Flashback Teacher Resources
How did we get here? How did this happen? Flashbacks interrupt the current action in a story to portray events that happened prior to the events currently unfolding in a story.
Flashbacks are an effective literary device for engaging readers and foreshadowing the storyline/plot. When teaching literary analysis, guide learners to identify flashbacks, revealing the past to help explain the present. Find ideas for collaborating as a class or in small groups to establish chronology in a story. Hone students’ critical thinking skills by identifying flashbacks and their relation to the present action in the narrative. Determining how earlier events influenced current events in the story will also foster critical thinking and interpretation. A Lesson Before Dying, The Joy Luck Club, and A Bridge to Terabithia are great texts for investigating authors' use of flashbacks.