Scary Stories for English Class: Graded Readers

By Walton Burns

Looking for short stories to get your class in the Halloween spirit?
Want to introduce your ESL students to some great American urban legends?
Looking for quick and easy reads for the horror lover in your class?
This collection of 16 classic creepy stories or urban legends are just the thing! Don't worry, they're classroom-safe with minimal gore or blood and maximum suspense and twist. A few are even funny or a bit touching. Introduce your class to:

• The Hook - two friends drive off ripping the hook off of a hook-handed killer who was about to attack them
• Don't Turn on the Lights - a college students' roommate is killed while she's in the room
• The Last Ride - a boy who died on a Ferris wheel surprises a new fair worker
• The Warning - a woman thinks the man flashing his high beams at her is a killer, but the truth is much worse!
• Teddy Bear - a young woman discovers the ghost in her house loves stuffed animals as much as she does.
• and more....

The book also contains comprehension questions at the back that fit any story. Four story starter prompts let students create their own scary stories!

It's perfect as a graded reader, a fun Halloween treat, or a the beginning of a writing unit for students to create their own scary stories.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alphabet Publishing
• Release date: Oct 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781956159110

Book preview

Copyright

ISBN: 978-1-956159-11-0 (ebook)

Copyright © 2021 by Walton Burns

All rights reserved.

Our authors, editors, and designers work hard to develop original, high-quality content. They deserve compensation. Please respect their efforts and their rights under copyright law. Do not copy, photocopy, or reproduce this book or any part of this book (unless the page is marked PHOTOCOPIABLE) for use inside or outside the classroom, in commercial or non-commercial settings. It is also forbidden to copy, adapt, or reuse this book or any part of this book for use on websites, blogs, or third-party lesson-sharing websites.

For permission requests, write to the publisher at ATTN: Permissions, at the address below:

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The stories in this book are adapted from traditional or well-known stories. They have been rewritten by the author and do not violate copyright. However, if you feel your copyright has been violated, get in touch at the address above.

Table of Contents

Copyright

Table of Contents

Introduction

Don't Turn on the Lights!

The Red Spot

The Ghost Hitchhiker

The Hook

The Statue

Helping Hands

Scary Movie

The Last Ride

The Loyal Dog

Teddy Bear

My Ghost Will Get You

The New Pet

The Phone Call

Hide and Seek

The Closet

The Warning

Story Starters

Story Starter: My Best Friend

Story Starter: The Graveyard

Story Starter: The Bite

Story Starter: The Haunted House

Comprehension Questions

About Alphabet Publishing

Introduction

This is a collection of scary stories that I use with my students around Halloween time. Some mention blood or knives or dead people but none are very gory. Instead, they rely on suspense and surprising revelations to scare the reader. A few mention dating or relationships, but none feature teenagers making out or any of the sexually charged tropes you find in horror stories.

I've also kept them short and pretty simple so that they are accessible to all levels. However, I've kept some idiomatic or colloquial phrases in for students to learn. I've also kept some Halloween/horror words in.

There are a lot of ways to use these in class.

●  Many of them