by Marianna Monheim updated October 11, 2023
Boost Creativity and Spark Joy: Halloween Writing Activities
Does teaching writing feel like pulling teeth this year?
One unfortunate effect of reading scores being on the decline that often gets overlooked is the impact on student writing. When our upper elementary readers are struggling to comprehend basic text, writing turns into a daunting and unappealing task.
However, even in the age of technology, writing is a necessary life skill and it’s important for students to practice and apply a variety of writing skills.
In my experience, I’ve found that seasonal themes can bring some excitement into the writing process! Halloween, with its mix of creativity and spookiness, can be especially appealing to young writers. Let’s look at how incorporating Halloween themes throughout October can spark interest in even the most reluctant writers!
Looking for a done-for-you narrative writing activity? Try out this Step-by-Step Halloween Narrative resource in my TPT store!
Whether it’s the costumes, the candy, or the lore of haunted houses and spooky characters, Halloween has a way of capturing young imaginations. Why not take this excitement and channel it into some creative writing activities?
Common Challenges When Teaching Narrative Writing
A blank page can seem like an insurmountable obstacle to our students as they attempt any type of writing. Narrative writing can be a particular challenge. Students who are not readers are not going to intrinsically pick up on narrative elements such as characters, setting, and plot. A limited vocabulary can also be a setback. In addition, writing is just plain hard! It takes time and practice to take the thoughts in your head and turn them into a narrative that someone else can read and understand. Many students just don’t have the stamina to enjoy writing.
By taking time to reflect on these challenges, we can address them as we introduce narrative writing to our students.
Incorporating Halloween Elements into Narrative Structure
As we discussed above, many children are naturally drawn to all things scary and spooky. This makes Halloween a great starting place to learn about narrative elements. By focusing on a genre that many students are familiar with, you will provide them with a confidence boost and great opportunities for brainstorming with their peers!
As you teach about characters, stress the importance of adding adjectives to their descriptions. For example, an “evil witch” will be part of a very different story than a “nervous witch”! By having a detailed description of each character before writing, students will end up with much more compelling narratives!
Make Your Writing Lessons Interactive
A mistake teachers make during writing instruction is assuming their students know what to write about. Although to an adult “Write about your visit to a haunted house” may be enough instruction, your students are going to need a lot more scaffolding if you want their time to be used wisely.
My best suggestion? Plan and draft everything WITH your students, and give them ideas or sentence starters to bring out those creative sparks. Although students will still have a choice about their characters, setting, and plot, you’ll provide the necessary scaffolding that shows them how to USE these elements and weave them into a narrative.
Provide a Little Incentive for Revising and Editing
It’s hard enough to get students to WRITE a narrative, how on earth will we get them to actually edit and revise their work? I won’t lie, this is a tall task! That’s why I incorporated a “Color and Check” into my writing resources. After students finish their rough draft. they will use a checklist to revise and edit, coloring a section of their story topper as they cross each item off their list. Then, once they’ve finished their final copy, they get to complete their story topper! Students will appreciate the opportunity to color, plus they get the opportunity to do some of the “fun” things they may have missed out on during virtual school.
Want to Save Time and Energy While Teaching Narrative Writing?
Want everything you need to teach the narrative writing process from planning to publishing, as well as slide-by-slide teaching guides for each lesson? Head to TPT to check out my Step by Step Halloween Narrative Resource!
Hi! I'm Marianna
I’m a lifelong educator who helps busy teachers stay passionate about providing engaging, standards-based lessons to their students.
I created these teaching resources because I’m passionate about increasing student engagement in simple, easy-to-implement ways that will work for a variety of students.
All of my products draw on my 20 years of experience as a K-5 teacher, instructional coach, and private tutor. I’ve worked in all types of environments with all kinds of kids…and I strive to make resources that can be used to make any child a better reader and thinker.
I’m also a huge fan of reading, hockey (Go Panthers!), Bravo TV, Game of Thrones, and any and all doggos. My dog Leo and I enjoy taking walks at the many parks near our house!