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The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson - A Book Novel Study
Kaitlyn Fischer: Close-Reading Specialist
Star Educator
Popular
Average rating:5.0Number of reviews:(915)
In this five-week course, students will read classic literature novel, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, while discussing the supernatural, fears, human behavior, and the origins of scary stories and why they scare us so much.
Class experience
US Grade 9 - 11
"First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a haunting; Theodora, his light-hearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be...
Students will be able to...
- Read an Iconic Classic Horror Novel
- Discuss the Reading through:
- Reading Comprehension Questions
- Analysis Questions focused on
- Character Development
- Symbolism
- Allusion and More
- Debate Questions centered around
- Opinions
- Arguments
- Interpretations of the Novel
- Examine the
- Cultural
- Historical
- Genre-Related Significance
- Identify Elements of Horror, Gothic, and Supernatural Novels
- Locate and Discuss Literary Devices:
- Foreshadowing, Connotation, Denotation, Allusion
- Analyze Character Development
- Identify Symbolism of Good and Evil
- Perceptions, Assumptions, and Evidence
- Perform Short Art Analysis (Paintings Featured in the Novel)
- Interpret the Ending
- Optional: (If Students Have Seen the Netflix Series)
- Compare the Novel to the Television ShowI have taught this novel in schools before as whole-class readings and as independent book studies. I also teach this novel in a classic literature class on Outschool. It is the most popular novel that students choose in this class (chosen by both upper middle school and high school). In addition, I teach other horror stories, including Frankenstein (the first horror story ever written). Both of these classes can be found at the links below. Feel free to read through the courses and the reviews for those classes to gain an understanding of the stories!
- Classic Literature: https://outschool.com/classes/classic-literature-novel-study-V9NC71b3?usid=l0R3fRwf&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link
Semester Course Featuring Frankenstein:
- https://outschool.com/classes/high-school-english-a-10th-and-11th-grade-semester-v8hZFmgO?usid=l0R3fRwf&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link
- Frankenstein: https://outschool.com/classes/frankenstein-by-mary-shelley-a-classic-novel-study-hyzIyOmL?usid=l0R3fRwf&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_linkHomework Offered
Students will need to read the novel outside of class as we will not have time in class. Students will also need to work on some writing prompts (if applicable) outside of class if they are unable to complete them in class. If you have questions, please let me know!1 - 2 hours per week outside of class
Assessments Offered
Grades Offered
Students are asked to have a copy of the novel with them to read and to have it available in class for close-reading activities. I have included some links to locations where you can purchase the novel! Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Haunting-Hill-House-Penguin-Classics/dp/0143039989/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3EWL6XSJ684O3&keywords=the+haunting+of+hill+house+shirley+jackson&qid=1685974595&sprefix=the+haunting+of+h%2Caps%2C210&sr=8-1 Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/haunting-of-hill-house-shirley-jackson/1100285791?ean=9780143039983 Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Haunting-of-Hill-House-Audiobook/B0045KX2HY?qid=1685974600&sr=1-1&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=S9TRCN4HC3ADPJF4DR2V&pageLoadId=MIVVrMYuob1YMB4U&creativeId=0d6f6720-f41c-457e-a42b-8c8dceb62f2c
This is a horror, gothic, and supernatural story. As a result, we will be discussing things such as ghosts, poltergeists, the paranormal, the supernatural. The story does feature moments that can be quite terrifying. If this is a student's first scary novel, I would suggest examining the novel before giving it to them to read. As a your student's parent or guaradian, you know your student's abilities, personality, and fear more than anyone else. I am happy to answer questions about the topics in the novel that help you make the best decision for them. But to help, here is the CommonSenseMedia guide for the television series. While this is not a guide for the novel itself, the series is based on the novel so the images that are shown throughout the show will be of a similar level to those in the novel.
- https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/the-haunting-of-hill-house
We will be working through topics such as superstition, paranormal aspects, fears, human behavior, interactions between humans and the supernatural, violence, and different deaths. Please feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns that you might have so that we can work together to determine if this novel is a good fit for your student!Star Educator
Popular
Average rating:5.0Number of reviews:(915)
My name is Kaitlyn Fischer and I have taught English to students as young as nine through eighteen in both Missouri and Colorado. I am a close-reading specialist and have a lot of experience teaching students close-reading strategies including...
Group Class
$75
for 5 classes1x per week, 5 weeks
40 min
Completed by 2 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 14-17
1-6 learners per class
