Trick or Teach: 6 Learning Activities for Halloween

Boo! 👻

Looking to add some spirited practice to your Halloween lessons? We've haunted down some of the spookiest activities in eSpark's curriculum for just that purpose. But be warned... these games and stories are ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING more fun than scary (except #6—that one's deep).

1. MATH MONSTERS

• SUGGESTED GRADE LEVEL: 1
• SKILL: Place value
• SGS: Click here to assign the Small Group Skill
• NOTES: Students must identify the number of tens and ones in each place, then interact with the unit and base ten blocks before the Frankenstein-esque monsters reach them.
  
  

2. THE WITCH IN THE SHOE

• SUGGESTED GRADE LEVEL: 2
• SKILL: Rhyming and general comprehension
• SGS: Click here to assign the Small Group Skill
• NOTES: This read-aloud story includes prompts for students to identify rhyming words and tackle other comprehension challenges. It also has a nice message (spoiler: witches deserve string cheese, too!)
  
  

3. THE MINUTE MONSTERS: MINUTE HAND 'ROUND THE CLOCK

• SUGGESTED GRADE LEVEL: 2-3
• SKILL: Tell time to the nearest minute
• SGS: Click here to assign the Small Group Skill
• NOTES: This groovy jam is the first single from the upcoming Minute Monsters album, Time Party. These might not be the scariest monsters in town, but they sure do know how to rock out when the clock's out.
  
  

4. FALL FRIGHTS

• SUGGESTED GRADE LEVEL: 4
• SKILL: Reading comprehension and character analysis
• SGS: Click here to assign the Small Group Skill
• NOTES: This interactive poem tells the tale of our narrator's encounter with a ghost that turns out to be not so spooky after all. This activity does not include instructional prompts, but is a great way to spike a lesson on poetry or character analysis.
  
  

5. CREEPY CREATURES SCIENCE LAB

• SUGGESTED GRADE LEVEL: 4
• SKILL: Multiplicative comparisons
• NOTES: Students help Dr. Z capture her escaped mutants in the wake of a radioactive leak. This activity features what might be the creepiest voice work and music selection of any eSpark game.
  
  

6. SWALLOWED

• SUGGESTED GRADE LEVEL: 5
• SKILL: Summarizing a text
• SGS: Click here to assign the Small Group Skill
• NOTES: Marty needs saving from a fearsome anaconda in this harrowing exploration of the anxiety many students feel when it's time to take a test. This activity does not include any prompts, but is sure to jump-start a class discussion.

A no-prep supplement for your lessons

This is just one small sampling of the hundreds of varied, interactive learning activities found in eSpark's curriculum. Students will encounter these games, stories, and videos while working independently on their adaptive pathways or in teacher-assignable Small Group Skills lessons. eSpark content is always fresh, never repetitive, and constantly vetted by teachers and students. Sign up or log in today!

Additional Resources

• 16 Spooky Math Activities for Halloween
• Anatomy of a Quest: Behind the Scenes of eSpark Quest Creation
• Subscribe on YouTube to be notified of all new video content as it's released