🎃 Pumpkin Patch Sight Words

One of my favorite low-prep activities is turning vocabulary into a pumpkin patch. I start with word cards I’ve already made earlier in the year, then swap the shapes into pumpkins or add Halloween clip art. Students “pick a pumpkin” and either read it, match it to a definition, or use it in a sentence. For my younger kids, this might be sight words or CVC words. Middle schoolers use vocabulary tied to the unit we’re studying, while high schoolers might get SAT words or literary terms.

To make it accessible for everyone, I color-code the pumpkins so students know which ones are just right for them. I also provide picture cues or word banks for students who need extra support. Adding self-checking cards keeps them independent—and it saves me from answering the same “Did I get it right?” ten times in a row.

Here’s an elementary example from my site: Miss Warren’s Class

👻 Spooky Sentence Building

This activity always gets my students laughing. I give them Halloween-themed nouns, verbs, and adjectives, and they build silly, spooky sentences. For some, it’s as simple as “The black cat jumped.” Others stretch it into longer, more descriptive sentences. In elementary grades, picture cards make it easier. By middle school, I challenge them to write compound or complex sentences, and in high school, I push for figurative language and descriptive paragraphs.

The SPED supports are built right in. Sentence frames help students who need structure, and icons for parts of speech keep things clear. For kids who struggle with writing, I let them share their sentences orally or draw them before writing. The flexibility means everyone can participate at their own level.

🏚️ Haunted House Reading Comprehension

October is the perfect time to bring out spooky passages. I like to give students a short Halloween-themed story and a haunted house graphic organizer. Each “room” of the house holds a different comprehension question. The format is fun, but the questions still follow a progression starting with literal, moving into inference, and finally pushing into deeper evaluation.

For younger students, I’ll read the passage aloud and add visuals. By middle school, they’re reading independently and using the organizer on their own. High schoolers take it a step further by analyzing tone, theme, or the author’s word choice. To make it accessible, I highlight text evidence in different colors and provide sentence starters. The goal is to make comprehension feel like an exploration instead of a worksheet.

Here’s an middle/high example from Miss Warren’s Class

🧙‍♀️ Witch’s Brew Word Sort

Word sorts get a spooky twist with this “witch’s brew” activity. Students pull word cards and decide where they belong. Stirring them into the right “cauldron.” The categories shift depending on grade level. In elementary, we sort by vowel sounds, rhyming words, or beginning letters. In middle school, it’s prefixes, suffixes, and roots. In high school, I like to use figurative language or literary devices.

The tactile element keeps kids engaged. I’ll use magnetic cards, Velcro, or even put cauldrons around the room so students walk to the right spot to drop their word. For students who need fewer choices, I limit the categories. Movement, visuals, and hands-on sorting all help make it accessible to every learner.

👹 Monster Match Context Clues

Context clues can be a tough skill to practice, but when a monster is involved, suddenly everyone’s in. Students read a sentence with a bolded mystery word and figure out the meaning using context. Once they’ve chosen the correct definition, they “feed” it to the monster. It’s playful, but it keeps the focus exactly where it needs to be on how the surrounding words help unlock meaning.

In elementary, the sentences are simple and paired with pictures. Middle schoolers get more complex, multi-meaning words, and high schoolers tackle academic vocabulary with the added challenge of explaining which clue helped them decide. I scaffold by offering multiple-choice options, pairing visuals with the definitions, and letting students work with a partner so they can model for each other.

Final Thoughts ✨

The beauty of these activities is that they don’t require me to reinvent the wheel every October. The centers are prepped  early in the year with solid literacy foundations, then when Halloween comes around, just swap in pumpkins, bats, or ghosts. The kids feel like it’s brand new, but I know it’s purposeful practice of the same essential skills.

Halloween in the classroom doesn’t have to be chaos. With the right scaffolds, these activities make learning feel festive and fun without losing sight of the standards. And for me, it’s proof that engagement and rigor can absolutely go hand in hand. 

If you want to skip the prep, I’ve bundled my favorite Halloween literacy activities into ready-to-use resources. You can find them here in my Halloween collection, and if you use the code Spooky25, you’ll get 10% off all October long. 🖤

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