Due: Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Your Halloween Story
Must Haves and Should Haves:
- Title, Name and Date
- Layout: Single or Double Space and Indent Each Paragraph
- No unnecessary and distracting details (or characters)
- Conventions: spelling / sentences / paragraphs / punctuation
- Not more than 3 "named" characters.
- Story happens at one setting and in a brief timeframe; minutes rather than hours
- Story happens at only one setting
- 1 - 4 typed pages; 2-8 written pages
- 12-point text
- A Halloween-y, spooky theme
- Limited dialogue. "Tell," don't "talk" the story (see "On Dialogue" page on the blog).
- A simple problem (ex. Zombies have surrounded the haunted house and I need to escape)
- An ending that resolves the problem (ex. I call up the school bully and invite him over to "a party", thereby creating a distraction when he arrives, giving me time to escape... The sacrificial bully is a horror movie staple!)
For this work, the focus will be on Ideas. These are the keys to Ideas:
- The piece has a MAIN idea, message, point to make or story to tell.
- The main message is clear and easy to understand.
- Writer knows the topic or story well.
- Writer chooses important, interesting details to expand the message.
- Details make a picture in the reader’s mind or create a strong impression.
- The piece holds the reader’s attention.
Wordstorm 2017:
Class Wordstorm 2015:
Class Wordstorm 2014:
Class Wordstorm 2013:
Note: This story was written by a grade 5 student. It is an example of the kind of writing that Mr. Pite is looking for in the Spooky Story. How would you improve this story? What revisions would you suggest to the author?
Halloween Night 2010 – By B.R.
It was a dark and misty night. I stepped outside of my home and heard an owl hooting. My black rough cat, Sumi, jumped after a bat.
I could hear the sound of metal clanking against pavement and the smell of newts eyes.
“Something isn’t right” I said to myself as I walked over to a bench where my friends and me gather. As I walked the smell got stronger and the sound got louder. Then someone spoke.
“Hello friend.” I turned around quivering. A bolt of lightening told me I should run. A man I had never seen before stood there. His hand outstretched as he was looking at me with yellow eyes and no pupils. He stood there staring at me. I turned and ran for my dear life. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something green come out of the man’s finger. Ropes suddenly appeared tangling around my arms and legs. I tripped and hit the ground hard. Another green light shot of something. I saw a black stick. It was a wand. I was lifted off the ground.
Then something blue appeared and a flash of red light. I was slowly lowered and hit the ground softly. The ropes came loose from me and the man was gone. With relief and surprise I was standing mysteriously in my yard. Trembling, I looked up and saw all my friends running towards me.
“Are you ok?” they queried.
“Ya, fine thanks.” Pow! A dark green bag appeared in my hands. It was rattling. I opened the bag and inside was candy the size of small watermelons.
“Holy smokes,” said Alex.
“Let’s eat,” said Owen.
“Let’s go get more candy,” I said.
“Ya” they all said at once and so we all walked off together to start trick or treating.
