Halloween is a great time to infuse engaging and fun activities in your high school English class. Even the big kids love to get into the spooky lore of the season. Whether you’re focusing on literature and incorporating the great Edgar Allan Poe or you want to give your students a scare with real haunted folklore, these ideas are sure to add a little haunted flair to your lesson plans.
#1: Real Life Ghost Stories
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been fascinated by real life ghost stories. I love to go on haunted tours when I’m in a new place! I find it’s a great way to learn about the history of any location and have a little spooky fun. Turns out, my students love it, too. I created a set of highly engaging informational text close reading activities to teach students about five of the most haunted places in the United States. This set of nonfiction text activities has been a hit year after year in my classroom. Click here to check them out.
#2: Take a Haunted Road Trip
This idea was a natural progression of the haunted places readings. Instead of having students simply read and annotate the haunted places passages, I turned them into a haunted road trip. Students “travel” from table to table learning about a different haunted place at each stop. I even added short videos for extra flair. You can get this activity free with the bundle purchase, but if you want the activity alone, you can click here. The passages aren’t a requirement for the activity (students can research on their own), but it does make it much easier for them.
#3: Play Halloween Word Games
I love word games and often bond with my students over them. (Wordle, anyone?) Sometimes, though, I just love to use a traditional pen and paper and get down to business. This downloadable resource includes 4 Halloween-themed puzzles with a cross word, word search, and two word scrambles. I always keep these on hand for fast finishers. Break out the colored highlighters and get to it!
#4: Write Suspenseful Stories
Who doesn’t love a good suspenseful story that keeps you on your toes? My students have absolutely loved using this resource and I’ve gotten some of the most creative writing I’ve seen in years. My Roll a Suspenseful Story Activity gives students story parameters to write their own suspenseful story simply using a dice. Note: This activity is digital, too, so if you don’t have a dice on hand, let them use the digital dice! Check out the video below to see the resource in action.
#5: Practice Parts of Speech with Mad Libs
Review activities are always a good idea, but I especially love ones that are creative and unique. My Halloween Mad Libs help to review parts of speech, but are also a ton of fun. There are five original stories to get your students in the spirit while also reviewing content.
#6: Celebrate Oc-POE-ber!
It’s Oc-POE-ber, so don’t forget about the master of suspense! Read a short story, let students research the intriguing life of Poe, or go on a virtual field trip and explore places significant to his life. You can check out my blog post for details on these ideas and more.
#7: Encourage Spooky Reading with Book Trailers
Book Trailers are a great way to get students excited about reading at any time, but they’re especially fun during the spooky season. I created a YouTube playlist of ten titles for high schoolers that you can share with your students. Click here to see it.
#8: Add a Little Mystery
October is a great time to explore the mystery genre with your students. Click here to see my blog post all about infusing elements of mystery in your classroom.
#9: Listen to a Spooky Podcast
Speaking and listening skills are easy to cover when you include podcasts in the classroom. Try “The Creeping Hour” from NPR or “Sharp Tooth Boy”. Pair these episodes with my Podcast Listening Graphic Organizers for a high-interest activity you can implement today.
#10: Try a Candy Writing Activity
A Halloween Candy Writing Activity invites students to describe candy through sensory details and turn it into a fun writing exercise. All you need is some candy, student instructions, and paper. You can even add a challenge by asking students to include figurative language. It’s fast, adaptable, and a treat for students’ creativity. It’s sure to be a quick win for both you and your students during a busy week. Click here to check it out.
October is such a fun month as an English Language Arts teacher. I hope this post inspired you to bring a little spirit of the season into your own classroom!
What literacy activities do you love for the spooky season? I’d love to hear about them! Sound off in the comments below or follow me on IG or Facebook to join the conversation.
Happy teaching!
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