Students will take a deeper dive into the exact elements of a ghost story to learn more about the horror genre.
What Your Students Will Learn
Students will learn how to analyze a mentor text for narrative elements and how to identify characteristics of ghost stories that make them unique from other genres.
Common core standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.D
Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.5
With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 4 here.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.3.D
Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.5
With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3.D
Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to convey experiences and events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.5
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3.D
Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.3.D
Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.5
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
Students will produce a ghost story that incorporates 3 elements they chose at random.
What You Will Need
Spooky Story Mentor Texts. Students will be broken up into 3 groups and given 1 of these stories to read and analyze together. You will need to print enough copies of each of these stories for every student in each group to have.
Print 3 or 4 copies of the Mix and Match Ghost Story Elements handout and cut out each individual rectangle. Place all of the Setting elements in one bag or basket; all of the Characters elements in a 2nd basket; and all of the About the Ghost(s) elements in a 3rd basket. You can fold the rectangles in half, to conceal them better, if you’d like.
Identify how you’d like to split your class up into 3 groups, as well as which story you’d like each group to read. Print off the appropriate number of mentor texts per group.
Make sure students’ definitions from the first session are visible.
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Grades 4–8
6 Sessions, 45 Minutes Each
Narrative
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