"Mommy" by Mary Elizabeth Counselman | Fall & Halloween English Activities | Modern Ghost Story

This bundle covers the supernatural short story "Mommy" by Mary Elizabeth Counselman, a modern ghost story that suits the fall and Halloween seasons. A reading comprehension quiz, literary analysis activity, vocabulary worksheet, crossword puzzle, word search game, copy of the narrative, and answer keys are included. By engaging with these materials, students will:

• Bolster vocabulary skills.

• Identify the narrative's dominant conflict.

• Discern the intended effects of figurative language in context (e.g., motherless children "herded together like livestock," a girl's "face lighted slowly as a candle in a dark room," etc.).

• Analyze the author's word choices and their intended effects (e.g., why the narrator uses words like fixation and hallucination in context).

• Explore the symbolism associated with an object (e.g., the giant oak tree).

• Determine the function of a character in context (e.g., the matron of the orphanage).

• Apply knowledge of literary devices (e.g., idiom, personification, etc.).

• Identify details that contribute to a character's soldier-like characterization.

• Articulate the greater significance of given details (e.g., the story's closing dialogue).

• Explore themes in context.

In "Mommy," a seven-year-old orphan girl is labeled a "problem child" due to her insistence that her dead mother remains in touch with and protective of her. According to the child, her dead mother will send the right guardian to her. Is it "nonsense," as a prospective guardian suggests, or will the orphan's claim be validated?

The materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. (Alternatively, a Google Drive option is available.)

Resources are available for teaching short stories of various genres:

• Christmas Fiction - Google and printable

• Coming-of-Age Fiction - Google and printable

• Fantasy - Google and printable

• Halloween Fiction - Google and printable

• Horror - Google and printable

• Psychological Fiction - Google and printable

• Science Fiction - Google and printable

• Valentine's Day Fiction - Google and printable