Engage your 4th-grade students with "The Haunted Hayride," a spooky Halloween-themed reading passage that’s perfect for practicing key reading skills! In this 350-400 word fiction story, Eli and his friends go on a haunted hayride through the dark, foggy woods. At first, Eli feels confident that it’s all just fun and games—until the wagon stops and strange things begin to happen. Was it all part of the plan, or did something spooky really occur? This fun, suspenseful passage will keep your students on the edge of their seats while helping them develop important reading comprehension and critical thinking skills.

What’s Included:

• Fiction Reading Passage: A 350-400 word, high-interest Halloween story designed to engage 4th-grade readers.
• 5 Multiple-Choice Questions: Assess comprehension, character analysis, cause and effect, setting, and theme.
• 2 Discussion Questions: Open-ended questions encourage deeper thinking, classroom discussion, and text-to-self connections.

Skills Covered:

• Reading Comprehension: Questions target understanding of the main idea, details, and cause-and-effect relationships.
• Character Analysis: Students will analyze Eli's emotions and behavior as the story progresses.
• Setting and Mood: The story’s dark, foggy woods setting is key to its spooky mood, and students will explore how setting influences the tone.
• Making Inferences: Students will infer character motivations and make logical guesses about events not directly stated in the text.
• Theme Identification: Students will determine the story’s theme, focusing on the lesson Eli learns by the end.

Possible Uses in the Classroom:

• Independent Reading Practice: Ideal for comprehension checks during reading centers or independent practice.
• Guided Reading Groups: Use the story and questions to guide small-group instruction and facilitate student discussions.
• Whole-Class Discussion: The included discussion questions can be used for interactive classroom dialogue and critical thinking exercises.
• Homework or Early Finisher Activity: Perfect as a take-home assignment or for students who finish their work early.
• Halloween Fun: The spooky, Halloween-themed story is an excellent seasonal addition to your literacy block.

Bring the Halloween spirit into your classroom with this engaging reading passage and help your students strengthen essential literacy skills while enjoying a spooky, suspenseful story!