"Elements of Literature" is an excellent text for short stories. Its selection includes such works as Connell's "Most Dangerous Game," an exciting, easily understood adventure that precisely reinforces the narrative arc from exposition to resolution. Students should find Hughes' "Thank You Ma'am" a fascinating contrast since it is a two-person character study that introduces them to the use of dialogue as characterization. Bradbury's "The Golden Kite, the Silver Wind" is a splendid first look at allegory and symbolism, and Thurber's "Princess and the Tin Box" is an enchanting fairy tale reversal that introduces them to satire.
An excellent freshman text for poetry is "The Bedford Introduction to Literature," which labels works by the academic terms they exemplify. The "Imagery" section includes Roethke's "Root Cellar," which creates living characterizations out of the descriptions of vegetables, which is a great start for a student writing project. Its "Meter" section includes Sandburg's "Chicago," which achieves effects through repetition, an introduction to parallelism. Dickinson's sonnets are easily understood, but they are compared to Shakespearean sonnets for a look at poetic complexity. Connecting works to literary devices ensures retention of poem and vocabulary and opens students to poetic possibilities beyond mere rhymes.
A fine text for nonfiction at freshman level is "Literature: Grade 9," which includes works specifically aligned to the Common Core State Standards. Informational reading is conveyed by typical works such as Useem's "The Race to Save Apollo 13," a piece that evokes fine-tuned suspense as realistic as that of fiction. Memoir nonfiction includes works such Lam's "Letter to a Young Refugee from Another," which is a "hands across the culture" piece demonstrating racial brotherhood in the face of intolerance. To top it off, Keillor's "How to Write a Letter" is fine satire, poking gentle fun at nonfiction informational pieces.
The texts discussed here are by no means the only ones available, nor has this piece listed all typical freshman literature. Other favorites are Ross' "Defense of the Jury System," an excellent persuasive work that begins fascinating classroom discussions when compared to current court cases, or Frost's "Stopping by Woods," where students learn the simplest word choices can be the most eloquent. These are some typical freshman literature pieces that can act as springboards for excellent lessons.