Spooky Scene: A Halloween Drawing and Writing Lesson for K-1

Engage your kindergarten or first-grade students with this fun Halloween drawing and writing lesson! In this creative activity, learners draw a spooky scene and then practice writing a complete sentence about their art. This complete lesson plan includes objectives, materials, instructions, and differentiation tips for all skill levels. Perfect for combining art and language arts in the classroom or at home.

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My Spooky Halloween Scene: A Drawing and Writing Adventure

Subject: Language Arts, Art

Age Group: 6-year-old (Kindergarten/First Grade)

Estimated Time: 30-45 minutes

Materials Needed

  • Paper (white, black, or orange construction paper works well)
  • Drawing tools (crayons, markers, colored pencils)
  • A pencil and an eraser
  • Lined paper or a sentence strip
  • Optional: Halloween stickers, googly eyes, glitter glue for extra fun
  • For Support: Pre-made sentence starter strips (e.g., "I see a...", "My monster is...", "The cat has...")
  • For Extension: Extra paper for writing more sentences

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

  • Draw a picture with at least three different Halloween things in it.
  • Write one complete sentence that tells about your drawing.
  • Share your drawing and read your sentence aloud.

Lesson Plan

Part 1: Introduction (5 minutes)

The Hook: Let's Talk Halloween!

  • Start with a fun question: "What is your favorite spooky, silly, or sweet thing about Halloween? Is it the costumes? The candy? The glowing pumpkins?"
  • Show a few fun, friendly pictures of Halloween items (a smiling jack-o'-lantern, a cat in a witch hat, a friendly ghost).
  • Educator Talk: "That's so cool! Today, we get to be artists and storytellers. Our mission is to create our very own Halloween world on paper. First, we will draw an amazing Halloween picture. Then, we will write one super sentence to tell the story of our picture!"

Part 2: The Body - Drawing & Writing (20-25 minutes)

Step 1: Brainstorm Ideas (We Do)

  • Educator Talk: "To make an awesome Halloween picture, we need some ideas! Let's think together. What are some things we see on Halloween?"
  • Listen and write or sketch the child's ideas on a separate piece of paper. This creates a visual "idea bank."
    (Ideas might include: pumpkin, ghost, witch, bat, black cat, spider, candy corn, haunted house, moon, stars).

Step 2: Let's Draw! (I Do, You Do)

  • I Do (Modeling): "Okay, I'm going to draw first to show you what I mean. I'll take this orange crayon and draw a big, round pumpkin. Now I'll give him a happy, triangle-shaped smile. For my second Halloween thing, I'll add a little black cat sitting right next to it. And for my third thing... a tiny ghost flying in the sky! *Boo!* See? I have three Halloween things."
  • You Do (Independent Practice): "Now it's your turn to be the artist! Use your paper and drawing tools to create your own Halloween scene. Try to put at least three Halloween things from our idea list in your picture. I can't wait to see the spooky world you create!"
  • Provide encouragement and support as they draw.

Step 3: Let's Write! (I Do, We Do, You Do)

  • I Do (Modeling): "Every amazing picture needs words to tell its story. I'm going to write about my drawing." Hold up your example. "My sentence will be: The cat sees a ghost. Watch how I write it. I start with a big capital 'T'. I leave a little 'finger space' between each word. And I put a tiny dot, called a period, at the very end to say 'stop'."
  • We Do (Guided Practice): "Now let's think of a sentence for your picture. Tell me one thing that is happening in your drawing."
    • Help the child turn their idea into a full sentence. (If they say "a pumpkin," you can ask, "What is the pumpkin doing?" and help form "The pumpkin is smiling.")
  • You Do (Independent Practice): "It's your turn to be the writer! On your lined paper, write one sentence about your drawing. Remember our three rules: start with a capital letter, use finger spaces, and end with a period. You can do it!"

Part 3: Conclusion (5 minutes)

Show and Tell & Recap

  • Share: "Wow! You finished your masterpiece! Now you get to be the presenter. Please show me your picture and read your amazing sentence to me."
  • Give specific, positive feedback. ("I love the bright color you used for the pumpkin! And you did a great job remembering the space between 'the' and 'cat'.")
  • Recap: "You did two super important things today! You were an ARTIST who drew a creative Halloween scene, and you were a WRITER who told a story with a sentence. That is amazing work!"

Assessment & Success Criteria

Check for completion of the learning objectives.

  • Summative (The Final Product): The child's finished drawing and sentence.
  • Formative (During the Lesson): Observe their participation, listen to their ideas, and check their understanding as they work.

Success Checklist:

  • My picture has 3 or more Halloween things. ☐
  • I wrote a sentence that matches my picture. ☐
  • My sentence starts with a capital letter. ☐
  • I used finger spaces between my words. ☐
  • My sentence ends with a period (.). ☐

Differentiation and Adaptability

This lesson can be easily adjusted for different needs.

  • For Learners Needing More Support (Scaffolding):
    • Provide Halloween stencils or simple shapes to trace for the drawing.
    • Offer a "fill-in-the-blank" sentence like: "I see a ______."
    • Write their dictated sentence in a light-colored marker for them to trace over.
    • Focus on just one skill: either creating the detailed drawing OR writing a simple sentence about a pre-made picture.
  • For Learners Ready for a Challenge (Extension):
    • Challenge them to write two or three sentences about their picture to create a mini-story.
    • Encourage them to add describing words (adjectives) to their sentence (e.g., "The spooky black cat sees a friendly white ghost.").
    • Have them give their artwork a title.