The Lottery

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

ACTIVITY 1: Two-Sentence Horror Stories

After reading “The Lottery,” consider what makes the short story a staple of the horror genre. What is revealed about human nature, including the thematic motifs of The Scapegoat, Small Towns and Small Minds, and The Cruelty of Friends and Family, through the actions of the characters? Follow these steps to write your own horror story, using only two sentences:

• Read this classic example of the two-sentence horror story from Frederic Brown: “The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door…” Notice what is clearly stated in this example, as well as what is left for the reader to infer. What makes this very short story so terrifying?
• Brainstorm a list of possible scenarios for your two-sentence horror story. These could be common, everyday situations that reveal a surprising twist in the second sentence. Here are a couple of examples:
• Last night, I called an old friend to congratulate her. It was the ten-year anniversary of her death.
• Tom arrived home after his four-day business trip to Chicago. His wife opened the front door and exclaimed, “You’ve been missing for twenty years!”
• Choose one of the scenarios from your brainstorming session and write your own two-sentence horror story. For a challenge, aim to include one of the themes from “The Lottery”: The Scapegoat, Small Towns and Small Minds, or The Cruelty of Friends and Family.

Teaching Suggestion: “The Lottery” builds tension by not revealing the true meaning of the town’s “lottery” until the very end, then allows the reader to infer Tessie Hutchinson’s fate. Use this activity to engage students in creating their own horror stories that guide their readers to make an inference about the story.

Differentiation Suggestion: Artistic students may enjoy illustrating their two-sentence horror stories. Some students may benefit from completing this activity with a partner.

Paired Text Extension:

“Click Clack the Rattle Bag” by Neil Gaiman is an example of another horror story in which the audience must follow clues to infer the fate of the characters.

• Listen to the author, Neil Gaiman, read his story.
• As you listen, identify strategies that the author uses to build tension.
• After listening, explain the fate of the character. What evidence do you have to support your inference?

Teaching Suggestion: This story from Neil Gaiman provides an example of the horror genre that delves into the supernatural. Consider guiding students to pay close attention to the dialogue of the little boy, particularly when he is explaining what a “click clack” is to the older boy. Upon completing the story, look back at the dialogue to identify foreshadowing and specific choices made by the author to build tension.