Faulkner, Hemingway & Fitzgerald: 3 Modern American Short Stories (A Rose for Emily + Cat in the Rain + Bernice Bobs Her Hair) — Differentiated HILO + Leveled Texts + Self-Grading Google Forms

If you want students to experience modern American literature without getting stuck on text complexity, this mini-unit is built for you. These three short stories create a strong, teachable arc:

  • Faulkner — mystery + nonlinear structure + unsettling reveal
  • Hemingway — symbolism + emotional subtext (“what’s left unsaid”)
  • Fitzgerald — satire + conformity + identity under social pressure

The unit is designed for mixed reading levels: students read the version that supports comprehension today (Original, Leveled, or Accessible/HILO), but everyone completes the same discussion questions and exit quizzes (printable or self-grading Google Forms).

Quick Links (Titles + FREE Try-It-First Sample)

What Teachers Get Out of This Mini-Unit

  • Variety with coherence: three distinct styles, one consistent routine
  • Skills that transfer: structure, symbolism, and satire are “repeatable lenses” across the year
  • Fast assessment: exit quizzes available printable + Google Forms self-grading
  • Mixed-level friendly: aligned texts prevent pacing splits

Suggested Schedule (4 Days + Optional Day 5)

Day 1 — Cat in the Rain (Symbolism + Subtext)

  • Warm-up: “What can a small want represent?”
  • Read: Original / Leveled / Accessible
  • Discuss: symbols (cat, rain, hotel) + what the characters avoid saying
  • Assess: Exit Quiz (print or self-grading Google Forms)

Day 2–3 — Bernice Bobs Her Hair (Satire + Conformity) — Two-Day Story

  • Day 2: Part 1 reading + discussion on “popularity rules” and social power
  • Day 3: Part 2 reading + discussion on conformity, humiliation, and revenge + Exit Quiz

Day 4 — A Rose for Emily (Structure + Clues + Reveal)

  • Read: students track “clue moments” (smell, taxes, Homer, the locked room)
  • Discuss: why the story is told out of order and what that does to the ending
  • Assess: Exit Quiz

Optional Day 5 (Teacher-Created Flex Day — Not Included)

If you have an extra day, add a short writing task to unify the mini-unit (this is not included, which gives you flexibility):

  • Option A: Choose two stories and compare how the author reveals character (actions vs symbols vs social rules).
  • Option B: Choose one story and argue which technique is most powerful: nonlinear structure, symbolism, or satire.

3 Discussion Questions That Make This Mini-Unit “Stick”

  • Technique lens: Which story technique changes how you feel the most—structure, symbolism, or social satire?
  • Character lens: Which character is most trapped (by society, by relationships, or by the past)? Use evidence.
  • Theme lens: Which story best shows the cost of pretending—pretending to be fine, popular, respectable, or “normal”?

Differentiation That Doesn’t Add Prep

  • Accessible/HILO: boosts comprehension and confidence while preserving core events and themes
  • Leveled: keeps most details and tone with simpler syntax
  • Original: best for extension, quoting, and craft analysis

Best practice: Keep one shared discussion. Then give advanced readers an optional “quote requirement” (1 quote minimum) while supported readers can paraphrase evidence.

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