Are you looking for the best Halloween activity to engage K-2 students this October?! The Candy Corn Bandit was designed as a high-interest making predictions activity to support students in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. It is not Halloween-themed, so it can be used during the month of October in many classroom settings. Your students will LOVE it and it promises to be the BEST activity in your classroom this fall!
Who is The Candy Corn Bandit?
As a first grade teacher I LOVED teaching standards in fun and engaging ways. I created The Candy Corn Bandit to help teach my students about making predictions. One day during circle time, I told my students that we would be enjoying a treat later in the day. I made a big fuss over the it, and placed it on my chair before heading out to specials. When we returned, the treat was no where to be found!
DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNN!
The kids were beside themselves! I shared with them a note that The Candy Corn Bandit left in place of the candy. Naturally, they were immediately engaged in the mystery. This led us on a fun scavenger hunt throughout the building, all while making predictions about where we’d find him next!
Making Predictions with The Candy Corn Bandit
Of course, before we went out to find that sneaky little bandit, we did a quick mini-lesson about making predictions. First, I shared the definition. Then, we discussed how we could use this skill to figure out where The Candy Corn Bandit might be hiding. The clues encourage the students to use their inferencing skills to predict where we’d find the next clue and ultimately the stolen treat.
We visited the library, lunchroom (or wherever students eat), gym, and playground.
Additionally, the students predicted what he looked like, where he could’ve taken the candy, and why he might’ve taken the candy. All of these involve higher-level thinking and are a lot of fun for students to share during the lesson.
Materials Needed
Truly, you can make this activity as fancy or as simple as you like! At the bare minimum, you’ll need some type of treat for the Candy Corn Bandit to snatch from your classroom, plus the Clue Cards found in this resource.
Extending the Lesson
There are many ways to extend the lesson beyond just making predictions with The Candy Corn Bandit. Here are some additional ideas:
- Creating a WANTED poster
- Writing a HOW TO piece (i.e. How to catch the Candy Corn Bandit)
- A general writing piece about the experience
- A step-by-step sketching activity
- Candy Corn Bandit Craft
- Sequencing events
Overall, The Candy Corn Bandit is a SUPER fun way to help teach your students about making predictions! You can purchase the activities shown above here!
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