Ferndale UHS Teacher Uses Horror to Help Teens Learn to Love Reading
(Lilly Crossley, Dec. 13, 2025)
Ferndale, MI – Amanda Goodson, a teacher at Ferndale University High School, has found a way to make studying literature more entertaining for her students.
She came up with the idea to teach an English class solely based on horror-related media. Her strong love for horror helped her form this idea, and she presented her ideas to the board.
“Horror is who I am through and through. I knew that I could find ways for students to learn from it,” Goodson says.
She did some research on universities that had a horror class, and she took some of their material and played with it to make it her own. Her presentation to the board focused on the human experience, and what it tells us about ourselves.
“Everyone laughs at the silly girl who runs and falls when the monster is chasing her, but what does that teach us about how we react to stress? Why do we think that we can do better? It teaches us real life lessons,” she explained.
The class combines those life lessons with creative writing and a personal connection to the stories students read. “A lot of us, from when we were very little, were exposed to some sort of scary story, and it gave us something, whether that be a love or hatred for the horror genre. That spark is what is important to me,” Goodson said.
This is her fourth year teaching the class, and every year she is finding new ways to keep her students entertained. She does have a lesson plan she begins writing in the spring before the new school year, but as the fall semester starts and she learns the interests of her students, she will pivot the topics of discussion based on what they enjoy most.
“As opposed to my English 11 class, where I have to teach A B and C, this class allows me to see that ‘oh, kids are more excited about cults this year, so let’s do a cult unit’ or ‘they aren’t into ghosts as much so let’s do something different’,” says Goodson.
There are lots of texts in mind when it comes to studying certain topics, and students are given choices for what they would like to read. Presenting them with about five options of text makes it seem less overwhelming, while also giving them the opportunity of choice.
It’s easy for the class to swap out texts because it is possible to use critical thinking for any piece of work.
This horror literature class is an elective, made up of about 95% juniors and seniors. Anyone is welcome to join the class, but Goodson tends to have a majority of upperclassmen because they can fit it in their schedule. Students do have to have permission slips signed by parents or guardians at the beginning of the semester due to content warnings.
This class differs from the regular English class because, as Goodson sees it, it “tricks” the students into learning. “You’re forced to come into this school everyday, and some days can be harder to get out of bed than others. Knowing that you’re going to watch The Shining, for example, makes them more excited to come to class,” she explains. “You’re still doing the same exact skills in English, but you’re doing it with materials that interest you.”
While this class may be a little different, students are still doing projects, presentations, and writing. They are using critical thinking skills, participating in group work, and having conversations about their interpretations of the material. The students also work with other classes at the school. They collaborate with art class, making illustrations for what they’re reading, and movie making class, taking stories and translating them to the screen.
“It teaches them great skills in fun ways,” Goodson said, “and I’d love to showcase that more.”
When asked about her favorite part of the class, Goodson shared, “Getting to show the kids that you can be different and a little bit weird, but still have value and own it. Being in high school, you can want to fit in so badly and feel like there’s no place for you, but maybe there is and you’re just not expressing it.”
This class offers that kind of expression that kids might be looking for.
In addition to traditional classwork, the students engaged in other fun activities, such as dressing up for Halloween. Kids were very enthusiastic about participating in a costume contest and passing out candy. “We’re always learning and coming up with new ideas for things, but to see something through a new lens or in more depth, it really makes your learning so much more. I want people to start realizing there is more out there, so much depth and learning to be had,” Goodson explains.
Her passion has led to the success of this class, and it’s created a new experience for students to have fun while also learning important English skills.
Learn more about Ferndale Schools at https://www.ferndaleschools.org/
