James Thurber
Lesson plans for "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and other stories
|Biography|
|"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"|
|Other Thurber stories|
James Thurber
Biography and related links.
Pathfinder: James Grover Thurber
Biography, reviews, links to related sites, even a Thurber quiz.
Thurber House
Biography, quotable quotes, and more.
Graphic Organizer for Active Reading
This 3-page handout includes a graphic organizer, vocabulary, and editing practice. Access requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"
Vocabulary, guided reading questions, related notes.
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" Continues ...
After analyzing the structure of the story, students create another episode in Walter Mitty's secret life. Lesson includes graphic organizer.
Vocabulary from "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"
A list of 114 words. On the "definitions" tab, find a definition, audio pronunication, synonym, and examples of the word in current use. On the "Notes & Examples" tab, find a definition and the word in context of the novel. On the "Words Only" tab, the list of all of the words in that section.
"A Box to Hide In"
Introduction and text of the story, available in both PDF and Google Docs formats.
James Thurber, "The Catbird Seat"
Six questions for discussion and/or writing. This document requires MS-Word for access.
"The Day the Dam Broke" and Other Stories
Using Thurber stories as models, students will write humorous stories about their own families or friends. They will learn about the elements of humor writing, as well as plot, setting, character development, and parody. They will also have opportunities to write and illustrate their own stories and fables, mirroring Thurber’s style. This 12-page document requires Adobe Reader for access.
"The Lady on the Bookcase"
Introduction and text of the essay, available in both PDF and Google Docs formats.
"The Little Girl and the Wolf"
Text of the story.
"The Unicorn in the Garden"
An online text of the story.
"You Could Look it Up"
Introduction and text of the story. Available in both PDF and Google Docs versions.
"The Wood Duck"
In this podcast Jonathan Lethem reads James Thurber's short story "The Wood Duck" and discusses Thurber with The New Yorker's fiction editor, Deborah Treisman.
