep this year? Check out this FREE Pack of 3 Test Prep Activities to help students achieve success on standardized tests!
5 Fun Activities for the O Henry Gift of the Magi Short Story
1. Write 1-Sentence Summaries
Instead of having students write a paragraph that summarizes the entire story, I love to break up the O. Henry Gift of the Magi passage into chunks! Reading and analyzing a chunk makes understanding a short story MUCH easier and more palatable for students.
That’s why I enjoy using 1-Sentence Summaries! Students can demonstrate their understanding of a chunk in a single sentence and then identify evidence to support their summary by underlining words and phrases in the story.
Check out this example from the introduction of the O Henry Gift of the Magi story:
One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty- seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.
There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.
CHUNK #1
Ex. Della is frustrated and sad because she could save so little for Christmas.
Click the pic above to make teaching this story EASY and EFFECTIVE!
2. Delve into Characterization
Kids, like most adults, like looking at other people to figure out who they are, what they are thinking, and how they are navigating the world around them.
The main characters, Della and Jim, offer complex portrayals that we all can relate to, so taking the time to teach characterization is a good investment of time for your students!
Follow this process to make character analysis of the O Henry Gift of the Magi seamless:
- Introduce Character Traits: 1) External Traits (outer/physical traits) Ex. tall, athletic, blonde 2) Internal Traits (mental, emotional, and/or spiritual traits) Ex. intelligent, kind, hardworking
- My Traits Activity: Encourage students to identify their own 5-10 external and internal traits.
- During/After Reading Character Analysis: Locate evidence from the O Henry Gift of the Magi story that directly connects to Jim’s and Bella’s internal and external traits. Then, identify the traits that each piece of evidence reveals.
- Character Visualization: Use the evidence already gathered from the O Henry Gift of the Magi story to visualize how each character is portrayed. You could also extend the visual by focusing on how a character develops from the story’s start to finish!
Need more ideas for teaching characterization? Click below!
3. Analyze Literary Elements
Reading O Henry Gift of the Magi through a literary lens can be a fun way to examine this story! Don’t try to teach every literary element; too many options will overwhelm most students.
For O Henry Gift of the Magi, I prefer focusing on 3 Literary Elements and why the author used them:
- Allusion: a reference to history, religion, myth, or literature in order to create an effect or explain an idea
- Repetition: repeating words, phrases, structure, or ideas for a specific purpose
- Irony: a technique that expresses the opposite of an intention either verbally, dramatically, or situationally
Here is an example to help model literary analysis for your students:
ALLUSION:
| Ex. “Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy.” | Ex. Henry refers to the historical figure of “King Solomon” in comparing him to Jim. He characterizes the pride Jim has in a simple gold watch in order to exaggerate Jim’s feelings about what he really values. |
As you start teaching literary analysis, your students may need a bit of help. Filling out an organizer as students read and modeling how to analyze the element and the evidence are BOTH VITAL to the process!
Instead of merely comprehending the story, students are now being asked to think deeply about how the author gets the meaning and overall message across through the use of literary elements.
If you really want to challenge your students no matter their reading levels, you can extend their ideas into a writing response like a paragraph or essay! Providing a simple step-by-step or sentence-by-sentence outline will make writing an easier task. By reviewing a rubric ahead of time, you can help students identify how they will be successful as they work on and complete their writing responses!
Afterward, be sure to give time for self-assessment and paired sharing of student writing. When students see what others are able to write, it gives them ideas for the future!
4. Offer a Quiz for Pairs or Small Groups
A reading comprehension quiz typically elicits a groan because who wants to take a test, right?
Well, I do it a little differently in my classroom!
I give students time to answer the questions independently (like 20-30 minutes), so they can prepare for the GROUP quiz.
Then, I let students work in groups based on choice or teacher selection to “retake” the quiz. Students discuss the questions and come to a consensus for each answer. I only count the group quiz grade. It saves me time, and students get to observe how their classmates think through the assessment process!
Make sure to cover what students will see on state standardized tests like theme, central idea, citing evidence, details, summarizing, vocabulary, structure, order of events, and characterization. By using a quiz related to these standards, you will get much-needed data from your students!
Plus, students will feel more comfortable with the standardized testing process if they see tests like the one below throughout the year in a relaxed environment!
Check out this readymade test prep quiz with 20 questions and answers for O Henry Gift of the Magi!
5. Conduct a Socratic Seminar
I am the biggest fan of using discussions in my classroom whether in a think-pair-share or larger groups. In fact, my students love participating in a Socratic Seminar more than anything else. I guess it is because most students love talking with each other, not unlike most teachers.
If you have never conducted a Socratic Seminar or group discussion before, I get that the activity can be overwhelming to oversee at first. My experience is that when 30+ students sit in a circle, only a few students will actually participate in some meaningful way. Certain classmates can dominate what is said. Other students simply shut down, because the entire situation is untenable.
I have several ground rules though that I use throughout the seminar process, and I encourage you to use them when teaching the O Henry Gift of the Magi short story:
- Students first create their own questions based on theme, characterization, meaning, plot, universal ideas, etc.
- I use small groups or half-class groups that trade in and out every 5 minutes or so.
- Everyone encourages others to participate by asking a question or responding.
- Evidence MUST be used to support a response.
- At the end, we use shout-outs to recognize others.
Trust me; a Socratic Seminar for texts like the O Henry Gift of the Magi short story can be an amazing GIFT when used properly and regularly in the classroom! Over time, you will have to do very little for students to feel prepared and confident as they discuss ANY text you assign!
O Henry Gift of the Magi Resource
Do you need more fun ideas for teaching short stories like the O Henry Gift of the Magi story? Check out my store Kristin Menke-Integrated ELA Test Prep!
