The days surrounding Halloween can be a chaotic time in the classroom. Students are excited about trick-or-treating, festive parties, and candy. One of the best ways to distract from the chaos is to incorporate holiday-themed activities into your lessons. In this blog post, I’ll share a fun Virginia Studies activity for October using a silly picture book that students will love.
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About Trick or Treat in Virginia
In Trick or Treat in Virginia: A Halloween Adventure In The Old Dominion State by Eric James, a visitor arrives from outer space on Halloween. The alien visitor joins a group of kids in costume and trick-or-treats throughout Virginia.
Throughout the story, the trick-or-treaters visit nearly 20 cities and sites throughout Virginia. Some of the cities they visit include Fredericksburg, Chesapeake, Manassas, and Blacksburg. Sites they see include Shenandoah National Park, Colonial Williamsburg, Mount Vernon, and King’s Dominion. Nicknames for Virginia, including “Old Dominion,” are also featured on signs in the illustrations.
Trick or Treat in Virginia is the perfect Virginia Studies activity for October because it features a silly story and colorful pictures that bring Virginia geography and history to life in a new way. The book is a fun way to get outside of your everyday Virginia Studies routines, especially around Halloween when students are excited and having trouble focusing.
Virginia Studies Activity to Use with the Book
To make sure students get the most out of this Trick or Treat in Virginia read aloud, incorporate some activities related to the book in your Virginia Studies lessons. I’ve broken down a Virginia Studies activity for October to use with the book. You can complete all of the steps or pick and choose which ones will work best for your class.
Review Virginia Geography
There are SO many Virginia cities and places listed throughout Trick or Treat in Virginia. As you read, make a list of all the places mentioned or shown in the illustrations. After reading, have students identity each place on a map of Virginia. Discuss which region each place is located in.
You can also discuss the significance of certain cities and places as they relate to the Virginia Studies SOLs. For example, Manassas played an important role in the Civil War, and Richmond is the capital of Virginia.
Write a Letter About Virginia
In Trick or Treat in Virginia, an alien visits the state of Virginia for the first time. Encourage students to write a letter to someone who has never seen or heard of Virginia. Their letter should encourage the person (or alien) to visit the state of Virginia. This is a great way to incorporate ELA skills into a Virginia Studies activity in October.
Make a Checklist of Virginia Cities and Sites
After arriving in Virginia, the alien is given a list of five tourist spots. As the alien travels through Virginia, he checks off each landmark that he finds. Have students create a list featuring five tourist spots that they think every person should visit in Virginia. They can choose any places, and encourage students to use places that are not featured in the book.
Create a Map of Virginia
In addition to his checklist, the alien also has a map of Virginia with all of the places he will visit labeled. After students have created their checklist, they should plot each of the locations on a map of Virginia. They can create physical maps or use a digital tool such as Google My Maps to create a digital map.
Create a Virginia Tourist Scrapbook
At the end of Trick or Treat in Virginia, the alien puts all the pictures he has taken of Virginia into his “spacebook” (aka a scrapbook). Instruct students to create an image of each place from their checklist and put the pictures into a scrapbook. Students should also label each picture.
More Virginia Studies Activities for October
Trick or Treat in Virginia is not the only Halloween-themed picture book about Virginia. I’ve listed more of my favorite books and activities to use as part of your October Virginia Studies lessons in the blog posts below.
- A Haunted Ghost Tour in Virginia
- The Spooky Express Virginia
- The Spookiest Pumpkin Patch in Virginia
I’ve also compiled all of my favorite Virginia picture books and accompanying lessons for October into one MEGA blog post.
You can also use the following blog posts to find more fun picture books about Virginia and activities to use throughout the year.
- Virginia Studies Picture Books and Lessons for Spring
- Virginia Studies Picture Books and Lessons for December
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