Description
Engage your students with this complete, ready-to-use lesson for Flannery O’Connor’s classic short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find.” Designed for high school ELA, this resource saves prep time while encouraging critical thinking, close reading, and rich class discussion.
Students begin with an anticipation guide to activate prior knowledge and prepare for the story’s complex themes. As they read, they build understanding through academic vocabulary instruction with guided student notes, group reading questions, and structured opportunities to analyze character, theme, irony, and author’s purpose. The lesson culminates in an extended response question that requires students to support their ideas with textual evidence and thoughtful analysis. A complete answer key is included to streamline grading and support instruction.
This lesson works especially well within a short story unit, American literature curriculum, or as focused literary analysis practice for upper secondary students.
Content Advisory: This text includes derogatory racial language reflective of its historical context. It is recommended that teachers preview the story in advance and prepare students for sensitive content through discussion and context-setting.