Reading Activities for Halloween

One of my favorite memories of elementary school was thematic units. I have always loved a good theme. Thematic units might have been the start of my love for National Days. I love making everything go together and match. 

In October, I love using any and all spooky, halloween-y, Hispanic Heritage Month-y, or Dia de los Muertos-y filled activities. THIS is how I engage my students. I make connections to their life one themed activity after another. Do not get me wrong. I still do A LOT that is not themed, but I try to make connections whenever possible. [Yesterday, I taught how to compare decimals. You bet– I made it into a spooky lesson with lights off. We created the Haunted House method.] 

Ok, back to picture books! I want to show you how to take ONE picture book that has a Halloween vibe and get in learning and laughter.

Have you read I Need My Monster?

 I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll is a playful picture book about a boy named Ethan who can’t sleep without his usual monster, Gabe, under his bed. One night, Ethan discovers that Gabe is away on a “fishing trip” and won’t be back for a while. In his absence, various substitute monsters arrive, but none of them meet Ethan’s high standards. Some are too silly, others too strange, and none are as perfectly scary as Gabe. Ethan needs his familiar monster to feel comforted and safe enough to sleep. In the end, Gabe returns, much to Ethan’s relief.

I know sometimes it’s hard to know how to use picture books especially in upper grade. BUT! I am here to help you. Below I have outlined how I used I Need My Monster to celebrate spooky season, focus on standards, and review old standards.

Here are the activities and resources inside I Need My Monster. 

Morning Meeting Questions to get kids talking about themselves but on topic to the book. This starts building background knowledge of the topic and hooks them into the topic itself! (hellllllllo connections!)

  • Vocabulary Building (not in every POP!, but most!)
  • Several ways to show comprehension:
    • Talk About It Questions (verbal responses)
    • Write About it Questions (written responses)
    • 8 Comprehension Questions
    • A specific skill page: inference, character traits, summary, connections, theme, etc
  • Mentor sentence for grammar
  • Annotation Practice
  • Writing Practice
    • RACE Written Response
    • 5 Pen Pal Letter Ideas (and cute paper!)

Lately, I have been using these two resources to review the standards already taught this year. I had my students complete these activities in centers which allowed me to see who might still need Tier 2 teaching and who is ready to continue on our learning journey. You can get this resource plus I Need My Monster main idea resource by clicking here

I can promise you your kids will LOVE these. I do it every month in my classroom and we have a blast. In fact, I already have mapped out my fall calendar of POPs! I made it easier for you and threw these gems into one place

August- Carla’s Sandwich

September- The Crayon Man

October- I Need My Monster

November- Peyton’s Perfect Pie

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