Halloween is Coming!

Halloween is my favorite holiday for many reasons, with one of the highlights being the excitement my students have when sharing their weekend fun when they return to school.  I used to allow students to share their festivities by sitting in a circle and taking turns; however, I found that some students were so anxious to share that they would interrupt, others would speak for much to long, and still others were not comfortable sharing in a large group.












I developed a "Find Someone Who" game to allow students to roam around the room talking about their Halloween festivities while practicing listening and speaking skills.  (See the "Find Someone Who" sheet to the left.)

I noticed my students were very excited when they realized they shared a common activity with a classmate, so we decided to take the activity a step further, but having partners create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting their Halloween weekends.

Students were so into the comparison/contrast activity, that I thought I should try to carry that excitement into writing.  I have a range of writing levels in my classroom, so the comparison/contrast writing form was structured to support all levels with key word boxes and a self-checklist.






I look forward to this activity every year!  How do you welcome your students back from breaks and holidays?  Please share your awesome ideas in the comments below!

Happy Halloween, and happy Teachering!
-Amber