Spooky House Stories October 8, 2015

Directions – Advanced You will write a five paragraph story about a “spooky house.” Your first paragraph will describe the outside of the house. Your second paragraph will describe the entrance of the house and the first room you go into. The third paragraph will describe the second room downstairs and the first room upstairs that you go into. The fourth paragraph will describe the second and third rooms you go into upstairs. The fifth paragraph will be the end of your story. You must include at least 3 simple, 3 compound, 3 complex, and 1 compound-complex sentence(s) throughout your story. Each type of sentence should be highlighted in a different color. Create a key.

Paragraph 1 The first paragraph of your story will describe the outside of the house. This paragraph should be made up entirely of simple sentences. There should be at least five sentences in this paragraph. Use descriptive details to describe the outside of the house. When you have finished writing the paragraph, highlight your two best (simple) sentences in the paragraph. (Any color)

Paragraph 1 - Example We stopped dead in our tracks. Across the street we spotted a giant, creepy house staring back at us. The spooky trees in its yard blew in the whistling wind. Their branches scratched against the rotting wood on the front of the house. We even thought we saw a pair of eyes staring back at us from one of the upstairs windows. We knew we had to go in and explore.

Spooky House Story – Paragraph 1 Directions Example The first paragraph of your story will describe the outside of the house. This paragraph should be made up entirely of simple sentences. There should be at least five sentences in this paragraph. Use descriptive details to describe the outside of the house. When you have finished writing the paragraph, highlight your two best (simple) sentences in the paragraph. (Any color) We stopped dead in our tracks. Across the street we spotted a giant, creepy house staring back at us. The spooky trees in its yard blew in the whistling wind. Their branches scratched against the rotting wood on the front of the house. We even thought we saw a pair of eyes staring back at us from one of the upstairs windows. We knew we had to go in and explore.

Paragraph 2 In your second paragraph, you will describe the front entrance of the house and the first room that you go into. Your second paragraph must have AT LEAST two compound sentences in it. One must have a , conjunction. The other must have a semicolon (;) The other sentences may be simple sentences if you would like. You will highlight your two compound sentences in a different color than you used for your simple sentences in the first paragraph.

Paragraph 2 - Example We cautiously walked up to the door of the house. The front porch was very old; it creaked beneath our feet. I pushed the old, green door open and stood back for fear of what might be standing behind it. The only thing we saw was a dark foyer with a grandfather clock against the wall. We crept into the house, and we immediately began to hear unsettling noises coming from upstairs. We looked up, but the only thing we saw was a chandelier covered in spider webs. We continued to walk, and we eventually came to an open door. We looked at each other and all decided to go in. It was the dining room. The table was long, and it still had a centerpiece of dead, wilted roses in the middle of it. The china cabinet was dusty and filled with cracked plates and cups. The only light in the room came from the full moon shining through the windows. We heard a growl coming from under the table, and we dashed through the nearest doorway. We were now in the kitchen.

Paragraph 3 This paragraph will describe the second room you go into downstairs and the first room you go into upstairs. You must include at least two complex sentences. One sentence must begin with an independent clause. The other sentence must begin with a dependent clause. The other sentences can be a mixture of simple and compound sentences. Highlight your complex sentences in a third color.

Paragraph 3 - Example The kitchen was grimy. There were rusty knives sitting out on the counters, and old, rotten food was stuck to every surface. The stench was unimaginable. We quickly scurried out of the kitchen after we realized that covering our noses did nothing to block the odor. We knew it was risky, but we saw the stairs and decided to climb them to the second floor. Because it was dark, we had to cling to the rickety handrail to keep from falling. At the top of the stairs, we found a hallway filled with doors. We imagined these doors led to bedrooms, so we chose one and entered slowly. The moon shone through the shredded curtains on the window. The bed looked like it hadn’t been slept on in a decade. My friend walked over to the scratched-up dresser and slid the top drawer open. “A severed hand!” he screamed, and we all ran out of there as fast as we could. We found ourselves in that creepy hallway once again.