“That if any House be Infected, the sick person or persons be forthwith removed…for the preservation of the rest of the Family…be shut up for fourty days, and have a Red Cross, and Lord have mercy upon us, in Capital Letters affixed on the door…”
King Charles II, Orders for prevention of the Plague
What Will You Learn?
The purpose of this unit is to provide students with an opportunity to explore ideas worth teaching. Ideas such as trust, justice, mercy, and ethics will be explored through the various short stories found herein.
What are these short stories about?
A mysterious plague has struck, leaving the world reeling. Humanity is faced with the unthinkable – a pandemic that strikes without mercy and doesn’t just kill its victims. Instead, those who fall to the mysterious plague are doomed to rise again – as undead zombies.
People must confront their fears in order to save themselves and their loved ones.
These stories are not intended to be horror stories. There isn’t much blood and gore. Why not? Because blood and gore are boring. I don’t write stories about such things. I write stories about people. People are much more interesting than disgusting depictions of entrails spread across a living room floor…
Wait. That was gory. And gross. Don’t worry though. That was about as gory as things are going to get. Well, mostly.
In these tales, the question looms…what will you do when the dead have risen?
There are no Pre or Post-Reading Questions. There are 5 writing prompts at the end of the publication.
Enjoy…and good luck!
Something to Teach: The Risen includes the following short stories:
Title: Paranoia
Idea Worth Teaching: Trust
Word Count: 4,060 words
Summary: A father witnesses an accident. In an instant he knows…something. But can he trust his gut? Or is he just being paranoid?
Title: Experientia Docet
Idea Worth Teaching: Justice
Word Count: 1,888 words
Summary: In a world that’s about to be torn apart, a young man learns a valuable lesson…in fear.
Title: Carpet Diem
Idea Worth Teaching: Family
Word Count: 3,562 words
Summary: A man who must save his family. They are in danger and he cannot hesitate. He must sieze the moment…with scant resources to help him.
Title: Carnivore
Idea Worth Teaching: Prudence
Word Count: 1,964 words
Summary: A college campus is home to moral outrage…and the risen dead.
Title: Stranger on Campus
Idea Worth Teaching: Ethics
Word Count: 4,708 words
Summary: A campus-wide lockdown throws a classroom into panic. One young man, however, refuses to give into fear.
Title: Judgment Day
Idea Worth Teaching: Evil
Word Count: 4,456 words
Summary: Sometimes Judgment Day doesn’t come in the form of a sentence handed down by a judge.
Title: Countdown
Idea Worth Teaching: Hope
Word Count: 1,190 words
Summary: When faced with a possible extinction event there is only one thing that will save humanity.