Literacy Engagement Halloween Edition

I have to admit, I LOVE sharing all things reading and I love talking about the science behind it, BUT engagement is another passion of mine.

I headed into Target for bread, almond butter, and my favorite s’mores mix (if you know, then you know). I forgot the bread and almond butter, but I remembered the s’mores mix and added Halloween engagement supplies (the necessities.. right??) So, I am sitting here eating my s’more’s mix and writing this blog post for you.

We all know that when it comes to literacy instruction, we MUST be explicit, systematic, and consistent. But if I am honest, sometimes the kiddos get a little bored. That’s why I love the holidays. With just a few $1 items, you can still deliver that critical lesson, while making it fun! So today, my friends, I am taking five of my daily literacy activities and adding a spooky flair!

Phonemic Awareness and Phonics:

I love using things like google eyes and spiders when it comes time to teach phonics! One of my favorite activities is called Segment and Write. I give each student a board, either google eyes, spiders, or Halloween erasers and a marker. I simply call out a word and ask them to push each sound in the word. I then ask them to write those corresponding sounds.

Auditory Drill: I love using these cute notebooks to conduct auditory drills. I simply give each student a mini book, crayon, and screen. I ask them to place the screen under one sheet of paper and then write the sound. “How do you spell /mmmmm/” The students then say, as they are writing /m says mmmmmm/. We repeat the process several times.

Vowel Intensive:

Doing a vowel intensive is crucial for our young readers, you can read more about them here. During Halloween, I print off ghosts, write the vowels on them, and use them as cue cards for the activity.

Word Fluency:

Create an anchor chart with the medial sound missing. Have students take turns selecting a ghost and reading the anchor chart as fast as they can. *Note: Some words will be nonsense! That’s how you really know that they have it!

Decoding and Dictation:

Decoding and dictation are two ways to apply the phonics skills that you explicitly taught during the phonics portion of your lesson. Why not make it fun by adding some witch fingers and decoding glasses?