Halloween has always been one of my absolute
favorite holidays. As a kid, I usually had my costume picked out by my birthday
in the summer and couldn’t wait to go trick or treating with my friends. The
amount of loot we made out with every year still blows my mind… I mean, who
really needs 86lbs of candy? It’s insane. I’m pretty sure that’s when my sugar
addition and subsequent tooth decay started, but that’s not what this post is
all about.
Beyond the costumes and candy, Halloween is the
official kickoff of the holiday season. It’s a time for haunted houses and
ghost stories. A time for FUN. And that’s what this week is all about.
In language arts, we’ve been working on
narrative writing so I decided to shake things up with some good ol’ scary
stories. I’m not a huge fan of horror in general, but the students love them
and they’re great for teaching elements of good narrative writing.
We started the lesson with a couple of spooky
tales from this AWESOME website. I read the first one aloud in our reading area
while we pretended to be around a campfire at night. Then we brainstormed
together on the white board about what elements make up a scary story. Here’s a
look at what we came up with:
Excuse my messy board
Later, I turned them loose to start drafting
their own haunted stories that they will share later in the week with the
class.
Because I’m trying to find new and interesting
ways for my students to present their work with 6 + 1 traits, I am going to
have them voice record their stories and use editing software to add creepy
sound effects to the background. I’m really excited to see the finished
products. I promise to post more on these when I have them completed. Until
then, enjoy some Halloween candy for meL
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