Funny Fears (Grades 2-3)

Students read two short stories that deal with the concept of fear in a humorous manner. They build their knowledge about point-of-view, central message, and the methods authors use to help readers understand the characters and the events in the unit stories. Additionally, students are supported to draw evidence from the unit texts to construct written and oral analyses and interpretations.

• Two literary texts
• 2-3 weeks instruction
• Explanation writing

What is this unit about? 

In this unit, students will read two texts: “Monster on My Roof” by Eric Demarest and “Goldilocks Goes to Camp” by Sara Matson. Both texts deal with the concept of fear in a humorous manner. The first text, “Monster on My Roof,” is about a little boy who fears a monster as much as the monster fears him. The second text, “Goldilocks Goes to Camp,” is about fairy tale characters overcoming their fears of each other. Through the study of these two literary texts, students build their knowledge about the characters in each story, the central message, and the methods these authors use to help readers understand the characters and the events in the stories. Additionally, students are supported to draw evidence from these texts to construct written and oral analyses and interpretations. 

This short unit can easily be nestled into a larger unit of study on topics such as humor, fear, creative writing, and storytelling. 

What content and concepts will students learn? 

Students will learn about: 

• the events in each story. 
• the fears each character faces. 
• how the characters handle their fears. 
• how the authors use language to give the reader a better sense of the characters and events. 
• characteristics of effective explanations. 

What practices will students use? 

Students are supported to develop practices and habits such as how to: 

• comprehend and analyze texts with assistance. 
• work from moments in one story and across two stories to develop ideas and compare characters, their fears, and how the characters overcome their fears. 
• read and talk about stories several times as a means to enhance students’ comprehension. 
• participate in routines such as sharing their ideas in pairs and trios and participating in whole group discussions. 
• use specific examples from the stories to support students’ ideas. 

How long will it take to engage students in the unit? 

This unit spans approximately eight to 12 instructional days, assuming 25- to 30-minute classes. The tasks in the unit are designed to be implemented sequentially in order to support students to achieve the instructional goals. As such, the pacing of the lessons will depend on the time students need to achieve these goals. 

Looking for something for Grades 6 or 7? In our Creepy Tales unit for grades 6 and 7, students will not only read creepy stories but become the storytellers themselves!