Focus on Genre: Short Story

A short story is brief narrative fiction. It often focuses on one event. You learn about the main character through the event.

Paragraphs separate story ideas into understandable parts. Writers may include pull quotes with interesting text from the story. Pull quotes catch the reader’s attention. Short stories also may have illustrations for interest.

They stretch their necks and shake their heads.

Look at that strange boy! pull quote

Ikarus Jackson, a new boy on my block, is flying above the rooftops. He is swooping and diving, looping past people’s windows and over the crowd.

paragraph

Your Job as a Reader: Reading Strategy: Synthesize

As youread“Wings,”write notes in a Comparison Chart. Then do the same for the myth. When you’ve finished reading both selections, note their similarities and differences.

Photograph of the title page for the selection “Wings”