Looking for some engaging lesson plans for the month of October? Middle and high school students can have some holiday fun without sacrificing learning. Here are ten lesson plans to try!
PUBLIC SPEAKING
Where are you in your listening and speaking standards? I know: Public speaking can be rough.
When I began teaching public speaking, I had an outdated textbook, so I created my own unit. You’ll be able to pull ideas from those materials, but feel free to use the system I created.
STORY STARTERS
Engage students in meaningful holiday writing activities by incorporating Halloween writing prompts during the month of October. Cut down on grading by helping students select one trait of writing to hone. These spooky story starters are always a hit with secondary students!
SECOND QUARTER PLANNING
In Illinois, I am headed toward the second quarter of school. For my freshmen, I am working deeply on standards.
Download my LA 9 long-range plans for FREE here.
SPOOKY PODCASTS
Do you teach high school students? Help them develop their listening comprehension with this chilling podcast about body farms. Most students haven’t heard of them before, so the topic sparks their curiosity. Use the thought-provoking questions included to guide class discussions. Or, keep it in your back pocket for a high-interest sub day lesson.
BELL RINGERS
My older students often need to hone in on troublesome writing errors such as misplaced modifiers, tricky subject and verb agreement, or pronoun problems. I use bell ringers to start lessons in October, but you could also add those task cards to a gallery activity.
ONE PAGERS
Looking for engaging ways to get students responding to the text? One option that requires critical thinking and literary analysis is the one pager. It’s a refreshing alternative to the traditional essay, and it makes students think in different ways. Read all about some tips for success with literary and informational text one pagers in this blog post.
FALL SENTENCE STRUCTURE
October is the perfect time to decorate your classroom—with meaning.
These grammar coloring sheets will review important skills like sentence structure while engaging students with the beautiful autumn season.
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE PRINTABLES
Parent-teacher conferences are approaching, and you have some students who don’t love reading. They may be fake reading or just flat out refusing. Parents and guardians can help by reinforcing reading as a priority. Support parents who are interested in creating a positive reading culture at home by giving them this free tip sheet: 12 Fixes to Help Your Child Enjoy Reading.
INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOK
Get in the spirit of fall with your interactive notebook pieces. Add “falling” for prepositions to your notebooks to liven up the pages. I’ve even seen teachers turn those pieces into a bulletin board!
VERBALS
In October, you may have already reviewed parts of speech, parts of a sentence, and fragments or run-ons. Next, you may want to dive into verbals. It’s helpful to learn about them before sentence types because students often get verbals and dependent clauses confused. Plus, it’s simple to build verbals into independent reading. Ask students to find participles and participial phrases that are used to enhance sentence variety!