Students in Mr. Matzkanin’s middle school class at Hopkins-Lloyd Community School wrote scary stories and decorated a scarythemed wall to display their stories. The student authors/artists are in a comprehensive academic unit (special education) for grades 6-8. Before they started writing the stories, students created a graphic organizer with story elements – including characters, settings and a plot twist – in order to focus on an intended audience. The students spent about two weeks creating and rewriting their original story. Students used techniques such as: peer editing, teacher conferencing and listening to other stories. On the decorative side, students created a hand-painted paper mural and added many details including: real leaves, branches, tombstones and other little touches. The students decided to write creative stories that align with the Halloween season, adding scary elements associated with the holiday. Students also shared their stories with younger students at the school.
