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"The Graveyard Rats" by Henry Kuttner Short Story Activities | Gothic Fiction for Halloween

$7.20 $8.00

Embrace the Halloween spirit in the high school English classroom with this bundle of activities and assessments covering the Lovecraftian/Poesque short story "The Graveyard Rats" by Henry Kuttner. A plot-based quiz, literary analysis worksheet, vocabulary application exercise, crossword puzzle, word search game, and answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. (Alternatively, a Google Drive option is available.) Students will practice and demonstrate the following essential ELA skills:

  • Interpreting classical and literary allusions, such as the references to the Pied Piper and Avernus, and connecting them to plot and theme

  • Identifying figurative language and analyzing how specific word choices shape tone and meaning (e.g., "panic touched him briefly" and "leprous rats")

  • Evaluating foreshadowing through verb and adverb choices that hint at the protagonist's fate underground

  • Analyzing situational irony, especially how the protagonist's attempts to save himself lead directly to his demise

  • Examining repetition, ellipses, and other stylistic choices to understand how the author builds suspense and conveys suffocation and fear

  • Exploring tone development through imagery, sound, and setting details that create a supernatural, claustrophobic atmosphere

  • Drawing thematic conclusions (e.g., how superstition influences human perception and behavior) and supporting those conclusions with textual evidence

"The Graveyard Rats" is an excellent example of psychological and supernatural horror that evokes the fictional works of Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft with its incorporation of a morally compromised protagonist, claustrophobic setting, and mutant animals. The emotional intensity of the narrative, coupled with its brevity, helps even the most reluctant readers maintain interest.

Resources are available for teaching short stories of various genres:

Embrace the Halloween spirit in the high school English classroom with this bundle of activities and assessments covering the Lovecraftian/Poesque short story "The Graveyard Rats" by Henry Kuttner. A plot-based quiz, literary analysis worksheet, vocabulary application exercise, crossword puzzle, word search game, and answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. (Alternatively, a Google Drive option is available.) Students will practice and demonstrate the following essential ELA skills:

  • Interpreting classical and literary allusions, such as the references to the Pied Piper and Avernus, and connecting them to plot and theme

  • Identifying figurative language and analyzing how specific word choices shape tone and meaning (e.g., "panic touched him briefly" and "leprous rats")

  • Evaluating foreshadowing through verb and adverb choices that hint at the protagonist's fate underground

  • Analyzing situational irony, especially how the protagonist's attempts to save himself lead directly to his demise

  • Examining repetition, ellipses, and other stylistic choices to understand how the author builds suspense and conveys suffocation and fear

  • Exploring tone development through imagery, sound, and setting details that create a supernatural, claustrophobic atmosphere

  • Drawing thematic conclusions (e.g., how superstition influences human perception and behavior) and supporting those conclusions with textual evidence

"The Graveyard Rats" is an excellent example of psychological and supernatural horror that evokes the fictional works of Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft with its incorporation of a morally compromised protagonist, claustrophobic setting, and mutant animals. The emotional intensity of the narrative, coupled with its brevity, helps even the most reluctant readers maintain interest.

Resources are available for teaching short stories of various genres:

"It Walks by Night" by Henry Kuttner | Halloween English Activities | Gothic Short Story Lessons
"It Walks by Night" by Henry Kuttner | Halloween English Activities | Gothic Short Story Lessons
$7.20 $8.00
"The Silver Coffin" Lovecraftian Short Story Activities for High School | Gothic Fiction | Halloween
"The Silver Coffin" Lovecraftian Short Story Activities for High School | Gothic Fiction | Halloween
$8.10 $9.00

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