Fifth graders in English & Language Arts begin their school year with a personal narrative writing unit. They learn and hone the craft of writing while developing a story. Jumping off that success, Middle School English Teacher Beth Garcia came up with a creative, seasonal way for her students to continue refining their skills. « To spiral the writing skills students learned in that first unit, I designed a second narrative writing unit in the month of October, but this time students wrote spooky, suspenseful fictional stories, » she explained.
Students had the freedom to create their own characters, settings, and plots, but their goal was to keep the mood of the story spooky and suspenseful. Garcia continued, « We talked about wanting to keep their readers on the edge of their seats by building tension throughout the story. » Her scribes went through the writing process over several weeks: planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. They worked on creating engaging leads to hook their readers’ attention from the start, and authentic dialogue to develop the characters and the plot. They learned the adage every writer tries to abide by: show, don’t tell. Descriptions and sensory details help the reader feel like they are in the story with the characters. They studied transition words and proper paragraphing to keep their stories organized and easy to follow, and they chose strong words that are both specific and interesting. A clear plot with setting, characters, and sequence of events includes a conflict and its resolution. Finally, they concentrated on writing ends that effectively close their stories.
« It was wonderful to see how much growth my fifth-grade students made from the first writing unit to the second, » said Garcia. « They took the feedback from the first assignment and used it to make their second writing pieces even stronger. »
To finish the unit, she created a spooky storytelling festival. « We ended the unit in a celebratory way; students shared their stories in small groups–in the dark, using only flashlights! It was fun to see the students’ reactions to their friends’ stories! »
Check out these great excerpts from our talented fifth-grade writers:
Jackson Carty ’32: Henry looked outside to see the fog eliminating the sun from sight. […] Lightning flashed above the house as rain started pouring down.
Aria Coff ’32: “Claire, Claire!” Alice shouted. She walked and walked all around the graveyard, but no one was there. Then Alice heard Claire scream. That was the last time Alice ever heard Claire.
Aliya Cowley ’32: If you read this, it will be the last thing you ever read. […] Watch your back and watch your friends’ backs. You never know when he will come again.
Priyanka Gandhi ’32: The wind howled as I walked along the dark street, illuminated only by street lights. I heard a cackle, and I just thought that it’s another house decorated for Halloween. I knew that there was nothing to be scared of and that I just needed to get to my friend’s house. Suddenly, I saw a shadow race across the street. Probably just a trick of the light, I thought to myself, but I knew that it probably wasn’t.
Caroline Hill ’32: A scrappy old scarecrow stood in the front yard. There was sinister fog on top of it. As we approached the house, the smell of fear filled the air. Crunch Crunch went the leaves beneath our feet. CREEEEEEEEEEEK, went the steps. Then we took even more tentative steps than before. When we reached the porch, the lights turned red. As we opened the door, a distant scream came from upstairs. BOOOOOOOM, went the thunder. The lights started to flicker. Click, something went suddenly, and all the lights shut off. We desperately tried to get out, but the door was locked. […] Darkness covered the inside of the house like a thick blanket.
Emma Kay ’32: In the distance, I thought I saw a pair of deadly eyes–eyes that pierced through my soul. They were red, the color of blood.
Nora Lurk ’32: The air was thick with fog and mist, and the rustic old house looked eerie and chilling. They heard wolves howling in the distance. Flash! They saw lightning, and it started to storm. The ground was muddy, so they hurried toward the house, but the mist and fog made it hard to see. They stepped onto the porch and heard creaking as they walked to the old, rustic door. The door was heavy and creaked as they turned the knob. […] They took one step at a time, and, as soon as they entered, the door slammed shut! They spun around in fear, looking at the door.
Allie Masiel ’32: “Come out, Quinn. You’ve been hiding for too long!” I screamed. Something inside me told me Quinn was not okay. We scanned the whole forest for Quinn, but she was nowhere to be found. But, something in my gut told me Quinn was close by.
Elizabeth Podgorny ’32: The long shadows of the night draped the house like a blanket. The smell of rotting wood filled my nose, and the rusty handle scraped against my hand as I opened the front door. I took the first step into the house, and I said to Ella, “Look at all these spider webs! Watch out, so you don’t get tangled up in it!”
Daniel Watanabe Soufen ’32: They both exited into the hallway as fast as possible. The lighting was dim, and they both saw something that made Alice wince. There was a silhouette, perhaps even more scary than the last one. It was across the hall, and it looked like it was staring deep into their souls.
Adiya Zei ’32: Ash tiptoed down the stairs into the basement. The stairs gave out the same creak, groan, creak, groan as they had the last time she walked them. But this time, they sounded louder and more creaky. She hesitated, then opened the door. No sooner than she had stepped in, she heard a whoosh of wind and the click of a lock. She was trapped. “Who are you! Show yourself!” Ash yelled.
Garcia is thrilled with the results. « This assignment really allowed their creativity to shine! » she said. « While every story was unique, they all really hit the mark when it came to creating a spooky, suspenseful mood. I am excited to see how they continue to grow as writers as the year continues! »