Mark Twain's Short Stories and Essays

|Mark Twain: Background, Criticism, and E-Texts| |Adventures of Huckleberry Finn| |The Adventures of Tom Sawyer| |A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court| |Mark Twain's Short Stories| |The Prince and the Pauper| |Roughing It|

"The Californian's Tale"
This lesson is designed for 7th and 8th grade and focuses on reading skills. Access to this 17-page document requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.

"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"
This SCORE cyberguide offers five standards-based activities representing a variety of approaches to the story.

"Encounter with an Interviewer"
Lesson plan to support the story. Access to this 3-page document requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.

"Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses"
Text of the essay.

"Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses"
Text of the essay with pictures and links to other selections by Twain.

"How I Edited an Agricultural Paper Once"
Lesson plan to support the story, with emphasis on satire and humor. Access to this 10-page document requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.

"How I Edited an Agricultural Paper"
Follow the links to listen to an audio file OR to listen and read at the same time.

"How the Chimney-Sweep Got the Ear of the Emperor"
Introduction, text, and hypertext.

Jim Smiley and his Jumping Frog
This lesson uses parts of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" in a lesson designed for grades 3-5. Access requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.

"Journalism in Tennessee"
This 3-day lesson is designed for high school students. Access to this 4-page document requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.

"The Invalid's Story"
Text of the story, downloadable and printable.

"The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg"
Online text of the story, printable and downloadable.

Mark Twain, "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"
Six questions for discussion and/or writing. This document requires MS-Word for access.

Make an Origami Jumping Frog
The instructions are presented in two-color pictures and are easy to follow.

Mark Twain and American Humor from EdSitement
In this three-part lesson, students examine structure and characterization in the short story and consider the significance of humor through a study of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County."

Mark Twain and Laughter
In this WebQuest students read an excerpt from Life on the Mississippi, short stories, and one-liners as they analyze Twain's humor and compare it to that of modern comedians.

"The McWilliamses and the Burglar Alarm"
This lesson is designed for upper elementary students and emphasizes humor and business letter format. Accessing the 6-page document requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.

"The Million-Pound Bank Note"
This lesson focuses on the humor in the story. It is designed for grades 7-9. This 7-page document includes a picture of the Twain birthplace and of a British 5-pound note. It requires Adobe Reader or compatible application for access.

Mrs. McWilliams and the Lightning
This lesson focuses on irony, vocabulary, sensory details, and dialog. It's designed for upper elementary grades. Access requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.

"A Murder, A Mystery, and a Marriage"
This PBS site offers insights into this story and Twain's life. The "Forum" link offers answers to questions about Twain's writing in general.

"On the Decay of the Art of Lying"
Follow the links to listen to an audio file OR to listen and read at the same time.

"Taming the Bicycle"
Designed for 8th grade, this lesson focuses on vocabulary and on explaining a process. Access requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.

"A True Story, Repeated Word for Word as I Heard It"
Text of the story.