We love Goosebumps. Really, who doesn’t? After all, you have to admire an author who touts the fact that he scares kids for a living. It’s true that R. L. Stine’s books create bloodcurdling chills for young readers, but the spookiness delivers only a fraction of the ELA benefits.
To get specific, these pages contain crucial life lessons that help students avoid hasty generalizations, show kindness to those who struggle, and work well together despite personality clashes. And there you have it: social–emotional learning all wrapped up with a pretty bow.
Reading the books and completing Goosebumps’ classroom activities means your kids get to spend time enhancing their literacy and citizenship in equal measure. While the series checks ELA and SEL boxes, the question remains: Which Goosebumps book should you teach? Take our quiz to find out.
You reward your class with a movie. Which title do you select?
In terms of social–emotional learning, your class struggles most with…
Which horror subgenre would resonate best with your students?
Choose a style of dress.
Which non-Goosebump series do you and/or your students like most?
Out of this selection, which grownup horror movie(s) do you like best?
You see a shelf with these authors on it. Whose book do you grab?
Which Goosebumps Book Should You Teach?
Night of the Living Dummy
Your kids will get a kick out of Night of the Living Dummy. The book follows the adventures (or misadventures) of two sisters, Lindy and Kris. When a tuxedoed ventriloquist dummy named Slappy enters their lives, what starts as a fun adventure takes a nasty turn. Something is running amok in the shadows. There’s no way Slappy is responsible, is there?
Your students will learn a valuable lesson in reading this book. Competition is healthy, but only if everyone involved is learning, growing, and having fun. Teachers can use this story to highlight the importance of working together.
Your students will learn a valuable lesson in reading this book. Competition is healthy, but only if everyone involved is learning, growing, and having fun. Teachers can use this story to highlight the importance of working together.
The Ghost Next Door
Get ready to teach The Ghost Next Door. When a pale-skinned boy moves in next door, Hannah notices how he disappears for hours on end. Why is his house always empty? Does Hannah live next door to a being from the spirit world? How is she supposed to deal with a ghost?
In what is most likely Stine’s most emotionally resonant story, students will understand how and why authors create twist endings. (The last chapter is a doozy, for sure.) Teachers can use this book as a lesson that not everything is as it appears on the surface. In life, you have to look deeper.
In what is most likely Stine’s most emotionally resonant story, students will understand how and why authors create twist endings. (The last chapter is a doozy, for sure.) Teachers can use this book as a lesson that not everything is as it appears on the surface. In life, you have to look deeper.
The Werewolf of Fever Swamp
Is your class ready to hang out with The Werewolf of Fever Swamp? Something sinister is happening in that marsh. Every time a full moon lights up the night sky, neighbors hear a howling echoing in the distance. When a rabbit ends up torn to bits, everyone blames Grady’s new dog, who looks a tad like a wolf. But Grady knows his best friend is innocent. To save his canine comrade, Grady must uncover the mystery: Who or what is the werewolf that lurks about Fever Swamp?
Your students will learn the importance of gathering facts before making rash decisions. In this day and age, when we spend so much time sifting truth from misinformation, this is a vital skill set.
Your students will learn the importance of gathering facts before making rash decisions. In this day and age, when we spend so much time sifting truth from misinformation, this is a vital skill set.
Welcome to Dead House
Welcome to Dead House is your next stop on the Stine train. The book takes place in the ominously named town Dark Falls. Amanda and Josh just moved in, and yes, their new house is very likely haunted. While relocation is tough for just about every kid, adding in the spookiness factor makes life that much more difficult. The siblings are making friends, sure, but why do these strange things keep happening?
In the classroom, kids must work together most every day. The thing is, some relationships are easier than others—which is a fact of life that persists through adulthood. The book focuses on this lesson, which you can leverage to improve the interpersonal relationships in your classroom.
In the classroom, kids must work together most every day. The thing is, some relationships are easier than others—which is a fact of life that persists through adulthood. The book focuses on this lesson, which you can leverage to improve the interpersonal relationships in your classroom.
The Haunted Mask
This is exciting. Your kids are about to experience The Haunted Mask. Set during Halloween, the book follows the trials and tribulations of Carly Beth, who has scored herself the gnarliest mask on the block. Yep, it’s terrifying. Her friends are beyond freaked out, but things get scarier once November 1st rolls around. The holiday is over, but this mask won’t come off.
The book is about the perils of fitting in—something most every child struggles with from time to time. As a teacher, you can use the story to discuss how important individuality is. Children need to express themselves and let their personalities shine through, despite what the latest trends deem hip.
The book is about the perils of fitting in—something most every child struggles with from time to time. As a teacher, you can use the story to discuss how important individuality is. Children need to express themselves and let their personalities shine through, despite what the latest trends deem hip.
Monster Blood
Anyone up for some Monster Blood? When Evan visits his great-aunt Katheryn, he gets his mitts on a green slime called Monster Blood. It’s cool and all, but the problem is, the ooze won’t stop growing. Oh, and it’s also eating things.
The book is fun, of course, but it also provides a loose metaphor about the importance of knowing what you put in your body. In this regard, this is one of the few children’s novels you can tie into health and physical education curriculum.
The book is fun, of course, but it also provides a loose metaphor about the importance of knowing what you put in your body. In this regard, this is one of the few children’s novels you can tie into health and physical education curriculum.
