4-Minute Video on Novel Studies, Including Author’s Craft and Spooky Personal Narratives
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“I hope my students take away the feeling that fear is just that—it’s on the outside, and you can overcome it. You don’t have to become encompassed by being scared. Put yourself in the shoes of the character and find a way to solve the problem.” —Rachel Jamison
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It’s the season for spooky read-alouds! Rachel Jamison, a fifth grade teacher from Clubview Elementary in Columbus, Georgia, loves introducing her students to the chills and thrills of fall reading with R. L. Stine’s Night of the Living Dummy, the seventh installment of the scary (and kid-friendly) Goosebumps series.
Watch Rachel’s teacher review video to discover how you can use this spooky chapter book in your class to introduce students to the award-winning, bestselling Goosebumps series, and to try out some great lessons:
• Author’s Craft: Examine how R. L. Stine establishes mood early in the story through conflicting character traits. Encourage students to identify language, such as imagery and foreshadowing.
• Predictions: Every chapter of Night of the Living Dummy ends on a cliff-hanger. Encourage students to practice active reading by guessing what they think will happen in the next chapter.
• Spooky Personal Narratives: Students can listen to the book as it is read aloud and take notes on their experience. Then, once they finish the book, students can structure their notes to write a personal narrative.
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As students write their personal narratives, encourage them to use grammar-specific terms such as adverbs. This can connect back to when they examined the author’s craft and identified emotional terms as part of sensory language, such as happily, fearfully, and more.
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• Class Anchor Chart: Include details about character conflict, key settings, emotions, sensory images, and more for students to reference and add to as they read.
Try a classroom activity inspired by Rachel’s suggestions in this week’s Cooked Up from a Book!
How do you plan to use Goosebumps: Night of the Living Dummy with your class this fall? Please share with the Scholastic Book Clubs community on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #ScholasticBookClubs.
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This Book Is Available from Scholastic Book Clubs
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