***Disclaimer: In this blog, the terms ESL students (English as a Second Language), ELLs (English Language Learners), and ML (Multilingual Learners) are used interchangeably. While “Multilingual Learners” is becoming the more widely accepted term, “ESL students” and “English Language Learners” are still commonly used in various contexts. My aim is to be inclusive and clear to all readers, regardless of the terminology they are familiar with.
4 Halloween Activities for ESL Classrooms
For ESL students, especially newcomers, Halloween can be a brand-new and possibly intimidating concept. Some of your students may come from cultures with similar holidays, like DÃa de los Muertos, All Saints’ Day, or All Souls’ Day, but the American version of Halloween might still be unfamiliar.
1. ESL Halloween Picture Book Read-Aloud: "Shy Mama’s Halloween"
One of my favorite ways to introduce this holiday is through a picture book that resonates with ELLs—and I’ve found the perfect one: "Shy Mama’s Halloween" by Anne Broyles.
This delightful story follows a Russian immigrant family as they prepare for their first Halloween in a new country. When their father gets sick and can’t take them trick-or-treating, Anya and her siblings are surprised when their shy mother, who is unfamiliar with Halloween, steps in to take them out. As the night unfolds, the children watch their mother transform, embracing the holiday and even enjoying it by the end.
This book is perfect for teaching character change, and many of your ESL students will relate to the themes of adapting to a new culture and finding joy in new experiences. Plus, it’s a great conversation starter about different traditions and how holidays can vary from one culture to another. Click here to check out my freebie from this resource!
2. Halloween Vocabulary Games: ESL"Write the Room" Halloween People, Places, and Things
"Write the Room", a Halloween vocabulary game that turns your classroom into an interactive learning space. This activity combines movement with language learning, making it perfect for younger or older students or those with varying language proficiencies.
Here’s how to play:
2. Cut out your cards (with or without labels- again depending on the needs of your students) and place them around the room.
3.. Make copies of the recording page you need.
4. Give your students clipboards, a recording page (choose one depending on their grade and proficiency level), and let them get to work!
This activity not only helps build Halloween-themed vocabulary but also creates a fun, hands-on learning environment where ELLs can engage with new words in a dynamic way.
3. ESL Halloween Writing Prompts: Label, Trace, and Write!
Writing can be a challenge for ELLs, especially when they’re still building their vocabulary. That’s why I love using Halloween Writing Prompts with Labeling and Tracing for my ESL newcomers. This resource is designed to help students gradually build the vocabulary they need to write their own Halloween stories.
Here’s why this resource is so effective:
- Vocabulary Building: Through 17 different activities, students are gradually introduced to key Halloween-themed vocabulary, from simple nouns like "bat" and "witch" to more complex concepts like "haunted house" or "trick-or-treat."
- Scaffolded Learning: The activities are differentiated, allowing you to provide appropriate support for students at different language levels. Whether they’re tracing words or forming simple sentences, there’s something for everyone.
- Cultural Relevance: Halloween is fun, and these activities let students practice new vocabulary while engaging with a holiday that’s meaningful in American culture.
What’s included:
- Vocabulary building using the Picture Word Inductive Model (PWIM) with photo prompts to spark conversation.
- Halloween spooky story anchor charts to help students visualize and organize their ideas.
- Word sorting activities for nouns, verbs, and settings, broken into three levels of difficulty.
- Fun tracing, labeling, and writing activities, such as describing Halloween costumes or characters.
- Creative Writing Prompts with differentiated scaffolds, so every student can participate in storytelling, no matter their language proficiency.
4. ESL Writing About My Favorite Halloween Things: Costumes, Jack-o'-Lanterns, Haunted Houses,Candy, Movie, Music, etc.
This is one of my students' favorite Halloween writing activities! In My Favorite Halloween Things, students receive pumpkin-shaped templates where they can write about their favorite Halloween costumes, candy, music, movies, or traditions. The activity is differentiated into three levels to accommodate a variety of language proficiencies:
- Pumpkin Templates: Each template focuses on a different Halloween category (costume, candy, music, movie, or tradition).
- Visual Word Banks: Each category comes with a picture word bank to support ESL newcomers, helping them easily access vocabulary related to Halloween.
- Sentence Starters: For struggling writers, sentence starters are included to guide them in forming their own sentences. For example, “My favorite Halloween candy is…” or “I like to wear a…”.
Students can choose which categories they want to write about or complete all of them, creating a beautiful writing craft called “My Favorite Halloween Things.” It’s engaging, fun, and provides an opportunity for students to share their personal preferences while practicing writing.
More advanced students can use their Halloween juicy words word lists to add details to their descriptions. Check out a freebie from this resource here!
These Halloween activities are perfect for creating a festive, language-rich environment in your classroom that your ESL students will enjoy. Whether through storytelling, vocabulary games, or creative writing, these activities make learning exciting while helping students grasp new language skills. Best of all, they’re designed to be inclusive and adaptable for all levels, making sure that no learner is left out of the fun. Try these next week and watch your students light up with Halloween spirit and language learning success!
Happy Halloween, and happy teaching! 🎃
ESL Resource Meet
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