Encourage students to write Halloween-themed stories by providing them with a story starter. Some sample story starters include:
After the party ended, my costume would not come off.
The door opened to reveal ... .
It was the best costume ever.
Imagine you are the last pumpkin in the field on Halloween.
A black cat walked across my path.
She woke up to a loud crash in the middle of the night.
The house looked haunted.
Provide students with topics to help them think about past Halloween experiences. Sample topics to get students started include:
My favorite Halloween costume. Write about a Halloween costume you really liked. Include why you picked that costume and a detailed description of what it looked like. Did you buy the costume at a store or make it on your own?
The scariest Halloween ever. Halloween is often scary for a lot of people with haunted houses and creepy costumes. Think about a time when you experienced something scary on Halloween and write about it in detail so the reader can feel your fear.
My best pumpkin carving. Do you carve pumpkins at Halloween? What is the best pumpkin you ever carved? Describe it.
Instead of writing a traditional journal entry, have students use their journal time to write a poem about Halloween. Students can write poems about haunted houses, ghosts, pumpkins or trick-or-treating. You can also challenge students to come up with an updated version of the common rhyme "Trick or Treat. Smell my feet. Give me something good to eat." More creative students can choose an object common to Halloween such as a ghost, bat or pumpkin and write a concrete poem that takes on the shape of that object.
Have students use their journal to discuss nonfiction topics related to Halloween. Students can write a list of safety tips for trick-or-treaters or write a review of a local pumpkin patch or the best neighborhood for trick-or-treating. Older students can respond to more controversial topics such as whether students should be allowed to wear costumes to school on Halloween or discuss the reasons why some groups of people don't celebrate Halloween.