Help your students develop an understanding for the sounds that are associated with letters with this activity. Print out several pictures of Halloween-related items; cats, bats, spiders and pumpkins, for example. On pieces of construction paper, write the letters that each of the images begin with; for the given examples, "C," "B," "S" and "P." Review the sounds that each of the letters make and help students sort through the pictures and place them on the letters that they begin with.
Being developing reading comprehension in your students by having them retell a Halloween story. Select a Halloween-themed children's book and read it aloud to the class, such as "It's Pumpkin Time" by Zoe Hall, "Go Away, Big Green Monster!" by Ed Emberley or "There's a Nightmare in My Closet" by Mercer Mayer. Photocopy images from the beginning, middle and end of the book and have children arrange them in the order in which they happen in the book. Being able to retell the events that occurred and the sequence in which they occurred is an important aspect of reading comprehension.
Use this activity to start developing students' writing skills. Print out letters that begin with Halloween-related words on construction paper; "W" for witch, "B" for bat and "G" for ghost, for example. Provide children with Halloween-colored crayons -- purple, black or orange -- and instruct them to trace over the letters. As they trace the letters, they'll develop an understanding of how the letters are formed and practice writing.
Instill phonemic awareness in students with this Halloween rhyme.
"Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The first one said, 'Oh my, it's getting late!'
The second one said, 'There are witches in the air!'
The third one said, 'But we don't care!'
The fourth one said, 'Let's run and run and run!'
The fifth one said, 'It's only Halloween fun!'
Then whoooosh went the wind, and out went the light.
Five little pumpkins rolled out of sight."
Print the words to the rhyme on a poster board and point to the words as you read them. Instruct students to shout out the words pairs of words that rhyme.