Teaching Themes
Halloween: Everything You Need
Your class can celebrate Halloween with these educational tricks and treats!
Blog Posts
Pumpkins, Ghosts, and Witches, OH MY! October Books, Parties, and Crafts
Grades: 1–2
Harness your students' interest and excitement about Halloween with themed activities, books, videos, and more!
Articles
Halloween, Then and Now
Grades: PreK–K, 1–2, 3–5, 6–8
What's the history of Halloween? Find out where trick-or-treating and jack-o'-lanterns got their start.
Halloween Books
Grades: PreK–K, 1–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12
Check out these spooky, Halloween-themed books from the Teacher Store.
Halloween PoemGrades: PreK–K, 1–2, 3–5, 6–8 Get students excited for Halloween with this activity in which students use select rhyming words to write a spooky poem. |
Shelf Talker: Scary BooksGrades: PreK–K, 1–2, 3–5, 6–8 Organize the spooky books in your classroom library with this printout that includes a section for teacher and student comments. |
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Articles Two Scary Story WebsitesGrades: PreK–K, 1–2, 3–5 Ghoulishness abounds! When Halloween comes, explore these fun and engaging websites for scary stories. |
 Booktalks The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray BooktalkGrades: 9–12 Two wych hunters take on the evil of the wych-folk and the power of the Fraternity to save the life of a young girl. |
 Booktalks Encyclopedia Horrifica BooktalkGrades: 6–8 Are vampires real? Werewolves? Ghosts? Aliens? Zombies? Faeries? In this book, you'll find facts that are genuinely stranger than fiction. |
Discussion Guides, Book Resources Cinderella Skeleton Discussion GuideGrades: PreK–K, 1–2 Through Cinderella Skeleton, readers will experience a fractured fairy tale, practice their prediction skills, and be introduced to a... |
 Book Excerpts Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost Text ExcerptGrades: 3–5 Look out for the ghost goo in this excerpt from Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost by Cornelia Funke! |
 Lesson Plans, Book Resources Harry Potter Brings Magic Into the ClassroomGrades: 3–5 Harry Potter–themed skill-building classroom activities, such as homemade trading cards, a Hogwarts yearbook, and more |
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Book Excerpts Ghosthunters and the Gruesome Invincible Lightning Ghost Text ExcerptGrades: 3–5, 6–8 In this excerpt from Ghosthunters and the Gruesome Invincible... |
Book Excerpts Ghosthunters and the Totally Moldy Baroness Text ExcerptGrades: 3–5, 6–8 Strange and stinky things are happening at Gloomsburg Castle. It appears that the murderous spirit of a 400-year-old, Totally Moldy Baroness has... |
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Book Excerpts Ghosthunters and the Muddy Monster of Doom Text ExcerptGrades: 3–5, 6–8 Intrepid ghosthunter-in-training Tom has battled Incredibly Revolting Ghosts, Gruesome Invincible Lightning Ghosts, and a Totally Moldy Baroness. But... |
 Lesson Plans Into the Bat Cave: 7 Science ActivitiesGrades: PreK–K, 1–2, 3–5, 6–8 Engage students in high-flying science lesson that covers the bat's physical characteristics and habitat, echolocation, and more. |
 Extension Activities Halloween Multiplication MysteriesGrades: PreK–K, 1–2, 3–5, 6–8 These hands-on Halloween math games make learning multiplication a little spooky and a lot of fun! |
 Articles Not-So-Scary Storybook OctoberGrades: 1–2, 3–5, 6–8 Put a literary twist on the season of bats, ghosts, and pumpkins with this lesson in literature with a Halloween theme. |
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Lesson Plans Reading for Gumshoes: Using Mysteries to Teach Reading SkillsGrades: 3–5 Teacher Audrey Kennan shares seven ways she uses mysteries to teach crucial reading skills. 'Tis the season for a spooky story! |
 Articles, Writing Prompts, Writing Activities Scary Starters: Writing Activity IdeasGrades: 1–2, 3–5 Students get in the Halloween spirit by writing a spooky story that begins with a sentence that the teacher provides. |
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Activities and Games Bottled MonstersGrades: PreK–K, 1–2 Use this Pattern for Bottled Monsters template to put together some spooky bottled monsters decorations for your classroom. |
Lesson Plans, Extension Activities, Writing Activities, Book Resources Here They Come! Lesson PlanGrades: 1–2 Host a Ghosts and Ghouls Party and have students create their own Halloween-themed menus and recipes from the foods listed in this Halloween... |
 Articles Halloween Web HuntGrades: 3–5, 6–8 Discover the history of Halloween traditions and learn about mummy burials, vampire bats, plus other frightful facts. |
Lesson Plans, Book Resources Hallo-Wiener by Dav Pilkey Lesson PlanGrades: PreK–K, 1–2 In this lesson plan, students create The Hallo-Wiener themed Happy Halloween signs. |
