For my assignment I choose some horror microfiction as my text with the lesson being to identify and list any words that contribute to the tone or atmosphere of horror. Students then used that as a warm up to a madlib-style activity where they filled in a narrative paragraph with first happy words and then horror words and reflected upon the difference.
- The last thing I saw was my alarm clock flashing 12:07 before she pushed her long rotting nails through my chest, her other hand muffling my screams. I sat bolt upright, relieved it was only a dream, but as I saw my alarm clock read 12:06, I heard my closet door creak open.
- A girl heard her mom yell her name from downstairs, so she got up and started to head down. As she got to the stairs, her mom pulled her into her room and said “I heard that, too.”
- My wife woke me up last night to tell me there was an intruder in our house. She was murdered by an intruder 2 years ago.
- There’s nothing like the laughter of a baby. Unless it’s 1 a.m. and you’re home alone.