Halloween Doesn’t have to be a Scary Teaching Day

I love all holidays, but there is something about Halloween that I adore. I have so many fun memories surrounding Halloween. Many as a child in my homemade costumes that would fall apart as the night was finishing up, and other memories as an adult getting my children ready for a fun night in our community. I love the excitement and innocence the day brings out in people, and let’s be honest, the abundance of candy everywhere.

“I’m so glad Halloween falls on a Thursday this year… said no teacher ever.”- Unknown

One thing that I didn’t enjoy about Halloween was teaching on the day and the day that follows. In the past, I felt like the kids weren’t mentally prepared to learn either of those days. I could tell that they were passive learners during instruction, which frustrated me. After speaking to coworkers, I quickly found out what my problem was. I was treating Halloween as just any other day. We just continued with our regularly scheduled program. I wasn’t allowing my students to be excited about Halloween the same way I was as a child or the same way my children were.
So a couple of years ago, I reluctantly made some changes in my approach to Halloween in the classroom, which, to my surprise, transformed my outlook on teaching on Halloween. Here are a couple of ideas I’ve implemented around Halloween to help engage my students on and around Halloween:

1. Creative writing meets speaking task- Have students practice their use of sensory details while writing a sales pitch for a haunted house. The students first sketch the layout of the haunted house and write at least one spooky detail about each room. Next, they create a setting for the home and start writing their pitch. Lastly, I have students practice reading their pitch (10-15 times) and record it on Flipgrid (here is a link to a previous post on how to use Flipgrid in the classroom). I have them record their pitches on Flipgrid a couple of days before Halloween, so we can listen and vote on Halloween day. This way, students are actively listening to their at least five peers, taking notes on the sensory details they used, and an overall grade using a presentation rubric. And guess what the room is silent. Silent on Halloween is unheard of, right?
2. Putting dead words to rest- This activity seems to be perfectly timed because, at this point in the year, we’ve discussed word choice and descriptive language. Students are used to me, prompting them to revise their writing and rethink their word choice. For this activity, I print a list of commonly used words that I want my students to stay away from for the remainder of the year. For example: like, said, really, fun, good, etc. Students pick a word from the list and create a tombstone for the word. I have students look up 3-4 synonyms for the dead word and write a eulogy for the word. When students finish, we display them in our graveyard (bulletin board), where students can refer back to them all year. *This is not something I created. I found this idea on social media a couple of years back and loved it.
3. Collaborative spooky stories- Practice narrative brief writes with spooky story starters, middle, and ends taped to the students’ desks. Here is an example: "My friends and I went on a hayride to enjoy the autumn leaves. We knew something was wrong when we all got a chill trickle down our spine…" Students are told that they have 2 minutes to read and think and then 3 minutes to write. Each student rotates around their table group until they get back to their seats. They need to stay in the correct point of view use details from the students before them to continue the story in a collaborative tone. When everyone is back in their seats, they each take turns reading the story as a whole. I have each group choose one and discuss possible revisions as a group. Then they add or omit details as a group and present it to the room.
4. Character autopsies- This can be a low prep or high prep activity depending on how involved you want to make it. Students will pick a character from a novel or story you read as a class and dissect the character. Ask them what the character thinks about (brain), the character’s perspective of the world (eyes), what the character holds in his/her hands (hands), etc. Have them decorate an outline of a body with their answers and textual evidence. You can use chart paper and cut out larger outlines for a small group to work on or keep it as an individual task. I plan on playing eerie music in the background and dimming the lights to set the stage. *This is not something I created. I found this idea on social media a couple of years back and loved it. 

What I like about these activities is that they are sensitive to students who do not celebrate Halloween at home, and they are all using many ELA standards. 

I hope you all have a spooky Halloween week with your students!

Jenni Merry