The Good, The Bad, and The Spooky

by Jory John

Pacing Material

The Bad Seed faces his fears in a spooky Halloween adventure that proves even the toughest seed can get spooked.

Big Idea

Sometimes things seem spooky, but with courage and friends, we can face our fears.

Discussion Questions

1.What does the Bad Seed think is spooky? What do YOU think is spooky?
2.How does the Bad Seed handle being scared? Is that a good strategy?
3.What is the difference between spooky and scary?
4.Have you ever been scared of something that turned out to be fun?
5.What can you do when you feel spooked or scared?

Classroom Activity

Spooky Story Theater

Students write a short story titled 'The Good, The Bad, and The ___' featuring a character who overcomes a spooky challenge, using their own ending.

Lesson Plan

⏱ 45 minutes📦 Story paper, pencils, crayons, markers, optional: flashlight for 'campfire' storytelling atmosphere

Learning Goals

Understand character feelings and motivations
Explore the difference between spooky and scary
Develop coping strategies for fear and anxiety
Practice narrative writing with a beginning, middle, and end

Activity Steps

1.Discuss what makes something 'spooky' versus 'scary.'
2.Brainstorm a list of not-too-spooky challenges (e.g., dark room, strange noise).
3.Each student writes: 'The Good, The Bad, and The ___' on top of their paper.
4.Students write a 3-sentence story where their character faces a spooky challenge and finds a creative solution.
5.Students illustrate their story.
6.Volunteers share their stories in the 'campfire' circle.

Standards Connections

ELA: RL.K-3.3 (Character Development)
ELA: RL.K-3.7 (Illustrations)
ELA: W.K-3.3 (Narrative Writing)
SEL: Self-Regulation and Coping Skills

Pace-Write-Read Study with Pace-Write It!

Focus question: How does an author slow down and speed up a spooky story to show fear, courage, and friendship? In The Good, The Bad, and The Spooky by Jory John, the Bad Seed heads into a funny Halloween adventure where even a tough character gets scared. Jory John uses pacing through page turns, short dialogue, suspenseful moments, and humorous pauses to help readers feel the spooky tension and then the brave payoff.

Element	How to notice or teach it in the novel
Pace	Read: Notice how the story moves quickly during spooky surprises and slows down when the Bad Seed hesitates, looks around, or reacts to something creepy. Classroom Activity: Write 3 short sentences that speed up a scary moment for the Bad Seed, then 3 longer sentences that slow it down as he tries to be brave.
Plot	Read: Track how the Bad Seed begins with confidence, faces spooky Halloween problems, and grows through the adventure toward courage and friendship. Classroom Activity: Make a beginning-middle-end organizer and write one sentence for each part showing how the plot builds fear and then resolution.
Prosody	Read: Listen for how the funny-spooky tone changes when reading the Bad Seed’s lines aloud, especially when he tries to sound tough but is actually nervous. Classroom Activity: Choose one scene and practice reading it two ways—brave voice and scared voice—then write one sentence about which version matches the moment best.
Word pause	Read: Notice places where a pause before a key word or reaction makes the spooky moment funnier, such as when the Bad Seed spots something unexpected. Classroom Activity: Write a sentence about the Bad Seed seeing a spooky Halloween object and use a dash or ellipsis to create a pause before the surprise word.
Concept	Read: Think about the big idea that courage does not mean never being scared; it means facing fears, especially with friendship and support. Classroom Activity: Write a 2-sentence lesson the Bad Seed learns about courage during this spooky adventure.
Voice & World View	Read: Notice the Bad Seed’s voice—grumpy, funny, dramatic, and secretly vulnerable—and how his world view changes when fear becomes real. Classroom Activity: Write a mini diary entry in the Bad Seed’s voice about Halloween night, showing both toughness and fear.
Setting & Place	Read: Pay attention to how the Halloween setting creates mood with spooky decorations, dark spaces, and eerie details that shape the Bad Seed’s reactions. Classroom Activity: Describe a Halloween setting for the Bad Seed using 4 sensory details that make the place feel spooky but playful.
Point of View	Read: Notice how the story lets readers stay close to the Bad Seed’s feelings so we understand his fear, embarrassment, and brave choices. Classroom Activity: Rewrite one spooky moment from the point of view of a friend watching the Bad Seed act tough.
Original Characters	Read: Study how Jory John makes the Bad Seed memorable by mixing toughness, humor, and fear into one character. Classroom Activity: Invent a new snack-food friend for the Bad Seed and write 3 sentences showing how that character helps him during a spooky moment.
Dialogue	Read: Listen for short, funny dialogue that reveals the Bad Seed’s personality and keeps the pace moving during tense scenes. Classroom Activity: Write 4 lines of dialogue between the Bad Seed and a friend as they hear a spooky sound and decide what to do next.
Details	Read: Notice the small details in the Bad Seed’s expressions, movements, and Halloween surroundings that make the fear feel real and the humor feel sharp. Classroom Activity: Write 5 quick details you might notice if you were standing beside the Bad Seed during the spooky adventure.
Descriptions	Read: Look for descriptive words that help readers picture creepy-but-funny moments, not just scary ones. Classroom Activity: Write 3 describing sentences about a spooky place the Bad Seed must enter, using one color word, one sound word, and one feeling word.
Strong First Lines	Read: Think about how a strong opening in a humorous spooky story can grab attention right away by showing attitude, problem, or surprise. Classroom Activity: Write an opening line for a new Bad Seed Halloween story that sounds bold but hints he may get scared.
Immediacy & Engagement	Read: Notice how the action feels close and immediate when the Bad Seed reacts right in the moment to something spooky. Classroom Activity: Write 4 sentences in the present tense about the Bad Seed opening a creaky door so the reader feels like it is happening now.
Story Scenes & Summaries & Unique Structures	Read: Notice when the story zooms into a full spooky scene and when it quickly summarizes what happened to keep the adventure moving. Classroom Activity: Write one detailed scene of the Bad Seed hearing a strange noise, then write a 1-sentence summary of what happens next.
Flashback & Flash Forward & Cliffhangers	Read: Think about places where the story could remind us of the Bad Seed’s past tough behavior or end a page on a suspenseful moment before the reveal. Classroom Activity: Write a 2-sentence flashback about a time the Bad Seed said he was never afraid, then add a cliffhanger sentence about what he sees now.
Tension & Suspense & Surprise	Read: Watch how Jory John builds tension with waiting, wondering, and sudden surprises that are spooky but also funny. Classroom Activity: Write a short paragraph where the Bad Seed walks toward a shadow, expects one thing, and gets surprised by something else.
Page Turns and Chapter Breaks	Read: Notice how a page turn can hide the next spooky reveal and make readers want to keep going. Classroom Activity: Plan a 2-page spread by writing what happens before the page turn and what big surprise appears after it.
Performance	Read: Notice how facial expressions, dramatic reactions, and exaggerated fear make the story feel performative and entertaining. Classroom Activity: Choose one Bad Seed reaction and write a stage direction for how a student could act it out while reading aloud.
Personality	Read: Pay attention to how the Bad Seed’s big personality shapes the pacing because his dramatic attitude stretches small moments into funny ones. Classroom Activity: Write 3 sentences that show the Bad Seed pretending to be fearless even though his personality gives him away.
Humor	Read: Notice how the book balances spooky moments with humor so readers laugh while still feeling suspense. Classroom Activity: Write a funny comparison for the Bad Seed’s fear, such as comparing his shiver or jump to something silly.
Pause	Read: Listen for moments where a pause after a spooky sound or before the Bad Seed speaks increases suspense. Classroom Activity: Write a mini scene using line breaks or punctuation to create a pause before the Bad Seed admits he is scared.
Poetry and Poetic Devices	Read: Notice any playful sound patterns or repeated spooky words that make the text fun to say aloud. Classroom Activity: Write a 4-line spooky poem about the Bad Seed using alliteration, such as creepy, creaky, costume, or crunch.
Repetition	Read: Watch for repeated phrases, reactions, or patterns that make the humor stronger and show the Bad Seed’s growing fear. Classroom Activity: Write a short passage where the Bad Seed repeats a brave sentence 3 times, but each time he sounds less sure.
Rhythm	Read: Feel how short and long sentences work together to create a rhythm that matches sneaking, stopping, and startling. Classroom Activity: Write one sentence with a slow rhythm about walking carefully, then one quick sentence about the Bad Seed suddenly jumping.
Punctuation	Read: Notice how exclamation points, ellipses, question marks, and dashes help show the Bad Seed’s emotions and control pacing. Classroom Activity: Write 3 lines the Bad Seed might say during Halloween night, each using different punctuation to show a different feeling.
Questions	Read: Pay attention to questions in the story or questions readers ask themselves, like what is making the sound or whether the Bad Seed will be brave. Classroom Activity: Write 3 questions the Bad Seed might ask himself while exploring a spooky place.
Compare-Contrast	Read: Compare how the Bad Seed acts at the start of the story versus how he acts after facing his fears and learning about friendship. Classroom Activity: Complete a T-chart comparing Tough Bad Seed and Brave-but-Scared Bad Seed, then write one sentence about the difference.
Objects	Read: Notice how Halloween objects like costumes, candy, shadows, decorations, or doors can become important to the spooky mood and pacing. Classroom Activity: Pick one object from the Halloween adventure and write 3 sentences showing how it changes from ordinary to spooky in the Bad Seed’s mind.
Threes	Read: Look for patterns of three in actions, sounds, or attempts because three tries often make humor and suspense stronger. Classroom Activity: Write a sequence where the Bad Seed hears 3 spooky noises, reacts each time, and finally discovers the cause.
Whitespace & Negative Space	Read: Notice how space on a page can make a reaction, pause, or reveal stand out when the Bad Seed is waiting or staring. Classroom Activity: Write a very short spooky scene with only 5 lines, leaving one line blank before the final reveal sentence.
Art & Graphics	Read: Study how the illustrations support pacing by showing the Bad Seed’s expressions, body language, and spooky Halloween visuals. Classroom Activity: Sketch a simple storyboard of 3 panels showing the Bad Seed from confident to scared to courageous, then label each panel with one sentence.
Interactives & Gamification	Read: Think about how readers can predict, act out, or guess what will happen next as the Bad Seed faces spooky surprises. Classroom Activity: Create a ‘What will the Bad Seed do next?’ choice card with 3 options, then write which choice best shows courage and friendship.

Pace-Write It!

20-Minute Classroom Flow\nRead (5 min): Read aloud a spooky-funny section from The Good, The Bad, and The Spooky by Jory John. Pause to let students hear how the Bad Seed sounds tough, then nervous, then brave.\nNotice (5 min): Ask: How did the author make this part feel spooky and funny at the same time? Chart student observations about short sentences, page-turn suspense, dialogue, punctuation, and the Bad Seed’s reactions.\nWrite (7 min): Students write a short spooky scene starring the Bad Seed or a similar character who wants to seem brave. Writing frame: ‘I was not scared. Not even a little. Then I heard ____. I looked at ____. “____?” I whispered. My friend said, “____.” I took a deep breath and ____. In the end, I learned ____.’ Encourage students to include one pause mark, one question, and one funny detail.\nShare (3 min): Partners read their scenes aloud using expression. Listeners name one pacing move they heard, such as a pause, repetition, or a surprise ending.\nExit ticket: Write one sentence answering: How did Jory John use pacing to help readers feel the Bad Seed’s fear and courage?