Years 3–6: Halloween Shape Poems
Halloween Shape Poems | Halloween Poetry Writing Activity & Display | Years 3–6
Looking for a Halloween writing activity that's fun, a little bit spooky and still teaches real poetry skills?
Students choose from six Halloween shapes (a pumpkin, witch's hat, haunted house, cauldron, ghost and bat). Each shape has its own prompt and model poem, and students write a short poem that fits inside or follows the shape. They draft in their books or on mini whiteboards first, then publish their final poem on a lined or blank template and colour it in. The prompts are fun and mysterious rather than scary, and none rely on trick-or-treating, so every student can take part.
Every shape follows the same routine
Read → Brainstorm → Draft → Shape → Publish
Read the model poem together and talk about what the poet did, brainstorm words using the five senses, draft a few strong lines, plan where each line sits on the template, then publish. Once students know the routine, they can work through a second or third shape on their own.
What's Included?
- 19 Google Slides covering shape poems, the routine, prompts and model poems
- 6 Halloween shapes, each with a prompt and a model poem
- A "What did the poet do?" breakdown for every model poem
- Brainstorm, word bank and work time slides
- 6 lined and 6 blank printable templates
- A poem checklist and a page of finished student examples
- A 3-page display banner in colour and colour-in
- Teacher overview, routine guide and curriculum links (NSW English K–10 and Australian Curriculum v9.0)
Skills Students Practise
- Matching the shape of a poem to its topic
- Using line breaks and line length for effect
- Choosing precise nouns, verbs and adjectives
- Sensory language, repetition and questions for suspense
- Personification, similes, metaphors and onomatopoeia
Flexible Ways to Use
- Model one shape together, then let students choose their own
- Run a Halloween week, with the display going up on Friday
- Offer the blank templates as an extension for confident writers
- Finish with a gallery walk once the display is up
The haunted house is the most structured and a great starting point, while the ghost suits Years 5–6 and confident writers. Each poem takes one or two sessions.
Resource Details
- Focus: Poetry writing
- Year Levels: Years 3–6
- Time: 20–25 minutes to draft, plus a session to publish and colour
- Format: 26-page PDF plus 19 Google Slides, available to download instantly after purchase
This is a digital resource. You'll get an instant download link by email straight after checkout, and on your order confirmation page.
Yes. Every Hello Primary resource is written by an Australian primary teacher and aligned to the NSW English K–10 Syllabus and the Australian Curriculum v9.0. The curriculum links for this resource are included in the download.
Some Hello Primary resources are editable, such as our Canva frameworks and editable rubrics. If a resource is editable, the description will say so. If it isn't mentioned, the resource isn't editable.
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