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10 Halloween Lesson Plans to Try in the Classroom

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Two jack-o-lanterns in dark lighting.

It’s officially scary season, and with Halloween right around the corner, we pulled together a few of WeVideo’s assignment ideas that can easily be modified for some spooky fun in the classroom. Read on for seven Halloween lesson plans to try with your students!

But first…

What is an assignment idea?

WeVideo’s assignment ideas are part of our larger Assignment Ideas Library, a collection of educator-created video projects to use in the classroom. New to WeVideo? Try for free and see what all the hype is about.

Every assignment idea come pre-loaded with a lesson overview, objectives, and project resources. Even better — they're already aligned to ISTE standards! Quickly assign to students in WeVideo with just a few clicks. Then, track progress and provide real-time feedback as students work.

Now, about those Halloween lesson plans…

Halloween lesson plan 1: Halloween Short Stories

Illustration of open book with illustrations of pumpkin, witch, bats, and ghost coming out of it.Try this assignment in WeVideo.

Grades: 3-5 ,6-8, 9-12 | Subjects: English Language Development (ELD), Reading, Language Arts

No Halloween twist needed, here! This lesson JUST launched in WeVideo's Assignment Ideas Library. In this creative writing exercise, students write a Halloween-themed short story—then turn it into a short film! Celebrate on Halloween day with an in-class film festival (and plenty of candy).

Halloween lesson plan 2: I Am Poem

Illustration of paper with black jack-o-lantern and pencil. Orange background.

See full assignment idea.

Grades: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 | Subjects: ELA, Math, Science

“I Am” poems are often used to share biographical information, but they’re also great for personifying concepts or sharing information from specific POVs. And with the pathos-driven writing that’s involved, students are sure to have a blast!

Add a Halloween twist:

Have your students write poems from the perspectives of popular Halloween objects, characters, lore, etc. (jack-o'-lanterns, witches, ghouls, potions, candy, etc.), or share biographical information on Halloween-themed folktale characters, horror authors, etc. 

Halloween lesson plan 3: Bring Your Book to Life

Illustration of tree growing out of book. Spider hanging from tree. Teal background.See full assignment idea.

Grades: K-2, 3-5 ,6-8, 9-12 | Subjects: Reading, Language Arts

Wave goodbye to traditional book reports and say hello to dynamic video reviews instead! With Bring Your Book to Life, students discuss their assigned or chosen book, provide a summary, and include other important details for their viewers.

Add a Halloween twist:

What are you reading this spooky season? Incorporate this project into your Halloween-themed reading, or have students present on various Halloween myths, legends, or folk tales.

Halloween lesson plan 4: Collaborate Research Project

Illustration of various charts. Cat stretching one one of them. Orange background.See full assignment idea.

Grades: K-2, 3-5 ,6-8, 9-12 | Subjects: Reading, Language Arts, Science

In groups, students create a video sharing their research on an assigned or chosen topic. Perfect for fostering project-based learning in the classroom and developing students creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills!

Add a Halloween twist:

Unpack the history of Halloween with this research-focused, collaborative assignment idea.

Halloween lesson plan 5: Storytelling Part 1

Illustration of film camera and video screen. Black Frankenstein's monster in between. Teal background.See full assignment idea.

Grades: 3-5 ,6-8, 9-12 | Subjects: Language Arts, Visual Arts

Students tell a story through four basic film angles. Each shot is composed of either a video clip or image to illustrate ideas. Dialogue and/or voiceover optional. If you’re looking for a way to introduce digital storytelling in your classroom, this is a great place to start.

Add a Halloween twist:

Filmmaking 101! Have students capture the playful or haunting themes that come with Halloween, crafting short spooky or trickster tales and bringing them to life with video.

Halloween lesson plan 6: Tell Me About It! Community PSAs

Illustration of megaphone. Ghost flying out of megaphone. Orange background.See full assignment idea.

Grades: K-2, 3-5 ,6-8, 9-12 | Subjects: Reading, Language Arts, Science

When creating a community PSA, students investigate a problem or issue, then share what they learned via video. This is presented in the style of a public service announcement, helping spread awareness to a wider audience.

Add a Halloween twist:

With Halloween comes hours of trick-or-treating. Why not have your students create PSAs about Halloween night safety, not eating entire bags of candy in one sitting, etc.? Or turn this idea on its end with lighthearted PSAs about costume-wearing best practices, what candy to buy and pass out to trick-or-treaters, and more!

Halloween lesson plan 7: Screencast Your Thinking

Illustration of screen recording on laptop. Bat graphic visible in recording. Gradient teal-purple background.See full assignment idea.

Grades: K-2, 3-5 ,6-8, 9-12 | Subjects: Reading, Language Arts, Math, Science

The beauty of video projects is that they allow students to easily show what they know through creative multimedia. With screencasting, students record a video of their screen (and themselves, if desired) and talk through a topic, assignment, problem, etc.

Add a Halloween twist:

Halloween-themed reading? Writing? Math problems? Science experiments? Take these assignments further by having students show their work and thought processes through screen recordings (fantastic for flipped learning environments too!).

More Halloweeen lesson plans

 

 8. Plastics in the Ocean

Grades: 3-5 ,6-8, 9-12 | Subjects: Science

This project asks students to create a short documentary about plastic pollution in the ocean, exploring its causes, effects, and solutions. Students wrap up with a powerful call to action to encourage viewers to do their part in reducing waste and protecting marine ecosystems.

Add a Halloween twist:

Prompt students to share their point of view on the "scariest" or "spookiest" part of plastics in the ocean, be it harming marine wildlife, the impact of microplastics, or additional impacts on humans.

9. See, Think, Wonder

Grades: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 | Subjects: Language Arts, Social Studies/History, Science, Visual Arts

During this lesson, you'll ask students to analyze an artifact, historical document, photograph, etc. Students must create a video to explain what they see, what they think about it, and what it makes them wonder. 

Add a Halloween twist:

There are a couple of different ways you can make this project more festive for the season. First, you can have students analyze a fall or scary artifact. You might also add a fourth question – what do you find spooky about this?

10. Designing Your Dream Home

Grades: 6-8, 9-12 | Subjects: Math

Using their geometry skills, students will plan and design their perfect space. They'll describe their vision, measure, and plan out their space, ending the assignment with a home tour.

Add a Halloween twist:

Ask students to design their dream haunted home. Incorporate requirements like making sure there's a place for the ghost, a windowless room for hiding from the sun, or a magical teleporting fireplace. 


There you have it – ten assignment ideas that can be used for your Halloween lesson plans. We hope you and your students have a ghoulish good time. Happy Halloween!