Writing Workshop: Gothic Literature

Turn your classroom into a Gothic writers' workshop! This collaborative unit builds a shared spooky world together—a decaying mansion, a remote lighthouse, an abandoned hospital—then lets each student break it with their own original horror story. Students explore isolation, decay, and family secrets while learning the conventions of Gothic literature: liminal spaces, pathetic fallacy, ancestral curses, and the ambiguous ghost. Includes an icebreaker, mentor text study of Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher," world-building phases, small-group development, individual writing prompts, revision checklists, and a final class anthology project. Complete teacher's guides are available. Perfect for grades 9–12, creative writing, or horror units. No prep stress—just print and scare.