Fun Fall Reading Activities
Discover the secret to boosting student engagement with seasonal and holiday-themed activities! Join me as I share my top fall reading activities for upper elementary classrooms. Witness the power of this simple approach in enhancing student learning!
Mastering Main Idea
As upper elementary teachers, one of the key skills we repeatedly focus on is helping students identify the main idea and supporting details. We believe there is no such thing as too much practice in this area.
To begin, it is important to captivate students with engaging and relevant reading material. These Fall Reading Activities for Main Idea provide the perfect opportunity to connect seasonal concepts with classroom learning. Delve into the fascinating topics of leaf color changes, animal adaptations, the mesmerizing Northern Lights, the Harvest Moon, and an array of other fall-themed activities and events that are sure to ignite your students’ interest.
These main idea passages provide students with a single paragraph to concentrate on finding the main idea and its supporting details. Unlike many reading passages, where the main idea is just one of many questions, these fall passages offer a targeted opportunity for focused skills practice.
Reading Comprehension Passages
We all know the importance of having our students work on reading comprehension skills. While connecting those skills to a short story or novel is great, it is not always an option due to time. A shorter reading passage with questions is a great way to work on skills in a less time-consuming way. Thankfully, the Fall Reading Comprehension Passages and Questions are designed just for this!
Designed with upper elementary students in mind, this resource includes six engaging, standards-based fiction and nonfiction passages. Each passage is paired with multiple-choice questions that target specific reading skills—like comparing texts, making connections, and identifying cause and effect.
Many students start to dread reading simply because they find traditional passages dull. That’s why this resource was designed—to offer fun and engaging Reading Comprehension Passages and Questions for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders that help students build essential skills without losing interest in reading.
Luckily, these passages are anything but dull! These high-interest reading passages and questions will help students build essential skills without losing interest in reading.
Each fall reading activity has students focus on a different reading skill or strategy. Using the text, students will answer the question. So far, it’s pretty typical – but the fun is about to begin. Next to each answer is a color. Students will use the color next to their answer choice to complete the mystery picture. It makes it a very easy way to grade or self-check by just looking at the picture.
These are so popular with students we had to create two sets!
- Fall Reading Comprehension Passages and Questions Set 1
- Fall Reading Comprehension Passages and Questions Set 2
Want both sets and a little savings? You can grab the mini-bundle and get the best deal on all the materials. Plus, everything in this resource is no-prep and ready to use!
Fall Book Reviews
Honestly, fall is the perfect time to cozy up with a good book! Likewise, fall is an excellent time to have your students practice sharing what they’re reading. The best way to do this is in a fun and creative way. Luckily, there are Fall Book Reviews for each month of the season to make reading and sharing, fun!
This fun fall activity for upper elementary students blends reading comprehension, opinion writing, and classroom decor all in one. It gives students a clear structure for writing thoughtful book reviews, while also giving them the freedom to express their voice and opinions. Whether they loved the book or didn’t enjoy it so much, they’ll learn how to back up their opinions with strong reasons and specific details.
What’s really cool is that this resource comes with everything you need—bookmarks, posters, review templates, rubrics, and even adorable bulletin board letters that say Fall for a Good Book! Thankfully, it’s super easy to prep and will spice up your classroom for the fall season. Additionally, it encourages other students to get excited about reading new books. Students can complete these book reviews monthly as there is a themed version for September, October, and November!
Students will love seeing their writing displayed on a bulletin board, in the hallway, or even in a binder for students to flip through and reference all year!
Fall Close Reading
During fall, students are probably deep into learning essential reading skills. One of these skills is close reading. Introducing close reading early in the year, and practicing the steps throughout the year is a great way to make sure the method actually sticks!
Fall is the perfect time to dive into some really fun fall stories and sharpen those reading skills. Luckily, there are several Fall Close Reading Activities to keep students engaged. Designed for grades 3–5, these week-long lessons follow a close reading model that helps students make inferences, cite evidence, and analyze text in a fun and seasonal way. With topics like Are Ghosts Real? and The Art of Candy Corn, students will be hooked from the start!
Each passage comes in two differentiated reading levels, making it easy to support all learners without creating extra work for teachers. Additionally, there is a step-by-step teacher guide, annotation tools, comprehension questions, and writing prompts. Seriously, it has everything you need to teach five full weeks of close reading with zero prep. There’s even a digital version for Google Slides.
Here are some close reading options for fall:
If you’re looking for a way to make lessons more engaging while still hitting reading standards, this resource is a total win.
Veterans Day Reading Activities
Teach your students about Veterans Day, its history, and why it is celebrated with this Veterans Day reading comprehension activity. Students will love learning about this important holiday.
This activity is an excellent way to connect language arts and social studies standards. Students will start by reading the 2-page reading passage. This non-fiction passage provides a great overview of the holiday. Then, students can learn some little-known facts about Veteran’s Day and the U.S. Flag. Students will be able to connect their learning with key reading comprehension skills.
Conclude your Veteran’s Day lesson with an engaging cross-curricular activity. Students will express their gratitude by writing a heartfelt thank you note using the provided template. These notes can make a meaningful impact when collected and shared with veterans at a VA Hospital. Alternatively, students are encouraged to take their notes home and personally deliver them to a veteran they know. Let’s appreciate and honor our heroes together!
Fall Fun for Teachers, Too!
Have you used digital stickers yet? These are a fun way to add some fall pizazz to your grading, notes, emails, or classroom management.
These fall digital stickers are so easy to use! Simply add them to a document like you would any image. They are perfect for grading digital assignments and adding a personal touch.
Not doing digital grading? Use them to create a fall-themed classroom management reward system. Students can earn a sticker when they meet a goal. The goal could be anything you are working on, like class compliments, 100% homework completion, or following the class rules. Even acing their fall reading activities! You can even let students keep them in a digital sticker book!
Learn more about how to use digital stickers in your classroom, and download a FREE set here!
Grab these fall writing prompts!
Save these Fall Reading Activities
Not quite ready for fun fall reading activities? Save this post to your favorite classroom Pinterest board so you can quickly get back here when you are!