Fall Inspired Writing Activities
October Alphaboxes
Tap into students favorite traditions and activities by using Alphaboxes to brainstorm all things Fall. Give each student an Alphaboxes sheet and challenge them to list words related to October. They do not have to have a word under each letter. Also, a box may have multiple words. Students can use their Alphaboxes sheet to choose ideas to write about. Write stories, letters, poems, or expository essays all about Fall things! For an Alphaboxes PDF, click here!
Spooky Tales
October is a great month to read aloud folktales and myths to your students and think about cause and effect. A great read aloud is Halloween: Scary Tales for Kids. Students can study the craft of traditional literature and then craft their own pieces. Many students can benefit from a discussion of the character's goal, obstacles, and ways the character makes attempts to overcome the barriers to achieve a goal. Make a copy of the cover of each book you share and post on a wall or bulletin board to remind students to make connections between texts.
Take it to Writing Workshop by having students write their own spooky stories. Be sure to teach students to plan the story by developing a character who has a goal, but faces an obstacle. They should think of one or two events (think cause/effect) in which the character tries to overcome the obstacle. Using a 'Somebody-Wanted-But-So-Then' graphic organizer will help students plan and organize their story. Click here for the narrative graphic organizer.
Pumpkin-Spiced Recipes
Procedural texts are a great genre to dive into for the months of October and November. Encourage students to share and write recipes from home that they enjoy during the Fall months. Whether it's a Halloween treat or a Thanksgiving staple, sharing recipes is a great way to get to build community and get students writing in different ways!
What Am I? Riddles
Tap into writing and inferencing skills with "What Am I?" writing prompts. Students can choose a frightening animal (spider, snake, bat) and write down three facts. Then, the reader will have to use the clues to make an inference as to which animal the student is referencing.
For a little extra challenge, read Guess Who Haiku and have students write a haiku riddle. Here is an example:
Little fur body,
Long wings soaring through the night.
A cave is my home.
Can you guess who?