Spooky Teacher Tips & Tricks for October

By. Meredith Biesinger 

Happy October! Fall is finally here, and now it’s time to gear up for all of the festivities that come with this month. October brings fall festivals, book fairs, parent engagement nights, school projects, field trips, and, of course….Halloween and all of the candy that comes with it! Why do we do this to ourselves? I guess it’s because, at the end of the day, amongst the chaos, we care about our students, and we want them to learn and have fun and memorable experiences at school. But…that doesn’t mean we have to be in constant stress mode, either!

Check out some of these tips and tricks to help you succeed and smile during the first part of this busy “BER” month! 

ACTIVITY

3-D, Glow in the Dark Halloween Haunted House Literacy Centers 

Oh my, ghouls and ghosts, these are so much fun to do with your students, and they can be modified for different grade levels.

 I love this activity so much because of how flexible it is. For this project, students create their own haunted houses using a large paper bag and a hand-drawn haunted house, then decorate it with glow-in-the-dark paint. They love it! 

Select a Halloween book, or seasonably appropriate, grade-level book, and create six centers of “Who, what, where, when, why, and how” questions in response to text, and the answers are written on various parts of their haunted house. 

Other FUN Ideas 

*Have students use a fake “witch finger” to read with. It’s fun and will help them with their guided reading prompts. 

*Study the life cycle of a pumpkin using real pumpkins! 

*Bring spooky or kooky props and have students participate in a creative writing exercise. 

Happy Teacher

Pause. October is a challenging month for teachers. The honeymoon phase is over, and it’s the gateway to the holiday season. Be sure to reiterate classroom policies and procedures and follow through. 

Take time for yourself. Take a walk, enjoy a pumpkin spice latte, or plan an evening out (or in) with friends. 

Create something beautiful for your classroom. Work together as a class, create a fall garland from different leaves made from construction paper, or paint a classroom pumpkin. Take a break and engage with your students while creating something festive.  October. Yes, there is a lot to get done—but just remember to also have some fun!