Halloween Close Reading Passages for Middle School - Halloween Activities

Halloween Close Reading For Middle School Students Featuring Excerpts from Spooky Stories from Classic Literature. These NO PREP Halloween activities are great for practicing close reading and annotation skills. Everything needed to get your students started with Close Reading is included – detailed step by step instructions, annotation guide, reading passages, and graphic organizers. Very little teacher prep is needed – simply print and teach!

Story excerpts include:

•The Masque of the Read Death by Edgar Allan Poe
•The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
•Dracula by Bram Stoker

This unit is for you if:

⭐You are looking for a Halloween themed reading unit for Middle School students.

⭐You are searching for ways to empower your students to become independent readers, learners, and thinkers.

⭐You are searching for ways to engage struggling middle school readers with common core reading strategies.

⭐You want your students to remain focused while reading, and to become actively involved in the text.

Close Reading is a highly effective Common Core strategy that helps students better understand text; it asks them to dig deeper into what they have been reading, and to back up their thinking with text evidence. This engaging package of resources takes students through the Close Reading process step by step, providing gradual release of responsibility and time for independent practice. Story elements are focused on throughout the activities.

This creative and engaging package includes the following:

★Close Reading – What it it?: A two page document explaining the Close Reading process, with tips on how to set it up for use in your classroom.

★Text Annotation – A Step By Step Guide to Increase Reading Comprehension: Multiple pages of information that teach students how to effectively annotate text.

★Close Reading – Step By Step Guide: Detailed explanation of the Close Reading process, teaching students exactly what they need to do during a first, second, and third reading of a text.

★Close Reading – Partner Discussion Tips: A detailed list of tips to enable effective partner discussion during the Close Reading process.

★Close Reading – Answer Stems: A detailed list of answer stems, to improve student reading responses and encourage students to provide text evidence to back up their ideas.

★Close Reading – Things to Look Out For: A list of things for students to look out for while reading, to aid in the Close Reading process.

★Close Reading – Texts and Resources: Excerpts from three spooky stories from classic literature are included, for students to use to practice their text annotation and Close Reading skills. These story excerpts include “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving, “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe, and “Dracula” by Bram Stoker. Detailed graphic organizers with targeted comprehension questions for students to complete after their first, second, and third reading are also included.

While these resources have been bundled together for a Halloween themed unit, these fantastic stories could easily be used to engage students at any time of year!

What others are saying about Close Reading Resources by Creative Classroom Core:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"This was my first time using close reading and I love it! I will definitely do more of it! The resources was wonderful with all the helpful introductory pages and the readings were great too!"

-Mary S

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"Resource useful to teach students how to annotate texts during close reading to improve reading comprehension."

-eLLEs Talk

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"The assets were brilliant with all the accommodating starting pages and the readings were incredible as well!"

-Tracey L

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"This is a great way to introduce Close Reading. I used it with my 7th graders this year in September, and again in Feb/Mar while we were preparing for State Testing!"

-Miss Lape's Middles

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"Used it to build annotation skills with my 6th grade students. These stories are interesting to them and a great little activity to review and reinforce annotation skills."

-Darcee M

Check out some great similar products here!

• Bats - Middle School Reading Comprehension and Writing for Halloween

• Edgar Allan Poe Unit | Bundle | Short Story Activities | Questions | Halloween

• Halloween - Activity Bundle for Elementary School Students - No Prep Activities

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