Spooky Hayride by Brian James - Teaching Ideas


Two brothers are going on a hayride. The older tries to scare the younger brother by telling him how spooky it is going to be. The little brother tries to be brave and when the little brother gets his chance he scares his older brother. From that point the little brother is loving the hayride and the older brother is not so happy. This is a fun beginner reader that your students will enjoy reading on their own.

To make this book even better, why not give them an activity that will deepen their thinking. Use the below info to help create a Common Core aligned activity.


Reading level: 1.5
Theme: Halloween
Genre: realistic fiction

Suggested Vocabulary: hayride

Reading skills and strategies:
  • asking questions - {possible questions before} I wonder what will make the hayride spooky? {possible questions during} Why is the older brother trying to scare the younger brother? {possible questions after} I wonder why the older brother got so scared? **Remember to have your students answer/reflect their questions.
  • author's point of view -  1st person point of view. Have students find 3 examples to prove the 1st person.
  • author's purpose - entertain{evidence} The older brother keeps trying to scare the younger brother. A sheet is mistaken for a ghost and at the end the other brother scares the one that kept trying to scare him. All these things are very entertaining.
  • beginning, middle, end - {most important event from beginning} The boys are getting ready for a hayride. {most important event from middle} The older brother keeps trying to scare the younger brother. {most important event from end} The younger brother scares the older brother by yelling "BOO!" when it gets dark.
  • cause and effect - Why are the boys putting on their coats? because they are going on a hayride. Why does the older brother say the younger brother will be scared? because he says it is going to be spooky. Why is the older brother telling the younger brother there are going to be ghosts and monsters? because he wants to scare his brother. Why does the younger brother say it is not spooky? because he doesn't see any ghosts or monsters. Why does the younger brother think hayrides are fun? because he scared his younger brother.
  • classify & categorize - things that are scary and things that are not scary.
  • compare & contrast - your brother and sister to the brother in the book.
  • connections - {possible text-to-self connections} having a brother or sister that likes to scare you. Going on a hayride.
  • drawing conclusions & inferencing - Why do you think the little brother likes hayrides? {text clues}At the end of the story he was able to scare his older brother.  The older brother kept trying to scare the younger brother. {what I know} I know that when I can get back at my brother I get happy. {my conclusion} I think the little brother likes hayrides because he didn't get scared like his older brother said he would and he was able to scare his older brother.
  • main idea & details - {main idea} The brothers are going on a hayride that is going to be spooky. {details}They see a sheet and think it is a ghost. They see a shadow that might be a monster, but it's not. It gets dark and the younger brother yells "Boo!" and the older brother gets scared.
  • plot - the turning point or climax in the story is when it gets dark and the younger brother scares the older brother.
  • predict - How do you think the hayride will be spooky? Do you think the younger brother will get scared? Do you think the older brother will get scared? Do you think there will be scary things on the hayride? What do you think the brothers will see on the hayride?
  • problem & solution - {problem} The older brother keeps trying to scare the younger brother. {solution}The younger brother yells "Boo!" when it gets dark and scares the older brother.
  • sequencing - The boys get their coats on. The older brother says the younger brother is going to be scared. The younger brother says he won't get scared. The boys see the wagon and horses. The little brother says it is not spooky. The horses and wagon goes into the woods. They see a sheet and think it is a ghost. They see a shadow and think is a monster. It gets dark and the little brother yells "Boo!". The older brother gets scared. The younger brother likes hayrides.
  • story elements - list title, author, character's, setting, beginning, middle, end, or problem & solution.
  • summarize - {someone}The big brother {wanted} wanted to scare the little brother {but}but the little brother wasn't getting scared {so} so the little brother yelled "Boo!" when it got dark {finally} and the big brother got scared.
Here is a main idea freebie for you to share with your young eager readers.



http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Main-Idea-Details-Freebie-for-Spooky-Hayride


If you plan on downloading this could you do me a favor and pin these to Pinterest...my heart is filled with gratitude for your kindness :)

Happy Reading!

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