Scary Stuff!
Developed By
Melissa VanToever
Suggested Length
Two 40 minute social studies classes
Two 40 minute language arts class
One 45 minute art class
Suggested Grade Level(s)
Four
Social Studies, Language Arts, Visual Arts
Subject Areas
Overview
In this unit on GHOSTS! students will interview community members for a
"newspaper", design a business brochure, write a disappearing ghost story, and
experiment with monoprinting.
Links to Curriculum Outcomes
Students will (be expected to)
 recognize that producers have to consider what they will provide (goods or
services), how they will produce it, and who will buy it (social studies)
 identify, evaluate, and use appropriate primary and secondary sources to
learn and communicate about the past (social studies)
 experiment with a variety of materials, tools, equipment, and processes
(visual arts)
 demonstrate commitment to shaping pieces of writing and other
representations (language arts)
Links to Telling Stories: Themes / Key Words
 medium
 abstract art
Art Works
 Her Joy Has Turned into Mourning, Robert Harris, CAG H-633a
 Her Joy Has Turned into Mourning, Robert Harris, CAG H-633b
 Untitled, Robert Harris, CAG H-1212
 Jesus Appearing to Two Fishermen, Robert Harris, CAG H-1203
Lesson #1: Marketing Madness
Objective
Students will plan a marketing campaign for a new business using
their own creativity and information from the internet.
Materials
 local ghost stories
 access to internet
 white cardstock or Bristol board cut into sixths
 pencil crayons
Activities
1. Explore the Robert Harris paintings referenced.
 How do they interpret the scenes?
 Are they all scary?
 How do the "ghosts" compare to each other?
2. Read a couple of short ghost stories to the class, preferably from a
collection written about local ghosts (lights out with a flashlight for a
spooky effect).
3. Assign the following project:
You are the owner of a new company called "Rent A Ghost". You
thought it was a great idea for a company but business has been
slow. It is your job to turn this company around and get people to
start using your services. To do this you will be designing a
brochure listing all your available ghosts, describing their haunting
habits, appearances, special talents, and hourly rental fees.
(Remember the different types of ghosts in the stories and in the
artworks for inspiration.)
4. Have students become familiar with what they are "selling" before
they begin their brochures. Give students a number of web pages
to choose from. While they are researching the web pages
provided, they should take notes addressing the items that will be
on their brochure.
Note: Before class, do a search on a search engine to find
appropriate web sites (there is a lot of unsuitable information out
there).
5. Suggest to students that they think of ways to attract business by
offering special prices and deals. They should also decide the best
way to circulate the brochure to best reach potential customers.
6. Remind students that brochures should be attractive so that on the
first glance people will want to read more! The more ghosts the
students rent the richer their company becomes!!
Ideas for Assessment
As a class develop a rubric addressing finished product, contents, overall
appearance, etc.
Lesson #2: Ghost Writers
Objective
Students will interview members of their community to create a
newspaper article on local ghosts
Materials
 local ghost stories
 white paper
 pencil crayons
 newspaper
Activities
1. Explore each work listed above by discussing what is happening in
each and what sorts of explanations students are inspired to give
for the images.
2. Invite students to gather into a group and dim the lights. Ask
students if they've ever heard a ghost story and ask class
volunteers to share them with the class.
3. If possible, have a community member come and tell a story to the
class as well. If not, tell students a few local ghost stories you
researched yourself.
4. Discuss where these stories came from (e.g., how did it come to be
that we are now telling them, were they passed down by family
members, around a campfire etc.?).
5. Have students research ghost stories in their community by
interviewing someone they know (neighbor, relative etc.) about their
experience or an experience that has been passed down to them.
Students should practice the Who, What, Where, When, Why
process of investigating:
 Where in the community did this ghost story take place?




Who was involved? (Was it a first hand account or has it been
passed down?)
When did it take place?
What exactly happened? (Remember to include lots of detail so
the story remains as "authentic" as possible.)
Why? (Why might there be a ghost dwelling in this area? Is
there any explanation that is given as to whether or not this
account is accurate? Students should give their own
explanations and speculations.)
6. When all of the information has been gathered students should edit
their interviews for spelling errors and grammar using the peer
editing process. It would be fun to format them as if it were a
newspaper. Look at local newspapers for formatting ideas. Have
students invent a spooky title and a price and illustrate their reports.
Ideas for Assessment
Students could present their finished article to the class and answer questions
regarding the ghost stories they researched and the people that they interviewed.
Lesson #3: Disappearing Ghost Stories
Objective
Students will write disappearing ghost stories inspired by Robert
Harris works with invisible ink.
Materials
 white paper
 toothpicks or Q-tips
 baking soda
 water
 grape juice
 sponge
Activities
1. As a class, observe the three Robert Harris paintings. Have
students brainstorm words that come to mind when they see these
works and record them on chart paper or the chalk board.
2. Tell students that they will be writing a short story that tells about
what is going on in the paintings. They will complete their rough
copies first and edit them (peer editing works well here). Length
should not be more than a half page, as writing using the following
method can be a little tricky.
3. When students are satisfied with the story they will write their good
copy in invisible ink!
To make the ink mix equal parts baking soda and water.
4. Show students how to write with the ink, using only a small amount
(lest the paper buckle and the words show through). Have students
dip the toothpick or Q-tip into the "ink" and carefully copy out their
stories onto the white paper and allow to dry.
5. Display the ghostly stories for a day or so on a bulletin board with a
title.
6. Then, soak a sponge in grape juice, squeeze out excess, and have
students go to the bulletin board one or two at a time to paint their
ghost stories with the sponges. The purple writing will appear and
the ghost stories will have appeared on the wall!
Computer Option
 Students could type their stories using a word processing program and
display them next to the invisible stories. This will also make assessment
easier, as the invisible ink is not easy to write with legibly.
Ideas for Assessment
Students could be assessed on their editing process (assess rough copies and
typed good copies). Attention could be given to whether or not they changed
sentences that didn't flow and if they corrected spelling mistakes.
Lesson #4: Ghastly Prints
Objective
Students will experiment with monoprinting.
Materials
 Print blocks or styrofoam trays (unused meat packages can be found at
supermarkets in the deli section)
 white drawing paper
 washable watercolour markers
 bucket of water
 sponges
Activities
1. Together view Robert Harris' works, CAG H-633a and CAG H633b. Explain that these are prints. Discuss that printing is an art
form where an original image is copied from one surface (plastic,
metal, ceramic or styrofoam) to another (usually paper) by using ink
or paint (use the example of printing presses, and demonstrate the
print that a stamp and ink pad makes for increased understanding).
2. Have students create an abstract ghostly image directly onto a
styrofoam tray using the washable watercolour markers. Students
should draw fairly simple images, with more attention paid to
outlining than to small details so that images will print more
successfully.
3. When students have completed their drawings they slightly dampen
a sheet of white drawing paper (using a sponge that has been
wrung out).
4. Now they turn their styrofoam tray drawing side down on the paper
and press firmly. (Discuss how the image is reversed when it's
printed.)
5. Lift off the tray carefully making sure that it doesn't slide and
smudge the design
They now have a monoprint of their original design!
6. More prints can be made by reapplying marker onto the styrofoam
and repeating the process
Suggested Resources
 The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn (Dorothy Hoobler & Thomas Hoobler, 2001)
 Skeleton Man (Joseph Bruchac, 2003)
 Ghost Beach (R.L. Stine, 2003)