Your students will be squirming in their seats with this fun close reading and opinion writing activity. Perfect for Halloween or Fall students will read and write about some truly creepy critters! These printables can be taken home or displayed on a classroom bulletin board for some fall fun!
 
Here's what's Included:
-The Creepy Critter with 10 close reading articles about different creepy critters, and a creepy critter scoring sheet for students to vote which critter is the creepiest.
 
-10 opinion writing pages
 
-black and white versions
 
This reading and writing activity can be differentiated in a variety of ways to meet various student abilities:
 
Strategy 1
Each student reads their booklet individually, scores their critters from creepiest to least creepy, and writes their own opinion piece using the writing page that goes with the critter they think is the creepiest. (This strategy is best for older or advanced students.)
 
Strategy 2
Students read through the booklets together and score the critters. Students will write their opinion pieces individually but can collaborate on writing structures and phrases. (This strategy is better for younger students.)
 
Strategy 3
Students read about one of the critters in the booklet with a partner. Students will write their opinion pieces individually but can collaborate on writing structures and phrases. Phrases may be provided by the teacher to accommodate beginning writers. (This strategy is best for younger or struggling students.)
 
Extension Activities:
In addition to the reading and writing activities, you can extend this activity in the following ways:
 
Class Debate: Give your students some oral presentation practice by holding a class debate. Team up students who had the same opinion and have them express why their critter is creepier than the others.
 
Class Graph: Have students incorporate some math review by creating a class graph. First students can tally up the number of votes for each critter. Then allow students to create bar graphs of their data. It's a great way for students to practice their graphing skills!
 
Science Vocabulary: Give students an opportunity to review their articles and identify new or important scientific vocabulary. Students can use clues from the reading to predict the meanings of harder terms, add vocabulary words to a vocab word wall, or simply practice looking them up in the dictionary.