Halloween Writing with Details Task Cards

Use these engaging Halloween writing prompts as a center rotation in your writers workshop for middle school or as a whole class lesson. Practice elaboration strategies by writing with a variety of specific details as students brainstorm about fun and relevant topics.

Each task card provides a Halloween-themed topic sentence. Students must research or use their imagination to list three concrete supporting details that could be used in a narrative, expository, or argumentative paragraph with that topic sentence. (Includes some writing prompts appropriate for students who don't celebrate Halloween.)

Product Features

• Google Slides presentation with example sentences and digital task cards
• 12 task cards with topic sentence writing prompts
• Formatted for a whole class lesson or writing center rotation activity
• Worksheet for citation of sources with example bibliographic entry
• Assessment options include checklist or standards-based learning scales
• Includes low-ink and no-prep options

Contents

This zipped folder includes 2 PDF files:

1. Teacher Guide with printable pages and a link to the digital Google Slides presentation and
2. PDF version of the slideshow.

Teacher Guide

(1) Resource overview

(2) Table of Contents

(3) Tips for Use

(4) Slideshow preview and link to Google Slides

(5) Mini anchor chart graphic organizer for student notebooks

(6) No-prep worksheet version of Halloween writing prompts

(7) Task card answer recording sheet

(8) Cite your sources worksheet

(9) Assessment checklist rubric

(10-12) Standards-based learning scales for grades 5-7

(13-15) Writing task cards, color version

(16-18) Writing task cards, black and white version

(19-21) Display posters for Halloween writing center or station set-up

(22) Terms of Use

Slideshow

(1) Title Slide

(2) What is SAFE-Q

(3) Sensory Language (Imagery)

(4) Anecdotes

(5) Facts and Figures

(6) Figurative Language

(7) Examples

(8) Quotations

(9) Instructions for completing the task card writing activity

(10-21) Digital version of Halloween writing prompt task cards

About SAFE-Q

SAFE-Q is a mnemonic device I made up to help my students remember some of the different types of details they can add to their writing. I was getting tired of seeing nothing but more adjectives when I told them to elaborate. S is for sensory details; A is for anecdotes; F is for facts and figures or figurative language; E is for examples; and Q is for quotations. Once students are familiar with this mnemonic, you can require specific “letters” in their writing to make sure they are comfortable using a variety of different kinds of details.

Tips for Using this Writing with Details Lesson

If you want to add more rigor to this fun writing activity:

1. Try writing specific letters from the SAFE-Q acronym in the boxes before you photocopy the answer sheets. Then students have to think of concrete details that fit those specific categories for the task cards that they select.
2. Require students to cite the sources for details they find through research. You can copy the Cite Your Sources worksheet (p. 8) onto the back of either answer sheet (p. 6 or 7).

Read More

Read more about the SAFE-Q mnemonic and how I use it to teach specific details for elaboration in writing at this blog post.

Money-Saving Tips

Provide feedback after you use a resource; you can earn credits toward your next TPT purchase!

Follow me to be notified when a new resource is uploaded. My new resources are priced at 50% off for the first 48 hours, so it pays to follow me!

See More Resources Like This

See all my Writing Workshop resources

See all my Task Cards sets from the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. B