Halloween is such an exciting time in the classroom! The costumes, the creativity, and the anticipation make October a wonderful opportunity to bring a little extra fun into our literacy lessons. And what better way to celebrate than with The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky by Jory John?
The Bad Seed is back, and this time Halloween isn’t going quite the way he hoped! As students follow his adventure, they’ll discover that even when things don’t go as planned, a change in attitude can make all the difference.
I’ve created a fun-filled, cross-curricular book companion that brings together reading comprehension, vocabulary, word work, writing, math, and creativity in one engaging Halloween learning experience!
Let’s Start with a Little Halloween Excitement!
Students begin with a morning opener that gets them thinking and talking about Halloween. As they finish, they’ll add a sticky note to a class graph, creating an opportunity to collect data, compare responses, and practice math skills.
Then it’s time to meet the Bad Seed! Before reading, students share their favorite things about Halloween and predict what might happen in the story.
Building Literacy Through a Favorite Story
After enjoying the read-aloud, students explore why the Bad Seed feels the way he does and how his attitude changes. Story sequencing cards and a mini reader provide opportunities to retell events, strengthen comprehension, and practice independent reading.
And those BIG Halloween words? They’re perfect for a little syllable fun! Students clap, count, and explore words from the story while developing important phonological awareness skills.
Time to Get Creative!
One of my favorite activities invites students to become costume designers for the Bad Seed!
After discussing costumes from the story, students plan and create their own costume designs. Then the classroom becomes a Halloween costume gallery! Students walk around, admire one another’s creations, select a favorite, and write about their choice.
What a wonderful way to combine creativity, oral language, and writing!
One Story, So Many Possibilities!
As with all my updated resources, I’ve included a suggested one-day lesson plan to help bring the activities together. But there is much more included than you could possibly complete in one day!
Choose the activities that best fit your students, use them for differentiation, add them to literacy centers, or save a few for another day.
My goal is always to provide teachers with choices while keeping meaningful literacy learning at the heart of every activity.
Halloween learning can be engaging, creative, and filled with opportunities for students to think, read, write, and share.
I hope The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky brings plenty of smiles, laughter, and learning to your classroom this October!
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Happy Teaching!
~ Michele
First Grade Hip Hip Hooray
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