Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

Use There’s a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer to strengthen your students' comprehension skills, build their vocabulary, and help them understand how words work.

A young boy has a big problem; he can't go to sleep because there is a nightmare in his closet. One courageous night, he confronts his nightmare and now he has another problem, his nightmare won't stop crying! Mercer Mayer's classic story is an ideal anchor text for readers working on improving comprehension through identifying the author's purpose, understanding text structure, making predictions, determining importance, and synthesizing.

Explore lesson plans and activities to help you teach with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet in the drop down below.

Determining Importance with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

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Determining Importance with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

In Mercer Mayer's There's a Nightmare in My Closet, the illustrations and text work hand-in-hand to help students determine the details that are the most important to remember. This focused mini lesson provides ideal places for readers to stop and practice determining importance while reading.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Identifying the Author’s Purpose with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

The first page of Identifying the Author's Purpose with There's a Nightmare in My Closet

Identifying the Author’s Purpose with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

Mercer Mayer shares and important message about solving problems while entertaining readers in There's a Nightmare in My Closet. Use this identifying the author's purpose mini lesson to help your readers think critically about what the author is telling the reader throughout the story.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Making Predictions with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

The first page of Making Predictions with There's a Nightmare in My Closet

Making Predictions with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

As readers follow the young boy from problem to solution to problem, this making predictions mini lesson will encourage them to think about what will logically happen next in Mercer Mayer's There's a Nightmare in My Closet.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Synthesizing with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

The first page of Synthesizing with There's a Nightmare in My Closet

Synthesizing with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

There's a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer is a natural fit for a synthesizing mini lesson. As readers follow the young boy throughout the story, they will easily notice that his feelings about his nightmare change and they may notice that theirs do too!
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Understanding Text Structure with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

The first page of Understanding Text Structure with There's a Nightmare in My Closet

Understanding Text Structure with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

Readers will practice identifying description, sequencing, cause and effect, and problem and solution text structures while reading Mercer Mayer's story about a young boy and the trouble the nightmare hiding in his closet causes.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Blends with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

The first page of Blends with There's a Nightmare in My Closet

Blends with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

This word work lesson plan and set of teaching resources use There's a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer as a springboard for instruction focused on blends.

By anchoring word study to the text, students will benefit from seeing how beginning consonant blends cr and cl are used inside of the text before engaging in both guided and independent practice with blends.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Vocabulary Connections with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

The first page of Vocabulary Connections with There's a Nightmare in My Closet

Vocabulary Connections with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

This set of vocabulary development resources for There's a Nightmare in My Closet highlights the words that are most important for students to know and understand while reading the book. Through engaging in fun word games, matching words to definitions and pictures, and practicing how to categorize words, students will develop the vocabulary necessary to comprehend this story and many others.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Running Record with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

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Running Record with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

Use this Running Record to assess oral reading fluency with There's a Nightmare in My Closet. Track meaning, structure, and visual accuracy using the first 100 words of the text to determine whether or not this book is a good fit for the readers in your classroom.

Writing with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

Thumbnail for Writing with There's a Nightmare in My Closet

Writing with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet

The BookPagez extension activities are a great way to push student engagement beyond the pages of the text. Try using this activity with early finishers, with students who show a deeper connection with the text, or as a center activity.

Determining Importance with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer

Identifying the Author’s Purpose with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer

Making Predictions with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer

Synthesizing with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer

Understanding Text Structure with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer

Writing with There’s a Nightmare in My Closet (Spanish)

Worksheet

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About the Book

The cover for the book There's a Nightmare in My Closet
Title: There’s a Nightmare in My Closet
Author: Mercer Mayer
Genre: Fantasy
Themes: Perseverance, Self Awareness, Self Management
ISBN: 9781101650493
Publisher's Summary:
The pesky nightmare in the closet won't stay in there at night, even with the door closed all the way. When he gets out, what do you do? Comfort him and put him to bed, of course! The ultimate afraid-of-the-dark story has helped generations of kids deal with the nightmares in their own closets.A perennial favorite.
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