Focus on building suspense as well as evaluating web sites through creative writing. After introducing the idea of suspense and holding a discussion, class members complete a WebQuest, during which they find inspiration for their own...

This creepy fantasy story needs an ending! Learners use a spooky voice to read a short story ending at an ellipsis...what was in the dark, dark box? They illustrate what they think could have been in there and write a title for the...

The class evaluates whether or not the provided story openings are traditional or not. However, the creator of this presentation focuses on fairy tale openings as traditional, neglecting the fact that several of the chosen openings could...

In this fill in the blank learning exercise, students fill in blanks throughout the learning exercise to make a fun story. The learning exercise is a Halloween theme and helps students work on their writing skills.

At the beginning of this Halloween lesson, learners generate a list of spooky characters and words that they will use when creating their original stories. Teams of 3-4 members create the stories together. The lesson includes a handy...

Students rewrite the beginning of a story. In this writing instructional activity, students read stories from Spooky South by S.E. Schlosser in order to gain exposure to different ways to begin a story. Then, students chose one of the...

Second graders write a Halloween story. In this combined technology and writing instructional activity, 2nd graders create a Halloween picture using KidPix, insert it into Microsoft Word, and then write a story to correspond with the...

That tricky Anansi! Join him and Turtle in the story Anansi and Turtle Go to Dinner by Bobby and Sherry Norfolk, based on the African folktale. Kids answer comprehension questions and sing songs about spiders before creating spider...

Pupils read an "All Day Nightmare" by R.L. Stine. They use the interactive book to choose the plot at the end of each chapter. They also complete an open-ended story.

Looking for a Halloween-themed vocabulary lesson? Study words in context using Zoe Hall's story It's Pumpkin Time, an excellent informational text for budding readers. The spooky suggested words are: buds, gather, hollow,...

Bring Edgar Allan Poe's spooky story to life! After reading the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart," middle and high schoolers identify the theme, character traits, irony, and other story concepts. During pre-reading, they take notes,...

For this "The Tell-Tale Heart" worksheet, students write an essay about how Edgar Allan Poe keeps the reader in suspense. The worksheet helps students construct the essay through eleven different scaffolding steps.

For this review of The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding worksheet, 6th graders answer questions in the sections Before you Begin, What to Do Next, and Chapters One, Two, Three, and Four. Students write 29 answers.

Students consider how an author creates a feeling of suspense in a reader's mind. They analyze characters in the story. Students make a character map for Peter. They discuss how suspense unfolds in the novel Number the Stars.

Students carve pumpkins, draw pictures and label layers of a seed, and write steps needed to carve pumpkin.

Students explore language arts by reading a children's book in class. In this vocabulary identification activity, students read the book The Grouchy Ladybug and answer study questions about the story. Students define a list of vocabulary...

In this interpreting tone and feeling worksheet, students examine 6 sets of sentences and select the words that best describe the tone of the sentences. An example is included.

In this reading worksheet, students read and learn about writers' use of figurative language to create vivid pictures with words. Students are directed to specific pages in The Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman and answer 20 questions...

Students make predictions about a book they are reading and use their background knowledge to make inferences. In this predictions lesson plan, students complete a worksheet that they are given.

In this setting worksheet, students fill out a chart for seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting, and hearing in a setting. Students complete 20 boxes total in the chart.

Students explore the idea of 'monsters' in society. In this character lesson, students define what a monster is, what purpose they serve and why they are necessary. They will go on the read Beowulf and Grendel and design their own...

Students engage in a variety of pumpkin activities. This lesson is especially rich for ESL students, who probably have little experience with this holiday and custom.