Deconstructing Flash Fiction Changes How We Teach Reading and Writing. 

My favorite speech is The Gettysburg Address. 272 words. There is power in brevity.

Every word in a story, letter and speech matters, because words have the power of holding greater meanings while conveying emotions from different points of view. The use of deconstruction with flash fiction is a method of teaching students how to analyze and discover information about characters, motivations, and outcomes in the story.

Flash fiction stories are not new, but when the story is culturally relevant, students have an easier time connecting and can apply the learning through deconstruction. The best thing about flash fiction stories is they can grow with the reader, bringing new insights with each reading.

We have to go beyond plot, setting and characters with our students. They might be the foundation of story, but do not help convey the meaning of the story. We must take the time to teach our students to look at the higher concept. They must look at what is not said, what is said, and the underline meaning. Learn how to decipher emotions and ask why, but also, what are the motivations of the characters. We don’t have the time to deconstruct a novel in the classroom, but we can deconstruct a flash fiction story. Flash fiction helps students learn how to deconstruct and move on to novels and poetry.

As Lincoln inspired a nation with a speech, teachers can also inspire students with a flash fiction story to learn deconstruction. Teachers now have the tools with flash fiction in English and Spanish, videos, and workshops to achieve mastery in this methodology and inspire students for a lifetime.     

Comments from Austin Community College Dual Credit students. Elgin Campus. Summer 2024.

To make a great difference.

To be a more detailed reader.

To feel comfortable not feeling like it’s my fault to not comprehend.

It’s not my fault if I get lost in class.

Understanding different views and making connections.

Don’t use the word “that.”

The different ways of analyzing stories to understand titles and sayings.

To look for the more subtle, deeper meaning behind word choice.

To look deeper into words.

There aren’t bad kids; you just don’t know how to teach them.

What “huerco” means.

To read and dissect the title first.

To slow down to comprehend better, go chunk by chunk instead of just read and move on.

The 10% rule; he taught us a way to be concise is to remove 10% of useless words.

To annotate to better understand what I’ve read.

He made comprehension easier to attain and gave me more skills.

Awaken to the beauty you have.

I’ve been going to the ACC library and looking at short story collections because of this class. Less words are so hard to work with. It’s really pretty! I’ll read more.