Writing Activities for Fall and Halloween

Halloween and things associated with the fall season present an opportunity for students to complete some enjoyable writing activities. Here are some examples you might want to try.

 

1. Song Lyrics 

One of my students’ favorite activities was to convert the lyrics of familiar Christmas songs to fit the themes of Halloween. After they finished their songs, those who were outgoing sang their songs to the class. Other students preferred to read their lyrics to the class or give their song to another student who was happy to perform it. Everyone had fun as they laughed and sang along.

 

Here’s an example of a Halloween song set to the tune of “Jingle Bells:”

 

Dashing through the streets 

In a costume made for play, 

Over the curbs we go 

Laughing all the way. 

 

Ghosts and goblins shriek 

Making spirits rise 

What fun it is to trick or treat 

A neighbor’s house tonight. 

 

Oh, Halloween, Halloween, 

My favorite time of year. 

Oh, what fun it is to laugh and scream in fear.

 

Since kids are so creative, their songs were fun to write and even more fun to sing. You could do this with any familiar song. It would not have to be a Christmas song.

 

2. Sentence Combining Exercises

 

Here’s another idea. Your students might enjoy a Halloween Sentence Combining Activity. 

 

Students would combine a basic kernel of sentences into one sentence that is more interesting. 

Here’s an example:

Instructions: 

Read the kernel of basic sentences below. Combine each cluster into one well-written sentence. You may move the information into any order that you wish. Do not leave out any vital information presented in the original sentences. 

 

Basic Sentence Cluster:

 

 We carved a pumpkin. 

 The pumpkin was orange. 

 The eyes and mouth of the pumpkin were triangles. 

 We made a jack-o-lantern.

 

Combined:

We carved triangular eyes and a mouth on an orange pumpkin and created a jack-o-lantern.

or

We carved a jack-o-lantern with triangular eyes and a mouth from an orange pumpkin. 

3. Take Photos with One's Mind

The fall season is a perfect time for students to create photographs with words instead of a camera. The assignment I gave them was to walk around in a scenic area or attend a fall festival or visit a department store that was decorated for the season and take snapshots of what they see. Then their assignment was to write a descriptive paragraph or two and describe the scene using vivid words.

If students do not have a camera or a phone, they can take notes as they walk around and then write a descriptive paragraph or two to describe the scene using vivid words.

If possible, display the photos and let the class compare them to the descriptions as the students read their assignments aloud.

Here are two photos you may want to use.

 

If you would like a no-prep lesson with examples and suggested songs, you will find it in my TpT store here.

 

If you would like a no-prep lesson with sentence-combining activities, you will find it in my store here.

I hope these will give you some great ideas for the fall season. They worked well in my classroom, and my students enjoyed them.

Here are some blog posts from my friends who are members of the Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative. Their posts always have great tips and ideas.

Thanks for reading,

Charlene

 

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