As pumpkin spice everything fills the stores, many students are getting excited to pick out costumes and carve pumpkins. As their excitement for Halloween grows, attention spans can become more limited in the classroom. In the past, teachers could hold everyone’s attention by promising a great Halloween party. However, many districts do not allow holidays to be celebrated with a party anymore. This can be due to the fact that too many students have food allergies. Additionally, it can be due to the fact that not all families celebrate holidays, so it makes people uncomfortable. Moreso, it can be due to the fact that instructional time is already so limited. Hence, every minute counts. Thankfully, Halloween worksheets are a great way to combine fun and education!
As different holidays approach, teachers know that students start to become distracted. Therefore, the depth of learning starts to decrease. However, teachers can absolutely help students overcome this struggle. No, it does not have to involve anything to do with a party! Instead, it can focus on relationship building. For instance, teachers can use the time around holidays to get to know students.
Specifically, teachers can learn so much about a student based on what they want to dress up as for Halloween. Additionally, these discussions can help classmates see what interests they have in common with other students. Furthermore, students can learn about the history of the holiday and cultures that celebrate it. Students can even learn how the holiday has evolved over time. There is just so much behind each holiday that can be included into lessons! By doing this, students will be so excited to learn that their attention spans will not wander away while imagining trick-or-treating. Instead, teachers will have focused and engaged students who are eager to share the information with parents and guardians after school.
As the holiday approaches, you may have students asking if there will be a party. Don’t feel bad telling them no. Instead, tell them something better is going to happen! Instead of having a 20-minute party, students are going to be surrounded by holiday fun!
No matter the holiday, there are so many incredible books! Whether students can read independently, in a small group, or enjoy the teacher reading, there are options to fit all ages. For example, grab the book Turkey Trick or Treat by Wendi Silvano. After reading, have students work on the Turkey Trick or Treat Activities. Here, students will practice a variety of academic skills!
For instance, character and setting, tr blends, and sequencing are all included. Students will love celebrating Halloween while also becoming more confident students! Since your class will love this story, be sure to check out the Halloween Activities Bundle! It includes the read aloud activities and Halloween worksheets in addition to more ELAR activities! Between the Who Wants Candy mini-book to the Halloween questions, this is perfect for your class of Halloween fanatics!
As the year progresses, students start to process content on a deeper level. However, the content and holiday celebrations can come together as one. In the Halloween Literacy Resource, students will engage with so many ELAR skills through Halloween worksheets! Activities include acrostic poetry, persuasive writing, and parts of speech. Students can even have time to share their poetry and writing with their classmates! Additionally, students will also love the festive material, such as putting the Halloween-themed words in alphabetical order.
Students deserve creative lessons, especially after working so hard. Furthermore, a brain break can be helpful after focusing so much. If you have a class who loves music, find some fun songs that talk about Halloween. Then, have students analyze parts of the song. For instance, is the tone spooky or funny? Or, the groups can even work together to create a new line for the song.
As an added support, they can even write their own poem, line, or saying they would love to sing. Soon, students will start to see how the words in a book and lines of a song actually have a lot in common! You will be surprised with how well students do on this activity at such a young age!
Students will love Turkey Trick or Treat by Wendi Silvano so much that they will be asking for more stories! Instead of listening to one, the class can write their own! For instance, students can select a fun Halloween picture. One group may pick skeletons dancing while others may have carved pumpkins. Then, the class or small groups can create short lines to make up a story about what is taking place. Here, you will see your students’ imaginations SOAR!
They love getting creative, so this will be an activity they adore! Students can even highlight different parts of speech and tell all about their characters and setting with Halloween worksheets. To add in more lesson formats, students can even complete this verbally with a partner or small group. By doing this, students are practicing their listening skills, improving comprehension, and taking turns!
Halloween is such an exciting time of the year! Whether students love pumpkins, witches, or black cats, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Thankfully, the ideas above help ensure students are not just completing “fluff” Halloween worksheets. None of the activities above are assigned simply to pass time until the end of the day. Instead, the festivities surrounding Halloween are all embedded into high-quality lessons!
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