Level – B2
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Teachers Notes:
Level:
Topic:
Author:
Lesson Aim:
CEFR Student
Learning
Outcomes:
Lexical Aim:
Interaction
Patterns:
Preparation:
Task Time:
Upper Intermediate (B2)
Horror Films and Ghost Stories: In this lesson, students discuss horror films and read
and listen to a horror story which has been turned into the film ‘Annabelle’ - out in
the cinema at the moment. Students then focus on the use of adjectives in fictional
writing and work in groups to create a ghost story.
Cheryl Malanek
To write a ghost story, to read and listen to ghost stories for gyst, to expand use of
descriptive adjective.
Listening:
I can follow TV drama and the majority of films in standard dialect.
I can understand the main ideas of complex speech on concrete and abstract topics
delivered in a standard dialect
Spoken Interaction:
I can find out and pass on detailed information reliably
Spoken Production:
I can give clear, detailed descriptions on a wide range of subjects
I can summarise orally the plot and sequence of events in a film or play.
Writing:
I can write a short story, even though complex concepts may be oversimplified, and
can correct many of my mistakes in the process.
Reading:
I can read short stories and novels written in a straightforward language and style,
making use of a dictionary
Descriptive adjectives
Write off, latch onto, cut out, to reside, to creep, to levitate, to escalate, all hell
breaks loose
Pair work
Group work
Whole class
You will need the clip below available for the class to watch. You may need extra
laptops/headphones for this depending on your room set up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQBbc8Zng6o&list=UUdqOSXtNnXeom8bgaqoGQw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQLxrTokX-w
2 hours +
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Level – B2
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Lesson:
Procedure
Show students the poster of the film and ask the questions
 Have you seen it?
 Was it scary/do you think it looks scary?
 Do you like horror movies?
 What’s the scariest film you have ever seen?
 Have they seen the prequel to ‘the conjuring’? Annabelle (out in cinemas now)
Use these questions as prompts to build up a discussion about horror films. Feed in any necessary
vocabulary. You can do this in groups or as a whole class activity.
Students are going to read and listen to the story of Annabelle the doll, which is in the opening scenes
of ‘The Conjuring’ and has just been released as a prequel to the film. It is based on a true story.
Split the students into 2 groups (A + B)
Give half the class the text to read (A). Tell them they have 6 minutes to read it.
The other half of the class (B) are going to listen to the text and see some photos on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQBbc8Zng6o&list=UUdqOSXtNnXeom8bgaqoGQw
NB: To do this you will either need to send one group out of the room (so that the film clip doesn’t
disturb the other group) or have laptops/ the students use their smart phones and headphones to
watch the clip quietly.
Monitor and help with vocabulary if necessary.
When both groups have finished give them time to talk to each other to paraphrase the story. (A+A)
together and (B+B) together. After a few minutes put them into pairs with someone from the opposite
group (A+B). Ask them to re-create and paraphrase the story together. The students who watched the
clip will have a better idea visually of the story but may not have been able to understand all the
details. They should exchange information.
Students then swap groups. Now (B) reads the story and (A) watches the clip.
Ask students:
What do you think of the story?
Do you think the doll is scary?
Was the story scarier in the clip or the text? Why?
Was it easier for you to understand in the clip or the text? You could discuss learner styles here.
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Level – B2
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This is a true story. Do you believe it?
Encourage discussion about the story. Then go through any vocabulary students had difficulty with
and error corrections.
Optional: You could show students the trailer for Annabelle, or the first few minutes of the conjuring
which tell the story they have just read. This might not be suitable for your class as it is quite scary.
Annabelle trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paFgQNPGlsg
The Conjuring: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQLxrTokX-w
Put students into small groups. Give students these lines from a ghost story.



I saw a man in the corner of the room and I screamed.
She heard a noise in the night and walked downstairs to see what it was.
The family were driving home one night when they passed a child at the side of the road.
Highlight the importance of descriptive language in ghost stories. Ask students to rewrite the 3
sentences to create a better description. Encourage students to use lots of adjectives, change the
verbs etc. You could also highlight that the past continuous is often used to set the scene at the
beginning of a story.
Get feedback from the groups and write any new vocabulary on the board. Feed in any other
vocabulary you feel the students could have used in the sentences e.g. crept downstairs, blood
curdling scream, an eery noise.
Tell students they are going to create their own ghost stories. Give each group 4/5 words that they
must use in their story, preferably some words from the previous exercise. (This helps to get them
started but also allows them to practice the new vocabulary they learnt in the previous task).
Give students a time limit to complete the task and tell students to nominate one person to be the
scribe for the group. Students work together to write a ghost story. Monitor and encourage them to
talk to each other and work as a group, help with any grammar/vocab issues.
Ask students to read their stories aloud to the class or stick them on the wall for the others to read.
This could tie in with previous discussions about learner styles. Students can vote on the scariest
stories.
Take note of any errors to go through with the class.
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