Shared by Michelle Wachholz

Have students choose their favorite Halloween topic from the list below. After students have read the related Science News or Science News for Students article, ask them to answer the questions below.

Ghosts: “The science of ghosts”
Vampires: “True vampires”
Spiders: “Spiderwebs don’t rot easily and scientists may have figured out why”
Zombies: “Zombies are real!”
Bats: “Here’s what bats ‘see’ when they explore the world with sound”
Spooky action: “Entanglement is spooky, but not action at a distance”
Giant pumpkins: “Here’s how giant pumpkins get so big”

Questions:

1. Summarize what you learned from the article. Use the summary to come up with a fun fact to share with your family or friends on Halloween!
2. What makes the article fun to read? Explain any literary devices the author used (metaphor, simile, alliteration, imagery, etc.) 
3. What questions do you still have about the topic?

What is this image saying?

This image was created to illustrate an article in The Times this week. What do you think that article was about? What clues in this image tell you that? What parts of the image are especially interesting to you? Does anything about it spark your own imagination somehow? What does it make you think of?

Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to see if your guess was right, and to learn more.

The Tom Schimmer Podcast is a show about learning, leadership, and life. Primarily, it’s a podcast that focuses on current topics in K-12 education. Each week, Tom Schimmer (a best-selling education author, keynote speaker, and consultant) will lean on his 30 years of experience to keep listeners informed on the prevailing stories dominating the conversations about teaching and learning. This podcast also focuses on leadership by exploring how leaders in any field can truly engineer a culture of continued professional growth. Occasionally, this podcast will explore the pursuit of success and happiness as it relates to any walk of life. Through a mix of interviews, commentary, current news stories, questions from listeners, and other segments, listeners will be well-equipped to meet the needs of learners regardless of what role they serve