Spooky Story Winner

Last week I had some of my language groups create spooky stories. I told them the winner would receive the amazing opportunity to be featured on my blog (and they got a pencil or something but obviously the blog part was a WAY cooler reward).

The point of this activity was to help improve their oral expression, particularly regarding their ability to continue a story so that it makes logical sense. I provided the group with a story starter and then we took turns in the group with people adding to the story. After they had their idea in place, we all helped them to word it better. We expanded the utterances, adding in more complicated vocabulary, as well as descriptive words. The group members all worked together to make sure the grammar was correct and that the story was on track to follow a logical path. Below is the winning story. 

The Attic

by: The Friday Girls

Three years ago something happened to me that I will never forget. That night my friends and I were continuing our tradition of attending Spooky Walk. Two miles into the walk we all looked up in surprise as we noticed a large, dangerous-looking house. The house had a small cemetery in the front yard and it was surrounded by bare, twisted trees. In the spirit of Halloween I thought it would be a fun idea to explore the house. We crept up to the broken glass windows to peer inside in order to determine if someone lived there. We didn't see any people but we saw broken furniture, cobwebs, spiders, bats, a screeching black cat, and what looked like a pile of bones in the far corner. We dared each other to enter the house. 

As we approached the main door we heard a shrill, squeaking noise as it slowly started to open on its own. We heard someone walking up to us and as we turned our heads we noticed it was a man chasing us with an axe. In a panic, we all ran into the pitch black house and slammed and locked the door. We then scrambled up the stairs looking for a place to hide. The only way we could see was by the light of the moon until we found an oil lamp in a second floor bedroom. We nervously peeked out the window and saw the axe man outside waiting for us. Our hearts were beating fast as we huddled together trying to decide what to do next. 

We decided to explore the house for better hiding spots in case he entered inside. In the hallway we found a door that led to a set of narrow, wooden stairs leading up to a creepy attic. We thought this might be our best chance for survival. At the top of the stairs was the horrid sight of a skeleton covered in cobwebs sitting in a rocking chair. The attic door slammed shut and we heard a sound, like nails scratching on a chalkboard behind the door. Suddenly, the door opened and we beheld the figure of the man with an axe. He threw the axe on the floor and told us that he was a ghostly inhabitant of the house and he had been trying to warn us that the house is haunted and that people who enter the house can never leave. This is why I am writing this story from that very attic.