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.
Grades 4–8
6 Sessions, 45 Minutes Each
Narrative
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