Goosebumps “Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes” from the popular book by R.L. I haven’t had a chance to watch the new one yet. There is a more modern version from 2020 also available with Anne Hathaway. The Witches from 1990 with Angelica Huston. “The Lamb to the Slaughter” from Alfred Hitchcock Presents. A few of my favorite ones for the spooky season include: This would be the perfect activity to do on celebratory days when kids are excited about outside festivities. I find that it helps with reading comprehension and higher order thinking skills, such as evaluating.

I always use film versions of works with my students. Using Goosebumps in an online tutoring session with an 8th grade student. The laugh in the very beginning is chilling! Danielson and his reading of “The Tell-Tale Heart”. Many students dislike taking turns reading aloud in class, so using dramatic readings with spooky short stories is a great way to read a text. This will vary based on your grade level, class time, etc., so feel free to make adjustments based on your classroom.

Once you know what texts you’ll be using, it’s time to determine what learning activities to provide for your kiddos. Instead of trying to focus on many different aspects of a work, by choosing just one I can dive deeper into the text with students. For instance, with “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” I focus on direct and indirect characterization. When using short stories, I usually have a main focus for each story. “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving. “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe. “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe. Below are some of my favorite spooky short stories to use with middle schoolers. When choosing which short stories you use with your class, keep in mind the maturity level along with the reading level. This age group is not into the “kiddie” scary stuff, but not quite ready for the adult world of horror. Students can respond verbally, in a journal, on a Padlet, etc. I strongly suggest reading for about 10 minutes a day and then have students answer a question based on the reading for 2-3 minutes. This Great Illustrated Classics version does a wonderful job making this story easy to read for students. These Edgar Allan Poe stories have been turned into a Great Illustrated Classics book. Tales of Mystery and Terror adapted by Marjorie P. The Witches by Roald Dahl (there is also a really great graphic novel version!)Ī Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket Spooky read-aloud books for middle school.īunnicula by Deborah and James Howe (there is also a graphic novel version!)

Revenge of lawn gnomes