October is one of my favorite months of the year. I love the fall and the spookiness that comes along with it. This is also the time of year we are reviewing the four operations in math - Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division. We have taught the skills and are now able to do fun activities to review.
As we enter into October, I wanted to share five of my favorite October activities with you for upper elementary students. Usually I only focus on math activities, but today I have also included a science/writing activity because when I taught all subjects in 4th grade, it was my favorite activity of the year.
Top 5 Halloween Activities for Upper Elementary:
1. Multiplication Code Breakers
If you have been around awhile, you know I love code breakers. These are perfect for getting students to practice their multiplication facts, while cracking the answers to themed jokes. For October, I have THREE sets that we always use. Each set has multiple code breakers. These three sets last us all month. First, I have our Halloween Code Breakers that have fun Halloween jokes. Second, I have our Fall Code Breakers which have fall themed jokes. This is perfect if you have students in your classroom who do no celebrate holidays, or if your school does not allow it. Lastly, I have the Day of the Dead Code Breaker set, which instead of jokes to crack, students learn facts about this special day and the reason it is celebrated.
2. Color By Number Word Problems
The second type of activity I love using in October is our Halloween Color by Number Word Problem set. Students have to solve word problems in order to color the images correctly. There are THREE color by number sets for students to practice their word problems. Set one is addition and subtraction, set two is multiplication, and set three is division. Students can use various strategies taught to solve the word problems.
3. Hands on Math Centers
It is so important for students to have the option to have hands on activities in math! This allows them to move around and really think, versus just working with worksheets and technology. During October I love having my students practice with these Fact Family Puzzles so they can review the connection between multiplication and division. The stronger their understanding is of the connection, the stronger their math building blocks are. The second hands on math center I love for October is the Candy Corn Factors. This set helps students learn all the ways to multiply to get a number. They can be used for strictly talking about multiplication facts, or they can be used to list out factors of whole numbers up to 100.
4. Pumpkin Narrative Writing
My 4th graders have always loved this October writing activity. In October, we work on narratives in writing, and in science we study force and simple machines. I combined these to create a cross curricular activity. Students have to write a story about being trapped in a pumpkin and they must use a simple machine to get out.
5. Rates & Ratios Digital Notebook
Digital notebooks are great for students to review current topics during math
centers, for homework, or when a substitute is in the room. This Rates & Ratios Fall Digital Notebook is perfect for October and follows 6th grade common core standards. Students work through slides with a variety of question types in order to show their understanding of rates and ratios.
FREEBIE ALERT!!!
Do you love FREEBIES?! Grab differentiated Candy Corn Multiplication Worksheets to use with your students for the month of October! They are perfect for morning work, math centers, sub plans, homework, and so much more!