READING 095
Short Story
and Major Reading Project
Requirements and Resources
Mrs. Wishart, Adjunct Instructor
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Short Stories for Building Reading Comprehension
Reading 095 is designed to develop both reading and study skills. Reading is an integral part of any success in college and, ultimately, in life.
Not surprisingly, the best way to develop better reading skills is to read! Therefore, you will be required to read three of the stories listed below and
answer comprehension questions about these stories. The stories have been carefully selected to give you a broad choice of topics and authors. Some stories are longer and some
are shorter, but please remember that length does not necessarily correlate to ease. Often the longer stories may actually be easier to understand, so make your choices based
on your interest in the story's subject and the ease with which you can read the first paragraph of the story instead of judging the story by length.
All comprehension questions for the three short stories you choose must be turned in before you will be allowed to take the final!
Below are the stories you can choose to read for Reading 095:
You will also be required to read one short book for this course. This book will be the basis of your major writing assignment for Reading 095. Click here for directions on how to complete this major writing assignment.
I suggest that you spread out the reading for your Major Reading Project, but that you make certain to complete the reading before the Mid-term is administered. You will be required
to identify which short book you will be reading for this project in week 3 of class. Rather than answering questions about the short book of your choice, you will be expected to
complete an essay about the story elements. This exercise will prepare you for English 101 and English 102. Your paper must be written in MLA format. For help with proper MLA format,
The Owl at Purdue has an excellent on-line guide that will help you with most of your questions.
As mentioned for the short stories, length should not be your primary reason for choosing one of the stories. Read a portion of the first chapter and determine if you are interested in the
subject matter. Also decide if the vocabulary and word choice of the writer is easy for you to understand or if it is more difficult. Base your choice on personal interest and ease of reading.
Should your original choice prove too difficult, you will be allowed to change your story choice one time only!
Your essay for your Major Reading Project must be turned in before you will be allowed to take the final!
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs. Please read only chapters "Childhood," "The New Master and Mistress,"
"The Slaves' New Years Day," "The Slave Who Dared to Feel Like a Man," "The Trials of Girlhood," "The Church and Slavery," "Scenes at the Plantation," and "Flight."
