Raymond Carver
Lesson plans and other teaching resources

Raymond Carver
Biography from Wikipedia.

Raymond Carver
Brief biography and links to 16 poems.

Raymond Carver, "A Small, Good Thing"
Seven questions for writing or discussion. This document requires MS-Word for access.

"Cathedral"
Text of the story.

Developing Characterization in Raymond Carver's "A Small, Good Thing"
Students read the story focusing on characterization in order to develop one of the static characters—the hit-and-run driver who causes Scotty's death—more fully. Students use a literary graphic organizer to analyze the three major characters. They compare the story to an older version titled "The Bath." Finally, they create an original anecdote involving the driver, share their stories, and respond to each other's writing.

The Cutting Edge: Exploring How Editing Affects an Author's Work
Students examine the writing of short-story author Raymond Carver as well as their own writing to explore how editing can affect the text, content and context of an author's work.

"Kindling"
Introduction and text of the story. Follow links to PDF and Google Docs formats.

"Little Things"
Text of the story.

Minimalism — an Experiment
An assignment: write a few sentences in minimalist style. Adobe Reader required for access.

Poems
Text of "Let's Roar, Your Honor" and "Your Dog Dies."

"Why Don't You Dance?"
Introduction and text of the story later made into the film Everything Must Go. Follow links to PDF and Google Docs formats.