Fall-Themed Middle School ELA Activities: Volume One

This Fall Themed ELA Activities Unit gives your students engaging, skill-focused practice in figurative language, rhetorical appeals, theme, and independent reading—all wrapped in fun, seasonal activities that keep them motivated during the fall months. From Thanksgiving commercials and autumn-inspired songs to novel choice activities, students practice critical thinking and analysis while connecting with media and texts they enjoy.

With teacher guides, scaffolded student pages, and answer keys included, you’ll move students beyond surface-level responses into meaningful discussions, evidence-based thinking, and stronger literary analysis. They’ll learn to identify figurative devices, evaluate persuasive techniques, analyze themes in music, and reflect on their independent reading choices.

✨ Here’s what they’ll learn:

• Figurative Language Foundations – Identify and explain similes, metaphors, personification, irony, idioms, and more in seasonal contexts.

• Rhetorical Appeals in Media – Evaluate Thanksgiving commercials for ethos, pathos, and logos while considering how advertisers persuade audiences.

• Theme Through Music – Analyze autumn-themed songs for central ideas, tone, and figurative language.

• Independent Reading Choices – Strengthen reading identity through “Would You Rather” novel activities that build decision-making and evidence-based reasoning.

📚 Why this works:

This unit doesn’t just give you random holiday worksheets—it combines the fun of the season with high-level ELA skills. Students engage with real-world media, song lyrics, and book choices while practicing analysis and discussion. With built-in guides, reference charts, and keys, you can deliver rigorous lessons that feel fresh, relevant, and motivating—right when students need it most.

💡 Perfect for:

• Teachers who want seasonal engagement without losing rigor

• Students who need variety and relevance to stay invested in their ELA work

• Any middle school ELA class working on figurative language, media literacy, or theme

⏱ Flexible pacing: Activities can be used across a week, sprinkled into a larger unit, or extended into mini-projects. Works in 45-minute blocks or longer periods.

📦 What’s inside:

• Thanksgiving Word Search (color + black-and-white with answer key)

• Figurative Language Teacher Guide + Reference Pages

• Student figurative language worksheets (color + black-and-white) + Answer Key

• Thanksgiving Commercials Rhetoric Teacher Guide + Curated Links

• Rhetorical appeals reference pages (ethos, pathos, logos) + Student Worksheets

• Fall Songs Theme Activity Teacher Guide + Curated Playlist

• Student theme/lyric analysis sheets

• Fall Novel “Would You Rather” Teacher Guide + Slides (separate file)

• Student choice + explanation worksheets (color + black-and-white)

This unit solves the biggest fall-season struggle: how to keep students engaged in meaningful work without sacrificing standards. By blending high-interest seasonal activities with critical analysis, it gives you flexible, low-prep lessons that bring energy into your classroom while still hitting core skills.