Here’s a quick lesson I’ve put together for Halloween that will serve two purposes. First, we’ve been pushing ourselves the last three weeks digging into our choice novels and need something a little out of the routine and fun. (All work and no play make Mrs. Barber and AP Lit students a dull crowd). Second, I try to build in low stakes fun lessons that still move students forward, and this lesson checks all of those boxes. AND – it’s seasonal. The timing worked perfectly this year. Here’s my plan:

We’re going to begin watching these two horror shorts and talk about what makes good horror – in general and in each of these specifically.

These will warm us up for writing, and what’s better to write than two-sentence horror stories? Two sentence horror stories have been around for a while originally getting their start on Reddit (from my best understanding) and have gained popularity over the years even to the point of a Netflix series. I think these are the perfect mentor texts for bite-size writing work, and the “horror” provides a focus for the task.

We’ll start by looking at a few mentor texts which I found here. Here’s a couple:

We will go through a few discussing what makes them effective. I’ll ask students to pay attention to selection of detail, syntax, diction, structure, and overall style as they read and discuss. Other options could include punctuation, clauses, sentence types – the options are endless. Then students will write a own two sentence horror story – either on their own or with a partner – using their own creativity for ideas and the mentor texts and discussion to guide their writing style.

After students write their own, they’ll review and give feedback on a friend’s story then revise. In addition to the peer feedback, I’ll encourage students to think about how to elevate their story specifically through verbs and adjectives and/or simplify the narrative because details that are omitted are sometimes just as effective as ones that are given, especially in horror.

 Finally, students will tape their two sentence horror story in the hall for a gallery walk. After students read all of the stories, they vote on their favorite by placing a star on it, and we declare a class winner.

I like this activity because it’s simple and engaging yet allows students to work on writing at the sentence level. Here’s a link to my full slide deck. Use what you can and enjoy (insert diabolical laugh here).

Susan Barber teaches AP Lit and Writers Workshop/Advanced Composition at Midtown High School in Atlanta, Georgia and serves as the College Board Advisor for AP Lit. In addition to reading, writing, and investing in the next generation, she loves watching college football with her family especially when Alabama is playing.