Freedom Middle School is Haunted!
When the Ridgeland Mining Company bought cheap land from an unsuccessful farming family in the 1800s, they didn't question the bad luck that caused the farm to fail. But in 1887, an explosion at the mine killed 25 workers and trapped six. After three days of rescue efforts, only one miner was still alive to rescue. That miner was never the same, and his family searched for causes of the explosion. All they discovered was that, while plowing the fields, the farm family had discovered Indian burial sites. Legend had it that the Indians cursed the white men who desecrated their graves.
Is it the Indian curse or the ghosts of the killed miners that now haunt Freedom Middle School? Or is it all an urban legend? Watch the podcasts for each class period (links are below, or put your cursor over the Language Arts tab to see each class period and click) to see if students can persuade you to believe that our school is haunted!
Is it the Indian curse or the ghosts of the killed miners that now haunt Freedom Middle School? Or is it all an urban legend? Watch the podcasts for each class period (links are below, or put your cursor over the Language Arts tab to see each class period and click) to see if students can persuade you to believe that our school is haunted!
Per. 3's Podcast Link Per. 4's Podcast Link
Per. 5's Podcast Link Per. 9's Podcast Link
Mrs. Johnson's Example Podcast
haunting-johnson.m4a | |
File Size: | 2875 kb |
File Type: | m4a |
Learning Goals:
The paragraph students wrote for the podcast was required to have figurative language (personification! similes! onomatopoeias!) and dialogue, as well as be organized like a persuasive essay body paragraph with one main reason for the school being haunted and at least 3 details/examples.
Other Haunted Schools in Illinois
We haven't made the list yet, but check out this list of the Top 10 Most Haunted Schools in Illinois. (click the orange linked text)
Persuasive Writing - 2nd Quarter
Students will be working on using persuasive language to write persuasive arguments. These presentations and essays will need to be organized and use strong reasons with details/examples to convince their audience.