At least once a year, one of my freshmen would ask me why everything we read in 9th grade English was so depressing. A quick look at our curriculum revealed they did have a point. Romeo and Juliet, Of Mice and Men, and short stories like “Lamb to the Slaughter” and “The Most Dangerous Game” all told tales of death and despair. While all are excellent, I began to wonder if I could find some different texts to add to the mix. It turns out, while scary short stories and dramatic short stories are easy to find, good funny short stories for middle and high school students are a bit trickier to track down.
With that in mind, here’s a list of funny short stories to use in your classroom when you want to bring a bit of humor to your lesson. Plus, fill out the form on this page to receive your own copy of a selection of the funny short stories below!