Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Bringing Ghosts to Life”

In this activity, students will draw connections between The Screaming Staircase and a classic supernatural story of their choice to develop an understanding of the influence of Victorian era literature on modern literature. They will demonstrate their understanding in an organized format such as a graphic organizer or slideshow.

In this activity, you will be asked to demonstrate an understanding of the influences of Victorian era literature on today’s popular literature. The Screaming Staircase features several distinct elements of Victoria era literature, and you will use this as a basis for comparison with a classic ghost story of your choice.

• Perform brief research to find a story on a supernatural phenomenon that was written in England between 1837-1901.
• Read your story a few times, creating notes about anything that stands out.
• Create a similar list of the elements of Victorian era literature that you can pick out from The Screaming Staircase.
• Combine these into an organized comparison of the similarities and differences between your chosen story and The Screaming Staircase in the form of a graphic organizer or slideshow.