10 Fun and educational Halloween classroom ideas
Get ready for your classroom to get spooky with these Halloween classroom ideas! There are plenty of ways to plan for a classroom Halloween celebration. Use these ideas to teach students standardized-testing vocabulary words, literature, and history while still celebrating Halloween.
Flocabulary has educational hip-hop songs and videos for students in grades K-12. We’ve got you covered with fun Halloween classroom activities to share with your students.
Keep reading to explore a list of ideas to help you organize lesson plans and ghost-ify your classroom this year!
Fun & educational Halloween classroom ideas
1. Teach the origin of Halloween
In this Flocabulary lesson, students will learn the origin of Halloween and how the holiday became what it is today. Watch the Halloween video with students and assign them the lesson so they can complete the vocabulary and reading comprehension activities.
2. The story of Frankenstein
Keep students on the edge of their seats with the most classic monster story of all. In this adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein faces the monster he has created. Watch with students a synopsis of Frankenstein and its vocabulary words. Pair this Video Text with a Skill to create a Flocabulary Mix*!
*Flocabulary Mix and Break it Down are available to users with a school or district Flocabulary Plus subscription.
3. What is Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead?
In this lesson, students learn about Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. This hip-hop infused lesson is inspired by the student winner’s lyrics from the Hispanic Heritage Month 2021 Contest.
Explore with students the origins of the holiday and its cultural significance in this fun, vibrant, and catchy video.
4. Teach SAT vocabulary related to phobias
Do you or your students have any phobias? Listen to this rap about extreme fears, scary stories, and dark haunted houses, while brushing up on high school vocabulary. Use these Halloween classroom ideas to teach students words they are likely to encounter on the SAT.
5. Grade 3 vocabulary words: Candy
The main character in this video loves sweets so much, she dreams about them! This song includes third-grade vocabulary words that students are likely to encounter on state tests. Tie this vocabulary video to how students feel when trick-or-treating during Halloween. Use Vocab Game in the lesson to have students build a beat by answering correct questions about the words.
6. Grade 4 vocabulary words: Superstitions
In this song what superstitions are and why some believe in them. This lesson includes fourth-grade vocabulary words that students are likely to encounter on state tests such as: analyze, appropriate, century, focus, impact, peer, plentiful, recent, source, and terror. If you’re looking for a Halloween classroom activity too teach vocabulary words students can learn and memorize through music, this lesson is for you!
7. Grade 5 vocabulary words: Dracula Junior
It’s not easy being the son of Dracula. Watch Dracula Junior with students while they learn 10 new vocabulary terms. This hip-hop song includes fifth-grade vocabulary words that students are likely to encounter on state tests. Give students a mix of spooky literature, vocabulary, and hip-hop all in one lesson with this Halloween classroom idea! Use the Vocab Cards to have students write or draw examples of vocabulary words.
8. Building suspense in writing
To stick to the theme of Edgar Allen Poe, students can learn techniques he uses to create suspense in “The Tell-Tale Heart” in this hip-hop video. Students learn techniques for creating suspense in their writing, including point of view, imagery, dramatic irony, and more. Have students create their own suspenseful poem using Lyric Lab within the lesson.
9. Edgar Allen Poe’s dark tale, ‘The Cask of Amontillado’
The father of modern mystery, Edgar Allen Poe, is known for his dark and macabre stories. Watch a summary of ‘The Cask of Amontillado,’ a tale of pride and revenge. Students will follow the plot points and learn how Poe used irony and suspense to build a macabre mood.
10. Edgar Allen Poe’s dark tale, ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’
We bring you Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Pit and the Pendulum” in one terrifying rap song. The lyrics summarize the plot of Poe’s classic tale of torture. Use this Halloween classroom activity for Grades 8 to 12.
Celebrate Halloween with Flocabulary
We hope you and your students enjoy these ideas and activities! With Flocabulary, every lesson is an opportunity to bring the curriculum to life and reinforce core knowledge and skills. You can engage all learners across any K-12 subject with a hip-hop video covering a topic, including Halloween! We’re so excited to see you put these Halloween classroom ideas to use.
