Halloween Tradition

This tradition is book related. Every year on the school day closest to Halloween I read scary stories to my students. About mid-October the older ones remember the tradition and start to ask when we will do the scary stories. I read from the book Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. The stories aren't truly frightening-they just end with a scream. The set up is the most important part. The lights have to be off. The reader has to speak softer and softer until the startling scream at the end. This year I read to fourth, second, and third graders in that order. The fourth graders covered their heads and faces as I read. I don't know if they were scared or didn't want anyone to know they were scared. One of the second grade boys kept interrupting right as the story was getting scary so I stopped after two stories. The rhythm of the story was ruined by the interruptions. But the best group was the third graders. They sat in a circle on the floor. The lights were off. The story went perfectly. They all jumped at the scream and then fell over laughing and laughing at the fun of being scared. I love it!