Predicting in (scary) Narratives
With Halloween approaching, the Sharks engaged in a writing activity in which, in groups of four, they wrote "spun scary" stories. The students started with a writing prompt. They then had two minutes to add to the prompt. They then passed their papers to the person to their right, who would then have three minutes to read and add to the already started story. The next person had four minutes to do the same, and the fourth person had five minutes to create an ending (a resolution) to the scary narrative. With their completed stories, the students discussed how they had to use the skill of prediction to determine the next event in the story. Included below are the three stories that the students voted as the best.
My Friends and I were trying to decide who was the
bravest. Nobody even mentioned me. True, I was normally the last to try anything new.
I was too afraid to watch scary movies; I hated riding roller coasters; I never
went outside at night by myself; I still slept with a night-light. Even though I was
terrified of everything I wanted my friends to believe I wasn't a baby. I did the
stupidest thing anybody could do! I volunteered to go into the old abandoned prison
by myself for fifteen full minutes! There was no way out now. I had to do it!
I knew if I tuned back they would laugh and call me a baby. I also knew that
if I did it I would feel good about myself. So I had to do it. I walked around
thinking I was cool and I wasn't going to prove I was a baby. I was just walking
around and thinking now I know they won't call me a baby and I would be the bravest of my
friends. Then this scream came out of nowhere followed by loud bangs that sounded
like footsteps. As I stood there the noise was getting closer and closer. Then
another scream. I tried to turn and run but I was captured in a cage. How I got in
it I didn't know. I was definitely stuck. I was so scared that I
didn't know what to do. I thought to myself, "What would happen to me
next?" The steps got as loud as they could and then stopped. About that
time my friends turned on their flashlights and yelled, "SURPRISE!" Now I
sleep without a night light; go outside by myself; ride new roller coasters; and watch the
scariest movies ever!
Brittany D., Ashley N., Chris G., Kurt V.
I loved our regular home room teacher. She was the coolest. I don’t know what exactly happened to her; she just quit coming to school. And the lady they got to replace her gave me the chills. It all started making sense in October, when this new weirdo teacher... I am glad that she is gone but what really happened to Mrs. Hendrick when she just quite coming to school. She probably got sick or tied of her second block class which had Steve in it. She probably was fed up with her third block because Dave joined that class. She was tired of his trouble making and Steve’s joking around. The new teachers name was Garth Brooks a former country singer that went broke from a case of streap throat. He is so weird, he sings the lesson in country. Like this. . . "You students just better get your act together or you’ll end up in detention or maybe get expelled you got that?" Well one day he came to school with a guitar and said today's lesson will be sung. If you don't sing the answer you will get two infractions. Pretty strict huh? About the time got fed up, a little monster came out and started to eat my friends and then started to dance around. Half of the class that ran away to the principal's office. I couldn't because I was already in trouble so I went outside. The monster followed me and soon ate the whole school up. Caleb M., Tripp C., Anna A., David M.
The old lady stood motionless in the cool October
breeze. I knew she seemed out of place in the tiny town of Mt. Holly, but I couldn't put
my finger on just why. But as I stepped a bit closer to her...big ugly feet. They were
green and had fungus. She looked at me and her teeth were rotting away to nasty brown
spots in her mouth. Then I noticed she had spiders crawling all over her arms. They were
sucking the blood right out of her body. On her face was a great big mole. Yuck!! She was
really scary! Then the mole started growing fur, you could make a carpet out of that
stuff. Ewww... Next her big fat belly swelled up like the "Goodyear blimp"! She
was huge, I felt like screaming "Kool Aid". But from the way she looked she
might have turned me into a frog or something. She threw up and caused a flood but after
that she was skinny. Then she threw me in the back of her trunk. When she got home
she put me in the oven at 365 degrees. Then she ate me for a lunch time snack.
Shannon H., Mark L., Kinsey C., Corey F.
