Creepypasta are horror related legends that have become well known by being copy and pasted around the Internet. In the days before the Internet, you might have called these bite sized terror stories urban legends. People who love Creepypasta tend to know every single one of them, and recognize the characters as they might recognize their own real life friend or family member. It’s a fandom that gets imbedded in your blood...

In this club, we will draw two popular Creepypasta characters in each meeting, but with a twist. We will draw these characters as if they were FUNKO POPS! Funko Pops have a simple style similar to the popular drawing style: kawaii. Most notably, they have large boxy heads and small bodies. So we will make our spooky characters even more memorable and compelling by making them cute! I will guide students step by step through each character both verbally and visually demonstrating. Students will be asked to draw in pencil and then outline their characters upon completion. 

After our sketches are done, learners are invited to color their drawings with whatever medium they prefer (crayon, marker, paint, etc.) while I read aloud. Since most Creepypasta fans will have already heard the stories directly pertaining to our drawings, and we will have discussed them while we drew, I’m going to read something different. I’m going to share some stories from the legends of the Gothic Horror genre each week. We will see the influence of horror of yesteryear on today’s scary stories to tell in the dark. 

Throughout the meetings, we will discuss this special genre of fiction. What makes this type of fiction so interesting? What are the elements of these stories? How do they compare to and differ from Gothic Horror stories? 

During our fifth and final meeting, we will bring together all the knowledge and ideas we’ve gathered, and we will accomplish our final and most important mission: We will write our own Creepypasta! One drawback to the Creepypasta genre is that some kids are interested in them, but the subject matter is simply to scary for them, or too grownup. Therefore, we will begin to make Creepypasta more accessible to more kids by creating a kid friendly Creepypasta archive right on my very own website! Once our club is over, our stories shared, our Creepypasta written, I will PUBLISH it online, and we will see if WE become the next Creepypasta superstars. With student and parent permission, I will also publish photos of your artworks and your first names along with our story for all the world to see and appreciate your creativity. 

This club will provide a robust learning experience by combining art with reading and writing to understand literature, think critically, and spark the imagination. All while learning with friends. Because this club is social as well as educational, I will turn on the “chat” feature in the classroom while I read aloud. I have found that allowing kids to draw and chat with friends while I read to them forms a positive connection with books. I will also provide printable extra resources in the classroom after each class meeting. 

Meeting Breakdown: 
Meeting 1:
Introduction, discuss a possible club name, draw SMILE DOG and TICCI TOBY, read: Smile Dog

Meeting 2: 
Vote on club name options, draw SIREN HEAD and MOMO, read: The Oval Portrait by Edgar Allan Poe

Meeting 3: 
I will present your own club logo that I have designed based on your name selection, draw RAINBOW FACTORY and PINKAMENA, read: What the Moon Brings by HP Lovecraft

Meeting 4: 
Draw JACK THE KILLER and JANE THE KILLER, read: to be announced

Meeting 5: 
Pull together all ideas that have been gathered over the course of the previous weeks, outline story, write write write! Anything not completed in class will be finished by me after class, and anyone else who wishes to submit anything after class.