The Thrill of Horror
Why do we love a good scare? This quarter we study how master storytellers build suspense, plant clues, and twist our expectations, from a nineteenth-century madman to an ancient epic and a modern graphic novel about the lord of the underworld.
- Essential Question IWhy do we sometimes like to feel frightened?
- Essential Question IIWhat are the strategies for feeling less scared when watching a scary movie?
By the end of this quarter, you will be able to…
These goals come from our curriculum guide. Every lesson in this quarter moves you toward at least one of them.
Your path through the quarter.
Each lesson is one 45-minute class period. Find each text in your literature textbook on the pages shown. Tap a lesson number to open that lesson. Numbers with dashed borders are coming soon.
Where the quarter is headed.
Read this now. Every lesson before it gives you a piece of what you will need.
Claiming Control or Tempting Fate?
In W. W. Jacobs’ short story “The Monkey’s Paw,” the characters wrestle with fate, consequence, and desire. After reading and annotating Parts I-III of the story, write an argument essay that addresses the following question: Does “The Monkey’s Paw” suggest that fate is predetermined and should not be tampered with, or that individuals are responsible for the consequences of their choices?
- Introduction: clearly state your argument (your claim) and preview the main points that support it.
- Three body paragraphs, one for each part of the story (Part I, Part II, Part III). In each: briefly summarize the key events, explain your personal reaction, analyze how the events support your argument, and include at least one piece of cited text evidence.
- Conclusion: reflect on how your understanding of the story’s message changed as the events unfolded, and reinforce your central claim.
The quarter closes with the Unit Test on HMH Ed.
Choose your own read.
Alongside our class texts, pick one Reader’s Choice title to read on your own this quarter. Summaries are in your textbook on pp. 158-159.
- FrankensteinEdward Field
- BloodZdravka Evtimova
- beware: do not read this poemIshmael Reed
- The OutsiderSandra Cisneros
- Carved on the WallsJudy Yung
- The GiverLois Lowry
- Beethoven in ParadiseBarbara O’Connor
- Brown Girl DreamingJacqueline Woodson
- Pick one of the texts and annotate the Notice and Note signposts you find.
- Use the Notice and Note Writing Frames to write about why the signposts matter.
- Compare your findings with classmates who read the same text.
Novels aligned to this unitThe Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson) · Coraline (Neil Gaiman) · Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Ransom Riggs)
Go further.
Optional enrichment from our curriculum guide. Your teacher may assign one, or you may choose one to go deeper.
Write a Short Story
Show what you have learned about the horror genre by writing a short story of your own. Brainstorm the horror elements you will use, then write.
Create a Movie Trailer
Create a trailer for an imagined movie adaptation of one of this quarter’s stories. How will it hook viewers? What sights and sounds will build a creepy mood? Which plot details will you reveal to build tension, and how will you end on suspense?
Standards this quarter.
South Carolina College and Career Ready ELA Standards (2023), Grade 8, as listed in the Quarter 1 curriculum guide.
View all 14 standards
- SC.ELA.AOR.9
- Build and apply a range of academic vocabulary, as well as grade-level appropriate morphology to apply to reading, writing, and speaking.
- SC.ELA.8.AOR.1.1
- Analyze how key elements contribute to the meaning of the text as a whole.
- SC.ELA.8.AOR.1.2
- Analyze how figurative language impacts mood, tone, and meaning in a text(s); explain an author’s use of symbolism.
- SC.ELA.8.AOR.2.1
- Analyze how key details contribute to the development of two or more themes within and across literary texts.
- SC.ELA.8.AOR.2.2
- Analyze how supporting details contribute to the development of two or more central ideas within and across informational texts.
- SC.ELA.8.AOR.6.1
- Summarize and/or paraphrase content from grade-level text to enhance comprehension.
- SC.ELA.8.AOR.7.1.b
- Use background or prior knowledge to determine or clarify the meanings of words.
- SC.ELA.8.AOR.8.1
- Interpret an author’s use of figurative, connotative, and technical language in literary, informational, and multimedia texts.
- SC.ELA.8.AOR.10.1
- Evaluate a text or subject presented through multimedia formats, and analyze how each media’s portrayal of the text or subject impacts the audience.
- SC.ELA.8.C.3.1.a
- Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience.
- SC.ELA.8.C.4.1.d
- Distinguish between and use active and passive voice and types of grammatical mood (indicative, subjunctive, conditional, imperative).
- SC.ELA.8.C.7.1
- Present claims and findings, emphasizing key ideas in a focused manner with relevant descriptions, facts, details, and examples.
- SC.ELA.8.C.7.1.a
- Demonstrate and adjust speaking techniques (eye contact, nonverbal cues, adequate volume, clear pronunciation, pacing).
- SC.ELA.8.C.7.1.b
- Convey a clear perspective with clear reasoning and valid evidence.
Overarching expectations practiced all year: read and write for many purposes, learn through multimedia, make inferences, collaborate and listen, cite evidence, and create quality work in an accepted format.