Halloween Storytime Lesson & Activities

This library storytime for Halloween walks you through a K-2 lesson on skeletons, bats, spiders, and other Halloween symbols. Includes presentation scavenger hunt and printable list of recommended reads.

Please note that this presentation is designed to complement a read-aloud. The actual read-aloud story comes from you!

This lesson has 82 slides & pages, and includes:

• 57-slide Lesson Presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint + Google Slides
  • All body text is editable; you choose which slides you want to use.
  • 24 slides are for the read-aloud and/or guided lesson that walks you through the storytime lesson.
  • 21 slides are “scrolling presentation” slides that are great for extending storytime lessons or scrolling in the library during checkout and downtimes.
  • 6 slides are review slides at the end of the lesson to keep students engaged as they line up.
• Two (2) editable, differentiated scavenger hunts (3 pages, PowerPoint and PDF)
  • Students “hunt” for images and information in the Part 2 scrolling slides part of the presentation. This gives students something to focus on during library checkout and downtime.
  • “Easier” version – Students color the objects as they find them.
  • “Harder” version – Students answer questions about the information in the slides, plus find smaller images.
  • Answer key is included.
• List of 28 recommended books to accompany this lesson (1 page, PowerPoint and PDF)
  • The list is editable and great to hand out to parents, teachers, and students looking for related books.
• Take-Home Extension Activities (2 pages, PowerPoint, Google Slides, and PDF)
  • Text is editable, and includes several ways for students to share what they learned during the lesson.
• Detailed, pre-filled Library Lesson Plan in editable PDF and PowerPoint formats (6 pages), aligned to:
  • AASL National School Library Standards for Learners,
  • National Common Core ELA Standards, and
  • Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
• Lesson tips and tricks for librarians on a “specials rotation” (7 pages, PDF)
• Google Classroom Basics (4 pages, PDF)
• Instructions on how to set up PowerPoint slide timings for scrolling slides (2 pages, PDF)

24 Storytime Slides:

Part 1 is a guided whole-class discussion and read-aloud. The slides walk you through the entire class discussion, from start to finish.
IMPORTANT! Due to copyright law, read-aloud videos of the books are NOT included. The read-aloud must come from you.

• 2 Halloween nursery rhymes: “Five Little Pumpkins” and “Bat, Bat, Fly Under My Hat”
• ASL sign language for “Halloween” — includes video links and step-by-step directions for making the signs
• Explanation of Halloween origins and history in the United States (U.S.)
• Halloween symbols: bats, spiders, costumes, candy, colors, ghosts, skeletons, and black cats
• Slide for your read-aloud (paste the book cover on the slide).
• Checkout reminders slide — Add your own reminders!
• “What Should We Do Now?” slide — This is very clear instructions on what students should be doing after the lesson.

21 Scrolling Slides:

Part 2 is the scrolling slides. Set them on a timer to scroll on a screen during library checkout. Students can use the scrolling slides to complete one of the two Scavenger Hunts.

• Vocabulary Word of the Week: “guano”
• Fun facts and information about jack-o-lanterns, candy corn, bats, spiders, and skeletons
• 2 “Would you rather?” question slides
• Halloween joke
• 2 trivia question slides with answers

6 Wrap Up Slides:

Part 3 is the review slides. They are 5 open-ended questions that make great time-fillers to use while waiting for teachers to pick up students from library class. All the questions are editable and answered in the presentation, but students can also make up additional answers.

Take Home Extension Activities:

Students love sharing their knowledge! With the editable 2-page take-home activities, students can:

• quiz siblings, friends, and family members about some of the Halloween facts they learned in the storytime;
• prepare their own “Monster Mix” Halloween snack;
• read some recommended Halloween picture books;
• learn six new Halloween vocabulary words;
• learn to draw a Frankenstein monster using simple, step-by-step directions;
• remember how to sign “Halloween” in American Sign Language; and
• review several safety tips for trick-or-treating.

Standards Addressed:

AASL National School Library Standards – See the AASL Standards Framework for Learners to view full text. 

• Inquire – A.2. – C.1.
• Collaborate – A.2. – D.1.
• Explore – A.1.
• Engage – A.1. – B.2.

Common Core English Language Arts Standards –
© Copyright 2010 National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.1. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.5 – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.6. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.2.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.1.1. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.5. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.2.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.2.2. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.5. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.2.

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