Left image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net. Right image courtesy of nuchylee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
Are your students getting ready for Halloween? Mine are! This song was inspired by the book “Where’s the Halloween Treat?” by Harriet Ziefert and Richard Brown (Putnam Juvenile). As you read the book to students, you can see children dressed in different costumes going trick-or-treating.
If you don’t have this wonderful book, you can hang pictures of Halloween friends around the classroom. In this song, we chose a ghost, a witch, a monster, a skeleton, and a black cat.
1) Have students sit in front of you. Ask students, What do you see? as they look around the classroom. They may be able to name some of the Halloween vocabulary words.
2) Point to one word, such as ghost. Say, I see a ghost.
Continue with the other Halloween friends in the same way.
3) Now teach the phrase Trick or Treat. You might explain the tradition of children going from house to house and getting treats from neighbors. When children ring the doorbell, they always say, Trick or Treat! We do this because It’s Halloween!
4) Students can sit as they sing the following song. Here’s a simple version of it. This is an original melody that’s easy to sing.
This song has also been recorded professionally and is available on iTunes on
Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays. (click on the title, then on Track #8)
-Pat your legs on the chorus, Trick or treat . . . .
-When you hear It’s Halloween put your arms up like you’re saying Hooray!
-When you hear each of the characters (such as I see a ghost), point to each one in the classroom, or in your book.
-When you hear Oooooh, wave your arms in a spooky way.
Here are the lyrics:
Trick or Treat
Words and music by Kathleen Kampa and Charles Vilina
copyright © 2013 by Kathleen Kampa
Chorus:
Trick or treat! ch-ch-ch Trick or treat! ch-ch-ch
It’s Halloween! Say “Trick or treat!” ch-ch-ch
Trick or treat! ch-ch-ch Trick or treat! ch-ch-ch
It’s Halloween! Say “Trick or treat!” ch-ch-ch
Verse:
I see a ghost!
I see a ghost!
Ooooooooooooooh!
Sing again with Halloween characters: witch, monster, skeleton, black cat
5) Now your students are ready to stand up and move to the song!
Make a circle. Practice a movement standing in one spot for each Halloween friend.
Here are some suggestions; however, using your own imagination is even better! Your students will certainly have some interesting ideas!
For the ghost, you might move your arms like you’re floating.
For the witch, you might pretend to make some witch’s brew or cast a spell.
For the monster, you might make scary arms and stomp in place.
For the skeleton, you can move your elbows up and down.
For the black cat, you can creep in place.
On the chorus, Trick or Treat . . . march around the circle.
On It’s Halloween, put your arms up in the air as you continue marching.
On each of the verses (such as I see a ghost), stop in one place and turn into that character.
On Oooh, do spooky arm movements. You might even want to turn around.
Then begin marching again around the circle.
6) Later, have your students draw their favorite Halloween friends and post them around the classroom.
My students really love this song because it’s a lot of fun. As a teacher, though, I like to make sure my lessons cover valuable concepts.
This teaches young learners:
a. simple phrases, especially for EFL / EAL students –
It’s Halloween! Trick or Treat! I see a ____.
b. how to control their movements, by moving around the circle and stopping in one place
c. movements, such as marching, that go from one place to another
d. how to express their own ideas and inspire their creativity
e. patterns (chorus / verse pattern)
We hope that your students enjoy singing and dancing throughout the month of October. Happy teaching!
Kathy
MagicTimeKids 