Intermediate Level Halloween ESL Lesson Plan ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details. Halloween October 31 is Halloween. This is not a holiday, but it is a very special day for children in Canada and the United States. On Halloween, children dress up in costumes to disguise themselves. Some wear masks and others wear makeup. In the evening, they walk around their neighborhoods and go from door to door shouting “trick or treat”, “Halloween apples” or “shell out”. Children carry bags to collect a variety of treats from their neighbors. People give out many different kinds of treats, such as candy, chocolates, gum, popcorn, etc. In the past it was also very common to give children apples on Halloween. Children usually collect many, many treats on this evening; the treats often last for several weeks. Children look forward to Halloween for a long time before the day actually arrives. They have fun deciding what special disguise they will choose for Halloween and planning their costumes. Will they be ghosts or witches, pumpkins or princesses, pirates or monsters, or perhaps this year, a famous cartoon character or movie star? While some children wear store-bought costumes, many others like to help their parents with the sewing or preparation of their own special outfit. On Halloween, some children also collect money for UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Education Fund). They carry small black and orange boxes to hold the money. It is a good idea to have change ready for these children when they come to your door. Many elementary schools hold parties and celebrations on Halloween. Children have fun bobbing for apples, carving pumpkins and sharing scary ghost stories. Adults sometimes celebrate Halloween too. They have special Halloween parties and dress up in costumes. One traditional custom of Halloween is to put a Jack O’ Lantern in the window. To make a Jack O’ Lantern, we clean out the inside of a pumpkin, cut out a face, and put a candle inside. People often decorate their homes with pictures of black cats, spiders, witches, bats, and ghosts. Because the traditional colors of Halloween are black and orange, you can see many stores filled with products in these colors. Bakeries sell cakes and cookies decorated for Halloween and grocery stores are filled with large bags of Halloween treats. Because Halloween is such a special day for children, it is important for parents to make sure their children are safe on this day. Children should wear bright or light costumes so motorists can see them easily. If children wear masks, the eye holes must be big enough for the children to see out clearly. Small children should not go out alone “trick or treating”. A parent or older brother or sister should accompany them. Before children eat their treats, parents should examine them carefully. Unfortunately, a cruel person might put something dangerous into the children’s bags. This, of course, does not happen very often, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Have a safe and happy Halloween! ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details. Reading Comprehension Directions: Practice asking and answering the following questions with your partner. Then write the answers in the spaces below. 1. When is Halloween? ______________________________________________________________________ 2. Do people have to go to work on Halloween? __________________________________________________ 3. What do children wear on Halloween? ________________________________________________________ 4. What do children do on Halloween? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Why is it a good idea to have a dish of nickels, dimes, quarters, etc. near your door on Halloween? __________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. What do we usually see in people’s windows on Halloween? __________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. What kind of costumes do children wear on Halloween? __________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. How do you make a Jack O’ Lantern? _________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 9. What are the traditional colors of Halloween? ___________________________________________________ 10. List four things parents and children can do to make Halloween a safe and fun evening. __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 11. Explain the expression: “It’s better to be safe than sorry”. Give an example. __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details. Vocabulary Review A. Directions: Match the words on the left with the correct meaning on the right. _____ 1. disguise A. usual _____ 2. mask B. yell _____ 3. neighborhood C. making you afraid _____ 4. shout D. driver _____ 5. collect E. coins _____ 6. variety F. something special _____ 7. treat G. make beautiful by adding something _____ 8. common H. bring together, gather _____ 9. look forward to I. cut _____ 10. outfit J. covering for the face _____ 11. change K. move up and down _____ 12. bob L. district or area where people live _____ 13. carve M. a number of different things _____ 14. scary N. wait for something with happiness and excitement _____ 15. decorate O. change your appearance to hide your identity _____ 16. motorist P. clothing, or several pieces of clothing that go together B. Choose the correct word or idiom from the left column above to complete the following sentences. (You may have to change a verb tense.) 1. After the long, cold winter, I am _____________________ to spring. 2. She couldn’t sleep last night because she had seen a very _____________________ movie. 3. The thief wore a _____________________ during the bank robbery. 4. She bought a beautiful, new _____________________ to wear to the party. 5. Many families gather together to _____________________ a tree at Christmas. 6. If you don’t have a bus pass or bus tickets, you need to have exact _____________________ when you take a bus. 7. That bakery has a large _____________________ of cakes and cookies every day. 8. He doesn’t want to move to a new apartment because right now he lives in a very quiet, safe _____________________ . 9. Many children like to _____________________ for apples at Halloween parties. 10. She wore a long wig and dark glasses to _____________________ her appearance. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details. A. How to Carve a Jack O’Lantern for Halloween Directions: The instructions given below are in the wrong order. Read the sentences and put them in the right order. ______ Use a sharp knife and carve the pumpkin following your drawing. ______ Spread newspapers on a table and place the pumpkin on top. ______ Light a candle and drip some wax into the bottom of the pumpkin. ______ Draw a face on the pumpkin with a pen or pencil. ______ Cut a circle on the top of the pumpkin for a lid. ______ Blow the candle out and hold it firmly in the melted wax until the wax hardens. ______ Buy a pumpkin with at least one good side. ______ Put the seeds on a cookie sheet, add salt and bake in a warm oven till brown. ______ Get a pen or pencil, some newspaper, a spoon, a sharp knife, a pumpkin, a candle, a cookie sheet and some salt. ______ Scrape out the inside (seeds and membranes) of the pumpkin with a spoon. ______ On Halloween evening, light the candle, put on the lid, and place in your front window. ______ Eat your delicious pumpkin seeds! B. The Custom of Carving Jack O’ Lanterns Directions: Choose the correct word from the list below to fill in the blanks. lantern – represent – tale – resting – wandering – tricks – carving – burning The custom of _______________________ Jack O’Lanterns comes from an old Irish folk _________________ ______ about a man named Jack. According to the story, Jack always liked to play _______________________ on people and one time he played a trick on the Devil. When Jack died, he couldn’t go to Heaven because he had done many bad things in his life. He couldn’t go to Hell either because he had played a trick on the Devil. Since then, Jack has been _______________________ around the earth looking for a final _________________ place. He carries a _______________________ to light his way in the darkness. Jack made his lantern by putting a _______________________ piece of coal inside a pumpkin. The colors of Halloween, orange and black, _______________________ the colors of pumpkins and the darkness of the night. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details. Pair Work – Sharing Information - Student A Directions: You and your partner each have some information about the origins of Halloween. Read your story and share your information with your partner. Together, complete the questions that follow the story. The Origins of Halloween The customs of Halloween come from several different cultures. The early Celtic people of Great Britain and Northern France, the Romans, and the early Christians all had festivals that influenced the celebration of Halloween as we know it today. The Celtic Origins of Halloween Two thousand years ago in northern Europe, the Celtic people worshipped nature and had many gods. The Celts celebrated their New Year on November 1st. This festival marked the end of their season of light and the beginning of the season of cold and darkness. On October 31st , their New Year’s Eve, they gathered together to honor their god, Samhain, (pronounced sow-en). Samhain was the God of the Dead. The Celts believed that the spirits of dead people came to life and wandered around outside at this time of year. The Celtic people did not want to be hurt by the spirits, so they dressed in costumes to disguise themselves if they had to go outside. They also put candles in their windows to help the spirits find their way and they left offerings of food outside their homes so the spirits would treat them kindly. This might explain our modern custom of giving treats on Halloween. Comprehension Questions 1. Where did the Celtic people live? 2. When did they celebrate New Year’s Eve? 3. Who was Samhain? 4. Why did the Celts dress in costumes on October 31? 5. Explain the modern custom of giving treats on Halloween. 6. What festival did the Romans celebrate around the end of October? 7. Where did the custom of bobbing for apples originate? 8. What holiday did the Christians celebrate on November 1st? 9. How did the Christians celebrate All Soul’s Day? 10. Explain the name Halloween. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details. Pair Work – Sharing Information - Student B Directions: You and your partner each have some information about the origins of Halloween. Read your story and share your information with your partner. Together, complete the questions that follow the story. The Origins of Halloween The customs of Halloween come from several different cultures. The early Celtic people of Great Britain and Northern France, the Romans, and the early Christians all had festivals that influenced the celebration of Halloween as we know it today. The Roman and Christian Origins of Halloween When the Romans invaded Britain, they brought many of their customs and festivals with them. One of these festivals, Pomona Day, took place around the end of October and honored Pomona, the Roman Goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona was the apple, which might explain the origin of our modern custom of bobbing for apples. After hundreds of years, the festivals of the Celts and the Romans combined to form one major fall holiday. With the spread of Christianity, came new festivals. In the year 835, the Roman Catholic church made a holiday on November 1st to honor all the saints. This day was called All Saints day or All Hallows. Many years later, the church made November 2nd All Soul’s Day to honor the dead. People celebrated by making fires and dressing up as saints, devils and angels. After many years, the traditions of these holidays and the holidays of the Celtic people combined and became known as Hallowed Evening and was celebrated on October 31st. Eventually the name was shortened to Halloween. Comprehension Questions 1. Where did the Celtic people live? 2. When did they celebrate New Year’s Eve? 3. Who was Samhain? 4. Why did the Celts dress in costumes on October 31? 5. Explain the modern custom of giving treats on Halloween. 6. What festival did the Romans celebrate around the end of October? 7. Where did the custom of bobbing for apples originate? 8. What holiday did the Christians celebrate on November 1st? 9. How did the Christians celebrate All Soul’s Day? 10. Explain the name Halloween. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details. Idioms and Expressions 1. the apple of one’s eye – someone’s favorite person, a well-loved person 2. the Big Apple – New York city 3. to be as blind as a bat – to have very poor eye sight 4. to be as white as a ghost – to be very pale, to have no color in your face 5. to look like a skeleton – to be very thin 6. a jack of all trades – a person who has many skills 7. to mask one’s feelings – to cover or hide one’s true feelings Exercise A: Choose the correct idiom or expression from the list above to complete the following sentences. 1. My grandfather wears very thick glasses. He is _______________________________. 2. I am very excited about our vacation. We’re going to the _______________________________. 3. I never know if Mary is really happy or sad. She always _______________________________. 4. You should start eating a lot more. You _____________________________________! 5. Mr. Baker is so proud of his youngest daughter. She is _______________________________. 6. You look terrible! Are you feeling sick? You are _______________________________. 7. Robert is a _______________________________. He can fix anything. Exercise B: Write your own sentences using the idioms above. _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details. Find Someone Who… Directions: Interview your classmates and try to find someone who… (ex. is going to a Halloween party this year.) When you find someone, write the person’s name in the space provided. Then ask the person another question related to the first one. Find someone… 1. who is a jack of all trades. _____________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. who is going to a Halloween party this year. _____________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. who made a costume for Halloween. _____________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. who has a similar celebration to Halloween in his or her country. _______________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. who believes in ghosts. ______________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. who has been to the Big Apple. _______________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. who is afraid of spiders. _______________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. who likes costume parties. _______________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 9. who is planning to put a pumpkin in his/her window. ________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. who is going to give out Halloween treats this year. ________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details. TEACHER’S NOTES / ANSWER KEY Holidays - Halloween (Intermediate-level) These activities are designed for intermediate level adult ESL learners, but they may also be suitable for junior and senior high school ESL students. Warm Up – Introduction to Halloween You can begin by showing pictures of pumpkins, ghosts, skeletons, witches, spiders, bats, etc. Ask the students if they know why they have been seeing so many packages of candies and treats in the grocery stores lately. Then ask them to share any information they may already have about Halloween or any similar celebrations they have in their own countries. Activity One – Reading on Halloween and Comprehension Questions Begin by introducing any vocabulary you feel the students may have difficulty with. You may choose to have the students read the passage silently, or have the students take turns reading aloud in order to monitor pronunciation. After reading the passage, break the students into pairs and have them practice asking and answering the comprehension questions. At the end of the oral practice, have the students write the answers. Review again orally with the whole class. 1. Halloween is on October 31st. 2. Yes, people do have to go to work. 3. Children wear costumes, masks or makeup to disguise themselves. 4. Children walk door to door around their neighborhood shouting things like “trick or treat” and collecting treats from their neighbors. 5. It is a good idea to have a dish of change near the door since some children collect money for UNICEF. 6. We usually see a Jack O’Lantern in people’s windows. 7. Children wear all kinds of store-bought or homemade costumes such as ghosts, witches, pumpkins or princesses. 8. To make a Jack O’ Lantern, one must clean out the inside of a pumpkin, cut out a face, and put a candle inside. 9. The traditional colors of Halloween are black and orange. 10. 1) Children should wear bright or light costumes so motorists can see them easily. 2) If children wear masks, the eye holes must be big enough for the children to see out clearly. 3) Small children should not go out alone “trick or treating”. 4) Before children eat their treats, parents should examine them carefully. 11. Individual answer Activity Two – Vocabulary Review – Ask the students to match the words with the correct meaning and then choose the correct word to complete the sentences. Matching 1. o 2. j 3. l 4. b 5. h 6. m 7. f 8. a 9. n 10. p 11. e 12. k 13. i 14. c 15. g 16. d Fill in the blanks 1. looking forward to 2. scary 3. mask 4. outfit 5. decorate 6. change 7. variety 8. neighborhood 9. bob 10. disguise Activity Three – Jack O’Lantern Instructions on how to carve a Jack O’Lantern – ask the students to read the instructions and put them in the correct order. (There may be some differences in the students’ ordering, but make sure that the ordering is logical.) Follow up with a real pumpkin carving activity. 1. Buy a pumpkin with at least one good side. 2. Get a pen or pencil, some newspaper, a spoon, a sharp knife, a pumpkin, a candle, a cookie sheet and some salt. Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESLlibrary.com in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.