{"id":3124,"date":"2020-09-20T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-20T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/?p=3124"},"modified":"2025-09-19T19:55:46","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T23:55:46","slug":"halloween-classroom-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/halloween-classroom-ideas\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Halloween Classroom Ideas for High School English"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I don’t know about you, but I freakin’ love Halloween!<\/strong> In high school, however, incorporating the spooktacular spirit can be tricky. We don’t wear costumes (after all, we need those security cameras to be able to pick out faces!). Our snacks are highly policed. And anything that doesn’t enrich or supplement the mandated curriculum is frowned upon. But don’t worry! In this blog post, I’m going to share a few Halloween activities for high school students that any English teacher can use!<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Halloween lessons might feel like they’re meant for young children, but I can assure you that even older English students can learn and have a lot of fun during the Halloween season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If spooky season is your favorite time of year, keep reading. I guarantee you’ll find Halloween activities for high school students that you can implement regardless of your school’s policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I personally use and love, or think my readers will find useful.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Blog post Pinterest pin that reads, \"The Best Halloween Classroom Ideas for High School English\" over the image of a person in a ghost costume with sunglasses<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Halloween Activities for High School Students: Know Your School’s Policies First!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before you dive too deeply into any of these Halloween classroom ideas, it might be wise to evaluate your teaching scenario. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think we’ve all encountered a student in our careers whose parents are against Halloween and don’t want their children involved in any Halloween celebrations. If you have one of these students in your class, you do need to respect those wishes and steer far away from any Halloween-specific activities. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that doesn’t mean you can’t read creepy stories, study the horror genre<\/a>, or embark on some creative writing<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Some schools are also more strict about classroom parties. In my experience, parties are generally frowned upon in class, unless they’re tied directly to behavior rewards or curriculum content.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I highly encourage you to add in Halloween fun without having a party–there are plenty of fun ways to incorporate the October spirit while still teaching your students!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The end of this post will talk about some Halloween classroom ideas that are more fun than academic. If you want to do these, have your students write a reflection or use them as enrichment or rewards for students who are doing well!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Halloween Classroom Idea #1: Decorate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The ambiance is so important for getting your students into the Halloween spirit! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decorations don’t have to be expensive. For cheap and easy, grab a few bags of those cotton spider webs<\/a>
 and string them around your classroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to avoid any trouble from parents or admin, focus your decor on fall and harvest themes, rather than spooky ones<\/strong>. You can pick up some mini pumpkins for less than a dollar, usually from your local grocery store or farmer’s market, and sprinkle them around your room. Opt for fall-themed bulletin board borders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to push the horror decor, you could also focus on horror in literature.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could do a literary bulletin board that highlights famous horror authors. Maybe you create a board around one specific story. (I’m picturing a black silhouette over a red, anatomically correct heart for Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart.) <\/em>You could even create a bulletin board that reviews literary terms with horror examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you really want to keep it cheap, just have students color Halloween coloring pages if they finish their work early.<\/strong> Then, you can hang these up around the room, on your door, or behind your desk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also project different spooky settings in your classroom. Just search for them on YouTube and let them play. (Some even have creepy music!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While decor shopping, be careful. If you’re decorating a classroom for older students, you don’t want to choose any decor that looks too juvenile.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Blog post Pinterest pin that reads, \"The Best Halloween Classroom Ideas for High School English\" over the image of jack-o-lanterns<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Halloween Classroom Idea #2: Incorporate Candy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It’s just not Halloween without candy, right? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, I know that food restrictions have gotten tighter and tighter over the years.<\/strong> Some schools are more strict than others when it comes to treats, so always be sure to follow your school’s rules around food.<\/p>\n\n\n

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This FREE lesson<\/a> combines two of my favorite things: candy and creative writing! This is a lesson that students of all ages will love!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Also, remember that allergies are a very real thing.<\/strong> I never buy candy that includes peanuts for my kids and often opt for suckers<\/a> and other candy that are usually allergen-free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can always just pass out candy to your students on Halloween. This is a sure way to earn some “Coolest Teacher Ever” points. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(It’s not “Halloween candy,” it’s a reward for being on-task!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you can also involve candy in a classroom activity or lesson. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My favorite writing activity that involves treats is a Figurative Language Tasting. <\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basically, you hand out different treats to students, and they use a variety of figurative language to write descriptively about each snack or piece of candy. It’s super fun and can lead to some great discussions amongst your students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can get the full lesson plan and free worksheet for the Figurative Language Tasting right here!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Halloween Classroom Idea #3: Read Creepy Stories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What’s Halloween without some ghost stories, right? This October, share some creepy horror stories with your students for Halloween. <\/strong>Scary stories are<\/em> the ultimate Halloween activities for high school students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a horror unit<\/a> is already a required part of your curriculum, then October is a great time
 to schedule it, if you can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of my favorite spooky stories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n