Add to your Halloween celebration this year by using this Junk Food Paired Passage as a prompt for both debate and writing exercises with your middle school students.
Halloween is a holiday celebrated with a bounty of treats. Whether students are enjoying school parties or trick-or-treating in their neighborhoods, their bags are often filled with sweets and goodies.
As we plan how to incorporate Halloween into the school day, one approach is to use THIS argumentative paired passages about junk food.
These passages explore the pros and cons of having junk food in schools.
They present opposing viewpoints on whether junk food should be allowed in the school environment, making them perfect for a Halloween-themed debate.
As students prepare for and enjoy the Halloween season, consider having them read these passages and debate their own opinions on the subject.
Should junk food be allowed in schools on Halloween?
Can they construct a solid argument without letting personal opinions interfere?
Using Junk Food Paired Passages as part of your Halloween activities can also serve as a springboard for a complementary writing activity.
Have students explore whether teachers and schools should be permitted to host Halloween parties or distribute candy as rewards. After reading the passages, students will have a foundation for their arguments, but they can also add in some additional research of their own.
Divide the class into two groups—one supporting the positive aspects and the other focusing on the negatives.
Allow them time to research and develop their arguments, and since this is just practice, let them work in groups or pairs as well.
For an added challenge, students could create presentations or suggest alternative snacks and items that could be allowed instead.
Halloween is a fun time of year, and there are many ways to celebrate it in the classroom. In addition to these paired passages, we also offer digital escape rooms focusing on ELA skills that can be used with your students leading up to Halloween.
Enjoy the season and use this festive time as an opportunity to practice debating and writing in a way that connects to your students’ lives.
Check out these additional Halloween activities for even more holiday fun!
Happy Halloween, everyone!
