Halloween-Themed Arts Integration Activities to Use in the Language Arts Classroom

This year, Halloween falls on a Monday (duhn, duhn, duhn!).  Teachers all across the globe are shedding a single tear.  How can you deal with that sort of energy so early in the week (or anytime during the week, actually)?  Enter, arts integration!

Below are 5 easy-to-implement, Halloween-Themed Arts Integration Activities that you can add to your plan book right now!


1.  Literary Pumpkins (Visual Art & Reading)
     Break your class into small groups, with each group getting a pumpkin and paint.  There are several ways you could assign this project: 

• Have guided reading groups paint characters from their favorite book they've read on their pumpkin
• Have your literature circles paint the climax of their book on their pumpkin
• Have reading partners paint symbols of their favorite series on a pumpkin
• Base painting on a read aloud you've done with the class.  They could paint their favorite character, scene, or symbol to represent the theme.  Tie your painting requirements into your current objectives!

      Have an uncooperative group?  Give them individual mini pumpkins and let them paint their favorite character from a book.  Encourage them to think about details that the author states in the text to enhance their artwork.
       And check out these amazing carved literary pumpkins from Buzzfeed!  Granted, your class will be using paints instead of a knife (good call considering all the sugar they're hopped up on), but these would still be impressive to share!  

Taken from http://bit.ly/2dKXidw

Taken from http://bit.ly/2eqg76L

Taken from http://huff.to/2dodbp6

Taken from http://bit.ly/2e1RpeW

Taken from http://bit.ly/2eMg741

2.  Synonym and Antonym Pumpkin Patch (Visual Art & Word Study)

Click on image to get
free printable pumpkins!

     This works great for when you are studying character traits, but could work with a list of vocabulary words as well.  Split students up into partners so that they have someone to discuss with.  For the sake of this example, we'll name the students Trick and Treat. 
      Give each student two outlines of pumpkins.  You can find the ones I've used here.  Then give each pair a character trait (or vocab word), like courageous, nice, sneaky etc.  I love this list from ReadWriteThink: Trait List  Both Trick and Treat should write the word you give them in the box on one of their pumpkins.  In the second pumpkin box, have Trick write a synonym for the trait and Treat write an antonym.
       The reason I like using this with character traits is that students can then draw a face on their pumpkin to make a Jack-o-Lantern that represents the trait they've written.
       When finished, I hang these up in a class "Synonym and Antonym Pumpkin Patch."

 

Our Synonym Pumpkin Patch 

Our Antonym Pumpkin Patch

3.  Read Aloud Statues (Movement & Reading)
     This activity could be used with pretty much any Halloween or creepy book/poem you've read aloud to your class.  It could also tie into any objective you are currently working on--character traits, setting, mood, theme, etc.
     After reading the story or poem, students are challenged to use their bodies to create a statue to represent something from the book--this could be one of your objectives (character traits, setting, mood, etc) or something more subjective like their favorite part, the scariest part, a part that confused them, etc.  You could also write several of these options on the board and let students choose one so that you have some variety in your responses.
     Next, students use their bodies to create a statue that depicts their response.  I prefer to have students work individually, but you could easily adapt this to pairs or small groups.  
     After students have created their statue, have half the class share their poses with the other half.  You could tap on a statue and let them explain what they are depicting, or you could go charades-style and have the audience guess what some statues are showing.




4.  The Spider and the Fly or The Widow's Broom Imagery Writing (Visual Art & Writing)
     Two of my favorite stories to read during Halloween season are The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt and Tony DiTerlizzi and The Widow's Broom by (one of my all-time favorite authors) Chris Van Allsburg.   
                              
     The reason that I love to use these texts is not only for the intriguing stories that will have your class hanging on every word, but the gorgeously suspenseful illustrations that accompany each book.
     I like to make a few copies of each of the images in the book and share them before I read the story.  Have partners discuss what they think will happen in the story based on the images.  

      After reading aloud, let students pick one of the images to write further about.  This could be in the form of a narrative or a poem, whichever you may currently be working on.  The images lend themselves so well to creating a whole new narrative and you'll be amazed at what your students will create.  
     For an added challenge for early finishers, have them sketch their own suspenseful image that they or a partner can write about. The beauty of using the images from these texts is there is very little color so a sketch is all that is needed.

5.  Music and Mood (Music, Visual Art & Reading)
     Choose a creepy, classical song to play for your class-here's a great list from Limelight Magazine.  (I personally like Bernard Herrmann's Psycho Suite.)  Let students listen to the song once, with the lights off and their eyes closed.  Have them discuss with a partner what they could see or visualize while the music played.  Did it remind them of any books they read?  Characters? Movies?  Other music? What connections can they make?
      Play the song again and this time while it plays, let students draw, paint, mold with clay (whatever medium you are comfortable with) the symbolism that this music brought to mind.  
      Afterwards, students can share their artwork and discuss the mood of the

piece.  OurEnglishClass.net has a fantastic list of mood vocabulary you could share with students.
       If you are not currently studying mood or tone, you could adapt this to other literary areas.  For example, draw a picture of a character this song reminds you of, sketch what book or series this song could be the theme song for, sketch the setting this could represent in a story you've read, etc.



Need some other breathers throughout your Halloween Day?  Try my Halloween Brain Breaks and Challenges! They provide quick breaks and games based on the arts, movement, writing, math and cooperative skills to help your class burn off some of that sugar high!       






What arts integration projects do you love to use around Halloween?