Halloween English Teaching Resources

Fun Reading and Creative Writing Lesson Plans For October

Welcome to my Halloween English Teaching Resources page.

Are you looking for fun reading and creative writing activities to use with your elementary school students during the month of October and for Halloween?

On this page, you will find lists of read aloud books that are great to use at this time of the year, unique creative writing templates, reading sticker charts, and fun poetry activities.

You can use the creative ideas that are on this page to help you plan engaging language arts activities for your students to complete during this spooky time of the school year!

Halloween is the perfect time of the year for your students to write about WITCH book they enjoyed reading during the month of October. My students are encouraged to read during October with unique reading sticker charts that are designed especially to encourage and promote reading at this particular time of the year with Halloween themed templates.

Children of all ages love to write spooky stories and poems, so October is a wonderful month to focus on a lot of different fun creative writing activities.

For creative writing assignments, when I give my students unique and fun templates to write on, I have found that they tend to use their best effort on these assignments.

When my students are engaged, on task, and using their best effort, they are more careful to not make careless spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

I hope that you will find some creative ideas to use with your own students during October with the Halloween English teaching resources that are found on this page.

Some of my favorite books to read aloud to
my students during the month of October are:

• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (math activity and lesson plans)
• Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg
• Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe
• The Witches by Roald Dahl
• The Twits by Roald Dahl
• Stellaluna by Janell Cannon (bat templates, see example below)

Halloween Witch and Caldron
Creative Writing Templates

For this unique Halloween creative writing set of teaching resources, students write a story inside the witch's cauldron. Your students will love completing this fun creative writing activity and their finished projects will making an eye catching Halloween bulletin board display inside your classroom.

This set of Halloween English teaching resources contains the following components:

• assembling directions
• story idea map worksheet
• first draft worksheet
• final draft templates
• color final draft templates
• grading rubric
• 5 page bulletin board display banner (shown above)
• 4 colorful bulletin board accent pieces

Below is an example of the directions worksheet that explains how to cut out the two templates and assemble them together to form the witch and cauldron creative writing project.

Students begin this Halloween creative writing activity by brainstorming and writing down their ideas on their story maps.

After students have completed their story maps, they write the first draft of their stories on the first draft worksheets. Students proofread and edit their stories before they write on their final draft witch and cauldron templates.

Below you will find an example of the grading rubric that is included in this set of Halloween teaching resources. This grading rubic contains an area for both students and the teacher to assess this creative writing project.

There are two templates that are cut out and then glued together to form this uniquely shaped witch and caldron creative writing project.

On the first template, students draw the witch's face. On the second template, students write their stories inside the cauldron.

This set of Halloween English teaching resources includes color witch templates that you can use as an example to show to your students before they begin this assignment.

Display this colorful example at the front of your classroom so that your students can see what their finished Halloween creative writing projects will look like.

This set of Halloween teaching resources includes 4 witch and cauldron bulletin board display accent pieces. You can use these witches to help you decorate your classoom display that features your students' fun Halloween creative writing projects.

What's Brewing Recipe Set
Creative Writing Halloween Lesson Plans

For this Halloween creative writing activity, students can use their imaginations and create a special witch's brew or magic potion.

You could also use these Halloween worksheets for students to write their favorite recipes, "witch" they could possibly bring in for a class party.

This What's Brewing Recipe set of Halloween English teaching resources includes the following:

• 5 page bulletin board display banner (shown above)
• Color printable worksheets (shown above)
• Black and white printable worksheets (not shown)

Fun Halloween Powerpoint Lesson Plans

Engage your students in reviewing homophones and verbs with these fun Halloween lesson plans.

Below you will find two powerpoint lesson plans that have a Halloween theme.

Each of the boxes below contains a short description and a small picture of the powerpoint presentation.

If you click on the underlined link at the bottom of each box, you will be taken to a page that describes that powerpoint lesson in more detail. This new web page will show you larger pictures of the different powerpoint slides that are included in these two Halloween English teaching resources.

Haunted Times Newspaper
Creative Writing Halloween Lesson Plans

During the month of October, include a newspaper creative writing activity in your language arts lesson plans using these fun "Haunted Times" newspaper templates.

Your students can write imaginary (fiction) newspaper articles that include spooky characters, or they can write traditional nonfiction newspaper articles. I often have my students write articles about school events that are happening in October or a review of a Halloween themed book.

This Haunted Times Newspaper set of teaching resources requires your students to write two articles and draw two pictures. Although I assign this as an individual project, this October creative writing activity could also be assigned as a group project.

This set of Halloween English teaching resources
contains the following components:

• first draft worksheet
• grading rubric worksheet
• final draft newspaper templates
• color final draft newspaper templates
• 5 page bulletin board display banner (shown above)

Students write the first draft of their newspaper articles on the first draft worksheets. Students proofread and edit their articles before they write on their final draft newspaper templates.

Below you will find an example of the grading rubric that is included in this set of Halloween teaching resources. This grading rubic contains an area for both students and the teacher to assess this creative writing project.

There are two templates that are glued together to form this Haunted Times Newspaper creative writing project.

On each template, students write a newspaper headline and article and then they draw a picture about that article.

This set of Halloween English teaching resources includes color newspaper templates that you can use as an example to show to your students before they begin this assignment.

Display this colorful example at the front of your classroom so that your students can see what their finished Haunted Times newspapers will look like.

Your students will enjoy being newspaper reports during the month of October and completing this fun Halloween creative writing project. Their finished newspaper projects will making an eye catching Halloween bulletin board display inside your classroom that will capture everyone's attention!

P.U.M.P.K.I.N. Acrostic Poems:
Pumpkin Shaped Poetry Templates

Pumpkin Shaped Acrostic Poems: The month of October is a fun time to introduce some poetry writing activities into your language arts lessons.

For this Halloween poetry lesson, students write an acrostic poem with the letters that form the word "P.U.M.P.K.I.N."

Students cut out the pumpkin templates along the thick borders, and then they will have unique pumpkin shaped Halloween poems.

These finished pumpkin acrostic poems will make a colorful bulletin board display of your students' work during the month of October.

This set of Halloween poems includes:

• first draft writing worksheet
• black and white pumpkin poetry template
• color pumpkin poetry template
• 5 page bulletin board display banner (shown above)

Everything that you need to complete this Halloween poetry assignment is included in this set of teaching resources. All that you will need is scissors and coloring pencils.

For creative writing assignments, I believe that it is important for students to go through the steps of the writing process.

For this reason, my students never begin writing their Halloween poems on their final draft pumpkin templates, instead they write on first draft worksheets. Then, they edit and revise their poems on their own, with a partner, or in individual writing conferences with me.

Below is an example of the first draft worksheet that is included in this set of Halloween teaching resources.

After students have edited and revised the first drafts of their pumpkin poems, you should give them their final draft pumpkin templates.

The pumpkin templates measures 7 inches in length and 7.5 inches in width.

These pumpkin templates have thick border lines, so it is easy for the students to cut out their pumpkin templates themselves.

As I am introducing this poetry assignment to my students, I like to begin by sharing my pumpkin poem with my students.

At the front of my classroom, I display an example of what the final draft pumpkin templates look like. By providing a visual example at the very beginning of this lesson activity, my students know what their Halloween poems will look like when they have completed their final drafts.

For final draft poetry assignments, when I give my students fun templates to write on, I have found that they tend to use their best effort, and they are more careful to not make careless spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

I have included a color pumpkin template for you to use as a visual example to share with your students.

G.H.O.S.T. Acrostic Poems:
Ghost Shaped Poetry Templates

For this Halloween poetry lesson, students write an acrostic poem with the letters that form the word "G.H.O.S.T."

Students cut out the ghost templates along the thick borders, and then they will have unique ghost shaped Halloween poems.

These finished ghost acrostic poems will make an eye catching bulletin board display of your students' work during the month of October.

This set of Halloween poems includes:

• first draft writing worksheet
• black and white ghost poetry template
• color ghost poetry template
• 5 page bulletin board display banner (shown above)

Everything that you need to complete this Halloween poetry assignment is included in this set of teaching resources. All that you will need is scissors and coloring pencils.

For creative writing assignments, I believe that it is important for students to go through the steps of the writing process.

For this reason, my students never begin writing their Halloween poems on their final draft ghost templates, instead they write on first draft worksheets. Then, they edit and revise their poems on their own, with a partner, or in individual writing conferences with me.

Below is an example of the first draft poetry worksheet that is included in this set of Halloween teaching resources.

After students have edited and revised the first drafts of their ghost poems, you should give them their final draft ghost templates.

The ghost templates measures 10 inches in length and 6.5 inches in width.

These ghost templates have thick border lines, so it is easy for the students to cut out their ghost templates themselves.

I have also included a color ghost template in this set of Halloween English teaching resources.

Witch and Bat Reading Incentive Charts

Note:

To give my October reading bulletin board display more variety, I give my girl students the witch incentive charts and my boy students the bat incentive charts found below.

Witch Books Have You Read?
Halloween Sticker Chart Set

Encourage your students to record "Witch Books They Have Read" this October by using these fun Halloween incentive charts.

There are 10 spaces on the witch template for students to write the names of the books that they have read during the month of October.

Students cut out their reading sticker charts along the thick border lines and then they will have unique witch shaped incentive charts.

When you display these incentive charts on your Halloween reading bulletin board, it will help to encourage your students to read books independently this month.

This set of Halloween English teaching resources includes:

• black and white witch sticker chart template
• color witch sticker chart template
• 5 page bulletin board display banner (shown above)

Batty About Reading
Halloween Sticker Chart Set

Encourage your students to become "Batty About Reading" this October by using these fun reading incentive charts.

There are 10 spaces on the bat's wings for students to write the names of the books that they have read during the month of October.

Students cut out their reading sticker charts along the thick border lines and then they will have unique bat shaped incentive charts.

When you display these incentive charts on your Halloween reading bulletin board, it will help to encourage your students to read books independently this month.

This set of Halloween English teaching resources includes:

• black and white bat sticker chart template
• color bat sticker chart template
• 5 page bulletin board display banner (shown above)