Halloween
Lesson Ideas
and Activity
Pack
1
Table of Contents
Halloween Warmers............................................................................................................. 3
Halloween Flashcards.......................................................................................................... 4
Pumpkin Colouring Picture ................................................................................................ 10
Trick or Treat Colouring Picture ......................................................................................... 12
Monsters Writing Words..................................................................................................... 14
Witch Writing Words .......................................................................................................... 16
Vampire Dot-to-dot ............................................................................................................ 18
Cauldron Maze .................................................................................................................. 20
Halloween Crossword ........................................................................................................ 22
Halloween Word Search .................................................................................................... 24
Word Finding ..................................................................................................................... 26
Pumpkin Code ................................................................................................................... 28
Spooky Skeleton ................................................................................................................ 30
Ghosts Spot the Difference ................................................................................................ 32
Haunted Halloween Crossword ......................................................................................... 35
Reading about Halloween Traditions ................................................................................. 37
Working as a Witch ............................................................................................................ 43
Halloween – A really sweet business opportunity .............................................................. 46
2
Halloween Warmers
Halloween Party
1. Give a brief introduction to Halloween. Explain that children dress up in costumes and
go trick-or-treating, but sometimes adults have Halloween parties and dress up too.
2. Tell the students they are going to a Halloween party but they have to come up with
creative and interesting costumes. Have them draw the costumes.
3. Then have them explain their costumes to their partners.
4. After that, have them mingle as though they were at a Halloween party and they have
to comment on each other’s costumes and ask questions about others’.
5. Students then vote on the best Halloween costume.
Hangman
1. Begin the class with hangman using the word Halloween.
2. When the students have guessed the word, elicit extra information about the holiday.
When is it? What do people do?
Word-making
1. Write the word Halloween on the board.
2. Model that you can make the word hello from the letters in Halloween, drawing lines to
connect the letters.
3. Put the students in pairs or groups.
4. Give them 2-3 minutes to make as many words from the letters as possible.
5. The group with the most words at the end of the time wins.
6. Conduct feedback.
Halloween Anagrams
From abcteach.com
1. Write the following on the board.
sgoth
(ghost)
tuscoem
chitw
(witch)
otrcboe
ealwneohl
(Halloween)
thdneau hsoeu
acdyn
(candy)
tbsa
ignblo
(goblin)
kpmuipn
2. Put students in pairs.
3. Elicit the first unscrambled word as an example (ghost).
4. Set a time limit.
5. The first group to unscramble all the words wins.
(costume)
(October)
(haunted house)
(bats)
(pumpkin)
Monster Picture Dictation
1. Pre-teach relevant vocabulary for your pictures (body parts, monster parts, etc).
2. Put SS in pairs (if odd number, a group of three is ok).
3. Give each student in group a different monster flashcard (“it’s a secret, don’t show
the other students”).
4. Each student must describe to their partner how to draw their monster without saying
the name of the monster.
3
Halloween Flashcards
A note about flashcards
Flashcards can be photocopied and cut out. Some ideas for using flashcards:

Match the picture cards with the word cards.

Drill the words by flashing the cards to the students.

Hide the cards around the room, and have the students find them.

Have the students hide the cards while one student waits outside of the classroom,
then the students practice “hot/cold,” “yes/no” or directions to help the student find
the card.

Make multiple copies of the cards and have the students play Go Fish, snap, or any
other card-related game.
4
pumpkin
jacko’lantern
bat
5
Frankenstein
werewolf
ghost
6
witch
costumes
vampire
7
cat
broom
hat
8
cauldron
full moon
monster
9
Very Young Learners
Pumpkin Colouring Picture
Teacher’s Notes
Aims:
to practise motor skills, to practise colours
Age group:
Very Young Learners and Young Learners
Level:
Beginner and above
Organisation:
individual
Materials needed:
a copy of the worksheet for each student
coloured pencils / markers
Using flashcards or the worksheet elicit/present the word “pumpkin”.
Drill the word – with full class and individuals.
Hand out one picture per student.
Students must colour the picture.
If students know colours, the teacher keeps all pencils/markers. Students must ask
the teacher for each colour they want to use, e.g. “red please”. Students must return
one colour to get another.
6 Collect all finished pictures for a classroom display.
1
2
3
4
5
10
Pumpkin Colouring Picture
11
Very Young Learners
Trick or Treat Colouring Picture
Teacher’s Notes
Aims:
to practise motor skills, to practise colours
Age group:
Very Young Learners and Young Learners
Level:
Beginner and above
Organisation:
individual
Materials needed:
a copy of the worksheet for each student
coloured pencils / markers
1 Using flashcards or the worksheet elicit/present the words “ghost”, “monster” and
“witch”.
2 Drill the words – with full class and individuals.
3 Hand out one picture per student.
4 Students must colour the picture.
5 If students know colours, the teacher keeps all pencils/markers. Students must ask
the teacher for each colour they want to use, e.g. “red please”. Students must return
one colour to get another.
6 Collect all finished pictures for a classroom display.
12
Trick or Treat Colouring Picture
13
Young Learners
Monsters Writing Words
Teacher’s Notes
Aims:
to practise motor skills, to practise writing, to learn some Halloween
vocabulary
Age group:
Young Learners and Pre-teens
Level:
Beginner and above
Organisation:
individual
Materials needed:
a copy of the worksheet for each student
1 Using flashcards elicit/present the words “ghost”, “witch”, “vampire”, “werewolf”.
Optionally, teach “monster” and “Halloween”.
2 Drill the words – with full class and individuals.
3 Write each word on the board in turn. After writing each word, get the students to
spell the word.
4 After writing all the words, elicit them from the students by pointing to words at
random. If students are not sure, use the flashcards to help.
5 Hand out a copy of the worksheet to each student. For each word students must
copy it three times. Instruct students to write one word at a time, stopping them after
each one before moving on to the next.
6 Monitor, help and check writing.
7 When students have finished, drill words again.
8 Tell students to draw a Halloween picture with the monsters.
9 Collect pictures for a class display.
14
Monsters Writing Words
15
Young Learners
Witch Writing Words
Teacher’s Notes
Aims:
to practise motor skills, to practise writing
Age group:
Young Learners and Pre-teens
Level:
Beginner and above
Organisation:
individual
Materials needed:
a copy of the worksheet for each student
1 Using flashcards elicit/present the words “witch”, “hat”, “cat”, “moon”, “broom”.
Optionally, teach “Halloween”.
2 Drill the words – with full class and individuals.
3 Write each word on the board in turn. After writing each word, get the students to
spell the word.
4 After writing all the words, elicit them from the students by pointing to words at
random. If students are not sure, use the flashcards to help.
5 Hand out a copy of the worksheet to each student. For each word students must
copy it three times. Instruct students to write one word at a time, stopping them after
each one before moving on to the next.
6 Monitor, help and check writing.
7 When students have finished, drill words again.
8 Tell students to draw a Halloween picture with the words.
9 Collect pictures for a class display.
16
Witch Writing Words
17
Young Learners
Vampire Dot-to-dot
Teacher’s Notes
Aims:
to practise motor skills, to practise numbers
Age group:
Young Learners and Pre-teens
Level:
Beginner and above
Organisation:
individual
Materials needed:
a copy of the worksheet for each student
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Have all students stand up.
Practise the number 1-47 by having the students count around the room in a circle.
If a student gets the number wrong, they sit down.
Draw an example of a dot-to-dot on the board with a simple picture, e.g. a fish.
Trace lines between the numbers in order and show that you get a picture.
Hand out a copy of the work sheet to each student.
Tell students to draw lines between the numbers in order, saying each number out
loud as they get to it.
8 Monitor to help and check.
9 When the students have finished elicit/teach the word for the picture “vampire”.
10 Drill the word - with full class and individuals.
18
Dot-to-dot
19
Young Learners
Cauldron Maze
Teacher’s Notes
Aims:
to practise motor skills, to practise directions
Age group:
Young Learners and Pre-teens
Level:
Beginner and above
Organisation:
individual
Materials needed:
a copy of the worksheet for each student
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Using a flashcard or the picture elicit/teach the word “cauldron”.
Draw arrows on the board and elicit/teach “up”, “down”, “left”, “right”.
Drill the words – with full class and individuals.
Draw an example of a simple maze on the board.
Show the students the start of the maze and elicit directions from them.
Let the students tell you how to get through the maze and draw lines as per their
instructions.
Hand out a copy of the work sheet to each student.
Demonstrate where students must start. Tell students to draw a line to the finish.
Students should say the direction they are drawing out loud as they draw.
Monitor to check and help.
When students have finished revise the directions with TPR. Have the students
“stand up”, “sit down”, “go left”, “go right” according to your instructions.
20
Cauldron Maze
Can you get to the bottom without falling in?
21
Pre-teens
Halloween Crossword
Teacher’s Notes
Aims:
to practise Halloween vocabulary
Age group:
Pre-teens and above
Level:
Elementary and above
Organisation:
individual or pairs
Materials needed:
a copy of the worksheet for each group
1 Elicit the idea of Halloween by asking students if they know what 31st October is.
2 Put students into pairs. Pairs must brainstorm any Halloween vocabulary they know
for two minutes.
3 Do full class feedback writing useful words on the board. Drill any new or difficult
words.
4 Using flashcards or by drawing pictures on the board teach any other key
Halloween vocabulary: “bob for apples”, “bat”, “candy cane”, “costume”, “spider”,
“trick or treat”, “pumpkin”, “carve”.
5 Hand out the crosswords to pairs of students.
6 Students must race to complete the crosswords.
7 Monitor and help.
8 Check in full class.
9 Give some candy as a prize to the fastest group (it is Halloween after all).
10 As a follow up, students discuss in groups how they celebrate Halloween, their
favourite costumes, any Halloween movies or ghost stories they know, etc.
22
Halloween Crossword
Answer the clues to complete the crossword.
Across
1 A _________cat (5)
3 If I put a sheet over my head I can be a
_____________for Halloween. (5)
4 I spin webs (6)
5 _________or treat! (5)
7 Ring this and say trick or treat! (8)
8 Clothes to wear on Halloween (8)
11 Bob for _________ in a barrel. (6)
Down
1 We sleep hanging upside down (4)
2 A sweet treat (two words) (5,4)
6 A fun day to wear costumes (9)
9 Most candy has a lot of this in it. (5)
10 Carve me! (7)
23
Pre-teens
Halloween Word Search
Teacher’s Notes
Aims:
to practise word recognise and reading skills, to practise Halloween
vocabulary
Age group:
Pre-teens and above
Level:
Elementary and above
Organisation:
individual or pairs
Materials needed:
a copy of the worksheet for each group
1 Elicit the idea of Halloween by asking students if they know what 31st October is.
2 Put students into pairs. Pairs must brainstorm any Halloween vocabulary they know
for two minutes.
3 Do full class feedback writing useful words on the board. Drill any new or difficult
words.
4 Using flashcards or by drawing pictures on the board teach any other key
Halloween vocabulary.
5 Hand out the word searches to pairs of students.
6 Students must race to complete the word searches.
7 Monitor and help.
8 Check in full class.
9 Give some candy as a prize to the fastest group (it is Halloween after all).
10 As a follow up, students discuss in groups how they celebrate Halloween, their
favourite costumes, any Halloween movies or ghost stories they know, etc.
24
Halloween Word Search
bat
black cat
broom
candy
clown
cobweb
coffin
costume
creepy
Dracula
Frankenstein
ghost
graveyard
Halloween
happy
haunted house
jack-o'-lantern
mask
monster
mummy
25
October
party
pillowcase
pirate
pumpkin
scary
skeleton
spooky
trick-or-treat
vampire
werewolf
witch
Pre-teens
Word Finding
Teacher’s Notes
Aims:
to practise Halloween vocabulary
Age group:
Pre-teens and above
Level:
Elementary and above
Organisation:
pairs
Materials needed:
a copy of the worksheet for each group
1 Elicit the idea of Halloween by asking students if they know what 31st October is.
2 Using flashcards or by drawing on the board, elicit “pumpkin” and “jack’o’lantern”.
3 Demonstrate the idea of the activity by writing Halloween on the board and eliciting
other words that can be made using the letters, e.g. “one”.
4 Make sure students understand that they cannot use a letter more times than it
appears in the word.
5 Hand out the worksheet to pairs of students.
6 Students race to find as many words as they can.
7 Encourage students to use the clues to help as necessary.
8 Check in full class.
9 Give some candy as a prize to the fastest group (it is Halloween after all).
10 As a follow up, students discuss in groups how they celebrate Halloween, their
favourite costumes, any Halloween movies or ghost stories they know, etc.
26
Word Finding
How many words can you make out of
JACK-O’- LANTERN?
J A C K-O’-L A N T E R N
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
Did you find?
Difficult:
Birthday food.
Winter wear.
Army vehicle.
An insect.
A vegetable.
The opposite of early.
An animal with whiskers.
A funny story.
Put your back against something.
Another word for rip.
The past tense of eat.
The past tense of run.
A road for a train.
Where you put a key.
A wooden box.
27
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
Teacher’s Notes
Pre-teens
Pumpkin Code
Teacher’s Notes
Aims:
to practise alphabet skills, to practise Halloween vocabulary
Age group:
Pre-teens and above
Level:
Elementary and above
Organisation:
individual or pairs
Materials needed:
a copy of the worksheet for each student
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Elicit the idea of Halloween by asking students if they know what 31st October is.
Using flashcards or by drawing on the board, elicit “pumpkin”.
Demonstrate the idea of the activity by writing your name on the board scrambled.
Hand out the worksheet to pairs of students (or to each student, if you’d prefer it to
be an individual activity).
Draw the second pumpkin on the board (the “candy” pumpkin) with the dashes and
numbers under it. Elicit what the word is and write it on the dashes, and show that
number 2 is “c” and number 9 is “d” for a code.
Students race to unscramble as many words as they can.
Give some candy as a prize to the fastest group to solve the riddle (it is Halloween
after all), but make sure that, once they’ve found the answer, they keep it quiet.
Check meanings on unscrambled words.
As a follow up, students discuss in groups how they celebrate Halloween, their
favourite costumes, any Halloween movies or ghost stories they know, etc. or
students make a story using the unscrambled words (either writing it or as a circle
story).
28
Pumpkin Code
Unscramble these pumpkins to figure out the hidden message:
__
__
18
__
11
__
__
25
__ __ __ __ __
6 23 19
__
17
__
10
__
15
__
20
__
__ __ __ __ __ __
16
8
__
__
__
__
__
22
__ __ __ __ __
4
__
1
__
13
__
__
__
14
__ __ __ __ __
2
9
__
3
__ __ __ __ __
5
12
__ __ __ __ __
7
__
__ __ __ __ __
21
24
Halloween Riddle: Use the numbers above to fill in the riddle.
What do monsters
__ __ __ __ __ __
1
2
3
4
5
6
__ __
18 19
have for breakfast on Halloween morning?
__ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
7
8
9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
__
__ __ __ __ __
20
21 22 23 24 25
29
Teens
Spooky Skeleton
Teacher’s Notes
Aims:
to teach and revise body parts
Age group:
Teens and above
Level:
Pre-intermediate and above
Organisation:
any (individual, pairs or group)
Materials needed:
a copy of the worksheet for each group
paper for drawing own monsters (optional)
1 Elicit the idea of Halloween by asking students if they know what 31st October is.
2 Elicit some different types of monsters and creatures associated with Halloween
(vampires, werewolves, ghosts, witches, skeletons, zombies, etc).
3 Give each student (or pair) a copy of the worksheet to complete.
4 To check, ask how many of each body part the skeleton has and how it differs from
people (it seems to have less fingers than we do)
5 Give some candy as a prize to the fastest group (it is Halloween after all).
6 As a follow up, have students describe in small groups one of the monsters elicited
in stage 2 (i.e. a ghost, or a witch) using the structure “It has/has got…”. The other
members of the group must guess which monster/creature is being described or
students draw and label pictures of the monsters/creatures elicited.
30
Spooky Skeleton
31
Teens
Ghosts Spot the Difference
Teacher’s Notes
Aims:
to practise Halloween vocabulary, to practise rooms of the house and
furniture vocabulary, to practise prepositions
Age group:
Pre-teens and above
Level:
Pre-intermediate and above
Organisation:
pairs
Materials needed:
a copy of the worksheets A + B for each pair
1 Elicit the idea of Halloween by asking students if they know what 31st October is.
2 Using flashcards or by drawing on the board, elicit “living room,” “basement,”
“kitchen,” “bedroom,” “bathroom,” and “dining room”. Drill.
3 Divide the board into six sections (one for each of the rooms) and have students, in
teams using different coloured markers, write as much furniture for each room as
they can think of.
4 Check as a class, and elicit which prepositions of place can be used for each piece
of furniture (i.e. in bed, on the bed, under the bed, next to the bed, over the bed,
etc)
5 Teach the words “haunted” and “ghost.”
6 Divide the class into pairs and give each member of each pair one of the Haunted
House pictures A + B.
7 Students try to find seven differences between the two houses without looking at
their partner’s picture.
8 Students race to find the differences.
9 Monitor to provide vocabulary and check preposition use.
10 Check in full class.
11 Give some candy as a prize to the fastest group (it is Halloween after all).
12 As a follow up, students discuss in groups how they celebrate Halloween, their
favourite costumes, any Halloween movies or ghost stories they know, etc.
32
Ghosts Spot the Difference
33
Ghosts Spot the Difference
34
Adults
Haunted Halloween Crossword
Teacher’s Notes
Aims:
to practise Halloween vocabulary
Age group:
Teens and above
Level:
Intermediate and above
Organisation:
pairs
Materials needed:
a copy of the worksheet for each pair
1 Elicit the idea of Halloween by asking students if they know what 31st October is.
2 Have a brainstorming race between teams for students to come up with as many
Halloween words as possible.
3 Pre-teach “across” and “down.”
4 Hand out the worksheet to pairs of students.
5 Students race to finish the crossword.
6 Make a note of any clues that no pair seems to answer, and give this answer as a
freebie.
7 Check in full class.
8 Give some candy as a prize to the fastest group (it is Halloween after all).
9 As a follow up, students discuss in groups how they celebrate Halloween, their
favourite costumes, any Halloween movies or ghost stories they know, etc.
35
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
11
10
12
13
15
18
19
16
14
17
20
21
22
25
23
24
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
45
42
43
44
46
47
48
Down
1. What children get at
Halloween.
2. Flying animal found in
haunted houses.
3. The kind of bullet you
need to kill a werewolf.
4. A place with many
tombstones.
5. Where you get goose
bumps.
6. The weather around
haunted houses.
8. The walking corpse.
9. The color of blood.
10. Dracula.
13. You can hear these in
the hallways of a haunted
house at night.
15. Little animals with long
tails.
17. This wears a patch and
has a sword.
19. This wears bright colorful
clothing.
20. A big black pot that
witches use to make potions.
23. The kind of light that
vampires hate.
26. The monster
__________ the stairs.
36
28. What vampires drink.
29. The time when
werewolves come out.
30. What kids say on
Halloween.
31. Something that haunts
houses.
36. A monster that changes
from human to wolf.
37. Makes me scared; gives
me the ___________.
42. A monster from space.
43. The opposite of good.
44. Frighten.
47. A night bird.
Across
1. These are found in
the corners and ceilings
of a haunted house.
7. A witch's pet. (5-3)
11. Bloody and gross.
12. A monster made
from bones.
14. A monster from
Egypt.
16. Another word for
scary.
18. She wears black
clothes and rides a
broom.
21. It looks like a mouse
but much bigger.
22. What kids wear on
Halloween.
24. The creature that
makes cobwebs.
25. Have a ghost inside.
27. The Cyclops has
one.
31. What you get on
your skin when you are
scared.
32. These slam shut or
creek open.
33. Witches ride this.
34. Vampires hate this.
35. Another word for
strange.
38. October 31st.
39. What a ghost says.
40. A big black bird.
41. A monster with
stitches on his face.
45. What children carve.
46. The month of
Halloween.
48. Sharp teeth.
Adults
Reading about Halloween Traditions
Teacher’s Notes
Aims:
to practise Halloween vocabulary, to practise reading skills, to practise
question formation
Age group:
Teens and above
Level:
Pre-intermediate and above
Organisation:
pairs
Materials needed:
a copy of the worksheets for each pair
1 Brainstorm on the subject of Halloween. What do your students associate with it?
To what extent is Halloween celebrated in their country? Can they think of any other
events with a similar theme?
2 Divide the class into two groups, A and B. Give one copy of Worksheet A to each
student in Group A along with the first half of Part A marked Group A (on the third
page), and one copy of Worksheet B to each student in Group B as well as a copy
of the second part of Part A marked Group B.
3 Tell your students they have the same text on Halloween, but there is some
information missing from each worksheet. Explain that first they need to prepare the
questions.
4 Give the students at least ten minutes to read through the text and check any new
vocabulary, then give them another five to ten minutes to work together in their
groups to prepare and write down the questions they need to ask in order to
complete the text. Monitor this activity to make sure that the students are
formulating the questions correctly.
5 When all the students have prepared their questions, ask a student from Group A to
work with a student from Group B. They should take it in turns to ask and answer
the questions they have prepared and write the answers in the spaces in the text.
Allow five to ten minutes for this activity.
6 When both students have finished asking and answering, allow them to compare
worksheets. Then check answers in open class.
7 Ask the students to put away Worksheets A and B or to temporarily hand them back
to you. Then, keeping the students in pairs, hand out Worksheet C and give the
students another five to ten minutes for the gap-fill exercise in which they have to
replace individual words that are now missing from the text. If the students cannot
remember what the words are, encourage them to try to work them out from the
context of the sentence.
8 Check answers in open class.
6. What did the Irish and British people who emigrated to North
America take with them?
7. When did the Halloween tradition spread all over the US and
Canada?
8. Where do people spend more on decorations and parties
during Halloween than during any other annual festival apart from
Christmas?
9. What is one of the most well-known Halloween decorations?
10. What is usually inside the pumpkin?
11. Who does ‘trick or treating’?
Answers
Part A (questions/answers)
1. When can you find Halloween parties in various different parts
of the world?
2. Where is the Halloween tradition probably strongest?
3. What are the most popular costumes at Halloween fancy-dress
parties?
4. What did some Celtic tribes do to scare away evil spirits?
5. Why did some Celtic tribes disguise themselves as ghosts?
37
12. What are the ‘treats’ that trick-or-treaters usually ask for?
13. How many children expect to go trick-or-treating on
Halloween night in the US?
14. Who thinks the origin of trick-or-treating is a Scottish tradition
called ‘guising’?
15. In ‘guising’, what do children do in return for their treat?
16. What do trick-or-treaters normally receive a lot of during
Halloween?
Part B (gap-fill)
1. various 2. Britain 3. fancy 4. witches 5. scary 6.
Christian 7. spirits 8. scare 9. spread 10. decorations 11.
hollow 12. knocking 13. expect 14. origin 15. sing 16.
good-humoured
38
Halloween
WORKSHEET A
On the night of 1)_____________ you can find Halloween parties in various different parts
of the world, but it is probably true to say that the Halloween tradition is strongest in the
United States, Canada, Britain and Ireland.
Anyone who has ever been to a Halloween fancy-dress party will know that
3)_____________, ghosts and other scary creatures are the most popular costumes. To
understand the reason for this we must go back more than 2,000 years to the pre-Christian
religious festivals of the Celtic peoples of Britain and Ireland. From what we know of the
Celts, it seems part of their religious calendar was a night at the beginning of winter when
they believed the spirits of dead people could return to walk the earth. On this night some
Celtic tribes lit bonfires to scare away evil spirits, or even disguised themselves as ghosts
so that the real ghosts would not 5)____________. The event survived into the Christian
era, and eventually received the name of Halloween and a fixed date in the modern
calendar – 31st October.
In the nineteenth century, Irish and British (particularly Scottish) people who emigrated to
North America took their Halloween tradition with them, and in the 7)____________ it
spread all over the US and Canada. Nowadays in the US, for example, people spend more
on decorations and parties during Halloween than during any other annual festival apart
from Christmas.
One of the most well-known Halloween decorations is a hollow 9)_____________, usually
with a candle inside, and a mouth and eyes cut into the skin to make a scary-looking ‘face’.
As for Halloween activities, one of the most traditional is ‘trick or treating’ in which
11)_____________ – sometimes dressed as ghosts or witches, or in some other
Halloween costume – go around knocking on people’s doors on the evening of October
31st and asking for small ‘treats’, usually sweets. A recent survey in the US suggested that
more than 13)_____________ of children expect to go trick-or-treating on Halloween night.
Some people think the origin of trick or treating is a Scottish tradition called ‘guising’, in
which children do something like tell a joke or 15)_____________ a song in return for their
treat. In many places, however, the children offer nothing in return: they just say they will
play a ‘trick’ of some kind if they don’t receive a treat. Trick-or-treating is mostly very goodhumoured, and almost all adults are happy to give out sweets. Normally, therefore, trick or
treaters receive a lot of sugary things during the evening, meaning Halloween is possibly
the worst event in the year for children’s teeth.
39
Halloween
WORKSHEET B
On the night of October 31st you can find Halloween parties in various different parts of the
world, but it is probably true to say that the Halloween tradition is strongest in the United
States, Canada, Britain and 2)_____________.
Anyone who has ever been to a Halloween fancy-dress party will know that witches,
ghosts and other scary creatures are the most popular costumes. To understand the
reason for this we must go back more than 2,000 years to the pre-Christian religious
festivals of the Celtic peoples of Britain and Ireland. From what we know of the Celts, it
seems part of their religious calendar was a night at the beginning of winter when they
believed the spirits of dead people could return to walk the earth. On this night some Celtic
tribes 4)_____________ to scare away evil spirits, or even disguised themselves as
ghosts so that the real ghosts would not attack them. The event survived into the Christian
era, and eventually received the name of Halloween and a fixed date in the modern
calendar – October 31st.
In the nineteenth century, Irish and British (particularly Scottish) people who emigrated to
North America took their 6)_____________ with them, and in the twentieth century it
spread all over the US and Canada. Nowadays in 8)_____________, for example, people
spend more on decorations and parties during Halloween than during any other annual
festival apart from Christmas.
One of the most well-known Halloween decorations is a hollow pumpkin, usually with a
10)_____________ inside, and a mouth and eyes cut into the skin to make a scary-looking
‘face’. As for Halloween activities, one of the most traditional is ‘trick or treating’ in which
children and teenagers – sometimes dressed as ghosts or witches, or in some other
Halloween costume – go around knocking on people’s doors on the evening of October
31st and asking for small ‘treats’, usually 12)_____________. A recent survey in the US
suggested that more than three-quarters of children expect to go trick-or-treating on
Halloween night.
14)_____________ think the origin of trick or treating is a Scottish tradition called ‘guising’,
in which children do something like tell a joke or sing a song in return for their treat. In
many places, however, the children offer nothing in return: they just say they will play a
‘trick’ of some kind if they don’t receive a treat. Trick-or-treating is mostly very goodhumoured, and almost all adults are happy to give out sweets. Normally, therefore, trick or
treaters receive a lot of 16)_____________ during the evening, meaning Halloween is
possibly the worst event in the year for children’s teeth.
Part A
GROUP A
Write the questions:
1. When ______________________________________________________________?
3. What _____________________________________________________________?
5. Why _______________________________________________________________?
7. When _____________________________________________________________?
9. What _____________________________________________________________?
11. Who ______________________________________________________________?
13. How many _________________________________________________________?
15. In ‘guising’, what ___________________________________________________?
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
Part A
GROUP B
Write the questions:
2. Where _____________________________________________________________?
4. What ______________________________________________________________?
6. What ______________________________________________________________?
8. Where ____________________________________________________________?
10. What ____________________________________________________________?
12. What _____________________________________________________________?
14. Who ______________________________________________________________?
16. What _____________________________________________________________?
41
Halloween
WORKSHEET C
Part B
On the night of October 31st you can find Halloween parties in (1) v _ _ _ o u s different
parts of the world, but it is probably true to say that the Halloween tradition is strongest in
the United States, Canada, (2) _ _ _ _ _ i n and Ireland.
Anyone who has ever been to a Halloween (3) f _ _ _ _-dress party will know that
(4) w _ _ _ _ e s, ghosts and other (5) _ _ _ r y creatures are the most popular costumes.
To understand the reason for this we must go back more than 2,000 years to the pre-(6) C
_ _ _ s t _ _ n religious festivals of the Celtic peoples of Britain and Ireland. From what we
know of the Celts, it seems part of their religious calendar was a night at the beginning of
winter when they believed the (7) s _ _ _ i t s of dead people could return to walk the
earth. On this night some Celtic tribes lit bonfires to
(8) s _ _ r e away evil spirits, or even disguised themselves as ghosts so that the real
ghosts would not attack them. The event survived into the Christian era, and eventually
received the name of Halloween and a fixed date in the modern calendar – October 31st.
In the nineteenth century, Irish and British (particularly Scottish) people who emigrated to
North America took their Halloween tradition with them, and in the twentieth century it (9) s
_ _ _ a d all over the US and Canada. Nowadays in the US, for example, people spend
more on decorations and parties during Halloween than during any other annual festival
apart from Christmas.
One of the most well-known Halloween (10) _ _ _ o r _ _ i o n s is a (11) _ _ _ _ o w
pumpkin with a candle inside, and a mouth and eyes cut into the skin to make a scarylooking ‘face’. As for Halloween activities, one of the most traditional is ‘trick or treating’ in
which children and teenagers – sometimes dressed as ghosts or witches, or in some other
Halloween costume – go around (12) k _ _ _ _ i n g on people’s doors on the evening of
October 31st and asking for small ‘treats’, usually sweets. A recent survey in the US
suggested that more than three-quarters of children (13) e _ _ _ c t to go trick-or-treating
on Halloween night.
Some people think the (14) o _ _ _ i n of trick or treating is a Scottish tradition called
‘guising’, in which children do something like (15) _ _ _ l a joke or sing a song in return for
their treat. In many places, however, the children offer nothing in return: they just say they
will play a ‘trick’ of some kind if they don’t receive a treat. Trick-or-treating is mostly very
(16) g _ _ _-h _ _ o u _ _ _, and almost all adults are happy to give out sweets. Normally,
therefore, trick-or-treaters receive a lot of sugary items during the evening, meaning
Halloween is possibly the worst event in the year for children’s teeth.
42
Business
Working as a Witch
Teacher’s Notes
Aims:
to practise Halloween vocabulary, to practise reading skills, to practise job
interview techniques
Age group:
Adults
Level:
Intermediate and above
Organisation:
pairs
Materials needed:
a copy of the text for each student
role cards cut up, enough for one card per student
1 Elicit the word Halloween. “What is a holiday at the end of October where people
dress as monsters and have parties?”
2 Write up the word Halloween on the board. Split the class into two groups and ask
them to write down as many words as possible from this word in one-two minutes.
Feedback.
3 Split the class into two groups and ask each group to write down as many
Halloween words as possible. Feedback.
4 Elicit what a witch is (if this hasn’t already come up)?
5 In groups, talk about the roles, behaviour and stereotypes of a witch. Where does
he/she live? What does he/she do? Etc. Feedback.
6 In groups, what jobs do you think witches would be good at?
7 Ask the group, what noise does a witch make when she laughs? (cackle)
8 Then elicit the following words using the board: appointee, hag, cave, crop,
incentive, accoutrement, stipulate.
9 Students read the text and answer the questions.
10 Put students into pairs (or three if necessary) and give the students the following
roles: A – interviewer B – the witch applicant. Ask students to write an interview role
play. The interviewer needs to be as serious as possible but the questions can be
strange (i.e. ‘Please cackle’ etc.).
11 Then ask students to show their role play to the class.
12 Class to vote who was the best witch for the job.
43
The witch job that pays £50,000
A job centre is advertising a "witch" vacancy with
tourist site Wookey Hole, in Somerset, for £50,000 a
year.
The witch, who has to live in the site's caves, is
expected to teach witchcraft and magic.
Wookey Hole staff say the role is straightforward: live in
the cave, be a witch and do the things witches do.
The advert for the post, placed in the local press as well
as job centres, says applicants must be able to cackle
and cannot be allergic to cats.
The job has come up after the previous witch retired from the role.
"We are witchless at the moment so need to get the role filled as soon as possible," said
Daniel Medley from the tourist destination.
'Key career move'
"Wookey Hole wants the appointee to go about her everyday business as a hag, so that
people passing through the caves can get a sense of what the place was like in the Dark
Ages.
"This was when an old woman lived in the caves with some goats and a dog, causing a
variety of social ills, including crop failures and disease."
The £50,000-a-year salary is pro rata, and based on work done as needed, largely in the
summer holidays, but also at Halloween and at Christmas.
"Wookey Hole is advertising nationally and hopes to attract a strong field of candidates
with the £50,000 serving as a major incentive," said the site.
It said ambitious witches looking for a "key career move" should arrive dressed for work
armed with any "essential witch accoutrements".
Due to sexual discrimination law, the job cannot demand that the post is filled by a woman.
Under sexual discrimination law, unless Wookey Hole can provide "documentary proof that
the original witch was female it can't issue a gender-specific job description".
Interviews, which will involve on-site assessment incorporating a range of standard tasks,
will take place on 28 July at 1100, stipulates the advert.
1 Read the text carefully and answer the questions.
a What is the job being advertised?
b Where will the job be?
c Where was the job advertised?
d What are the main roles of the jobs?
e Why do they need a new employee?
f Who is able to able for the job? Are there any special requirements?
A – interviewer
You need to be as serious as possible but
the questions can be strange.
B – the witch applicant
Make a short CV listing your suitability for
this job. Try to adapt your experience and
make it relevant. Be creative!
Write at least 10 questions you would ask
for this job.
e.g. Can you cackle? Show me.
When the teacher tells you, begin the
interview.
When the teacher tells you, begin the
interview.
A – interviewer
You need to be as serious as possible but
the questions can be strange.
B – the witch applicant
Make a short CV listing your suitability for
this job. Try to adapt your experience and
make it relevant. Be creative!
Write at least 10 questions you would ask
for this job.
e.g. Can you cackle? Show me.
When the teacher tells you, begin the
interview.
When the teacher tells you, begin the
interview.
A – interviewer
You need to be as serious as possible but
the questions can be strange.
B – the witch applicant
Make a short CV listing your suitability for
this job. Try to adapt your experience and
make it relevant. Be creative!
Write at least 10 questions you would ask
for this job.
e.g. Can you cackle? Show me.
When the teacher tells you, begin the
interview.
When the teacher tells you, begin the
interview.
45
Business
Halloween – A really sweet business opportunity
Teacher’s Notes
Aims:
to practise Halloween vocabulary, to practise reading skills, to business
presentations and negotiating
Age group:
Adults
Level:
Pre-intermediate and above
Organisation:
pairs
Materials needed:
a copy of the worksheets for each pair
1 Elicit the word Halloween. “What is a holiday at the end of October where people
dress as monsters and have parties?”
2 Write up the word Halloween on the board. Split the class into two groups and ask
them to write down as many words as possible from this word in one-two minutes.
Feedback.
3 Split the class into two groups and ask each group to write down as many
Halloween words as possible. Feedback.
4 Case Study: Tell students that they all work in a big department store in a big city.
October is coming very quickly and their company wants to make more profit before
the New Year. Also tell them that they are going to read about Halloween and how it
could be profitable. Then they will write a presentation to encourage their company
to promote Halloween.
5 Pre-teach/Elicit the following words: keen, bonanza, trick-or-treat, embrace
(something), elaborate, spooky, pumpkin, candy, scope, cater, haunted house, oldtimers, allure.
6 Ask students to read the text and to take notes of important information they will use
in their presentation.
7 In pairs or small groups, ask the students to write a presentation to last no more
than 2 minutes.
8 Ask the groups in turn to do their presentations. While each group is presenting,
everyone else should take notes etc. Encourage students to question the groups at
the end.
9 Vote for the best presentation and ask why.
46
Halloween - A Really Sweet Business Opportunity
If the end of October seems stranger and spookier than ever, there's a reason for it Halloween is growing. The Great Pumpkin is not just looming over a few solitary pumpkin
patches any more. If you're interested in starting a business or investing in one, you should
look past the treat-or-treaters for the sweet business opportunities Halloween provides.
Halloween is a Large Market
The size of the market is one reason that Halloween is a solid business opportunity.
Halloween has become a true retail bonanza. In the U.S. in 2006, consumers spent
approximately $4.96 billion on Halloween, a significant increase compared to the $3.29
billion spent on Halloween in 2005. In Canada, Halloween spending accounted for
approximately $1.15 billion in sales in 2006.
The Halloween Market is Growing
The Halloween market is growing in two ways that make it very attractive for business
opportunities. First, Halloween is becoming an increasingly universal celebration.
According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, nearly two-thirds (63.8%) of
American consumers were planning to celebrate Halloween in 2006, up from 52.5 percent
in 2005. Canadians are even keener Halloween celebrants; 68% of Canadians planned to
participate in at least one Halloween-related activity in 2007, according to a survey
conducted for the Retail Council of Canada.
Second, individual consumers are spending increasing amounts of money on celebrating
Halloween. The average American consumer planned to spend $59.06 on Halloween in
2006, up from $48.48 in 2005 (National Retail Federation). Canadian statistics show a
smaller but still significant increase with Canadians planning to spend $60 on Halloween in
2006 compared to $57 in 2005 (Retail Council of Canada).
So statistically, business opportunities related to Halloween should have "legs", with a
market that continues to grow over time. Growing segments within the Halloween market
make for even sweeter business opportunities.
Halloween Isn't Just for Kids Anymore
Children's trick-or-treating is still a Halloween mainstay, but it's adults who are spending
the money on celebrating, embracing Halloween as a chance to let their inner child get out
and party. Large parties with participants wearing elaborate costumes are becoming
increasingly popular - excellent news for people looking for niche business opportunities.
Interestingly, it's not just young adults who are getting in on the spooky fun. The National
Retail Federation found that in 2006, 85.3 percent of 18-24 year olds planned to celebrate
Halloween (up from 66.8 percent in 2005), but 76.5 percent of consumers aged 25-34 and
71.3 percent of 35-44 year-olds were also planning to celebrate. In a 2007 Halloween
survey, men between the ages of 18-34 were planning to spend the most on Halloween
items at $72 a person.
Possible Halloween Business Opportunities
The statistics above make Halloween an excellent proposition for investing in or starting a
new business. But what kinds of businesses would be the best business opportunities?
One way to answer this question is to examine the most popular Halloween products. I bet
you've already guessed the two things that most people buy - candy and pumpkins. The
other most purchased items are Halloween decorations and costumes. (Halloween is the
second biggest decorating holiday of the year, surpassed only by Christmas.)
47
However, there are other possibilities which provide scope to develop business
opportunities, particularly opportunities that cater to a niche market.
You might, for instance, start a business:

providing Halloween music for parties

creating “authentic” period costumes for adults,

providing Halloween decorating services for residential or business premises

presenting in-house parties for children (as a substitute for trick-or-treating).
Besides Halloween parties, visiting haunted houses is another Halloween event growing in
popularity. Setting up a haunted house of your own could be an expensive proposition
(and a poor idea anyhow if there is another nearby), but providing tours of "haunted
houses" and other spooky sites in your area could be a profitable business opportunity.
Check with your local historical society or old-timers to research your area's paranormal
history; the ghost stories you discover may surprise you - and be quite profitable if you can
present them in an alluring, entertaining way.
48