How to Throw a Classroom Halloween Party Your Middle & High School Students Will Love

You're here reading this post because you want to throw a classroom Halloween party that your middle school/high school students will love. Awesome! You're in the right place and with good company. I love spooky season too!

There are two things that can be tricky for middle and high school ELA teachers when planning Halloween parties for secondary students. Today, I'll help you work through them to plan a fun and successful party!

#1 You want to create fun invitations and decorate for your party, but trying to decorate for older students is a bit more difficult. You want it to be fun, but don't want them to feel like they are attending a Halloween party for little kids.

#2 Your students are old enough that they want to read something genuinely scary, but you need to make sure you're reading something both age and school-appropriate.

Rest assured, there is certainly a way to host an awesome party that meets the above criteria. All you need to do is keep things simple and enlist the help of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe.

Keeping Things Simple - Halloween Party Invitations & Decor You do not need to break the bank to decorate your classroom for Halloween.

You do not need to spend hours cutting out pumpkins or adding themed borders to your walls.

You do not need to stuff treat bags (although your students may want to bring treats for everyone, and if they do, that's a win). You're working with middle schoolers / high schoolers, so even though they still want to celebrate, cutesy decor doesn't matter like it does to elementary school students. Just follow these three simple steps! Step 1: Create Intrigue Provide your students with an invitation to your classroom Halloween party and nothing else. All they need to know is that a themed party is happening, when the party is happening, and what to bring. Click the photo below to get my editable invitation!

Step 2: Decor Throw some cool string lights up after school the day before your party, and cue up a video of a crackling fireplace on your smartboard.

Step 3: Party Day When your students walk in, make sure the overhead lights are off, the string lights are on, and that your fireplace is crackling! (You could also play a video of a stormy night or something similar.) Just like that, the spooky mood has been set, and it's time to have fun! Mr. Edgar Allan Poe Poe is your friend. With his help, you can help give your students the scare they're looking for while staying within a fairly safe, school-appropriate zone of literature for secondary students. The following are a few of my favorites; however, he wrote many more that you can choose from. The Cask of Amontillado

The Fall of the House of Usher The Raven

The Tell-Tale Heart

If your voice doesn't exactly give "spooky vibes" when you're reading, you can play one of many spooky read alouds of his stories available on YouTube. This very cool visual audio book for The Cask of Amontillado, for example, is a great way to make Poe's work more engaging and accessible for students. It is also appealing to the graphic novel-loving readers in your classroom. Pro Tip: Insert a dash after the T in YouTube in the web address before playing it for your students so ads won't pop up mid-story and break the suspense, and consider hanging a "Please do not disturb. Spooky story in progress." sign on your door to prevent interruptions. That's it! That's all it takes to throw a great party for your middle or high school students. I hope that you have a spooky good time celebrating with your students this Halloween!

Until next time!

Lauren P.S. Looking for a fun activity to go with your Edgar Allan Poe story? Grab crossword puzzles and word searches for Poe's short stories for a little extra review fun by clicking the photo below. You can find all of my spooky season resources by clicking here.