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Halloween
Teacher’s Notes and Worksheets
For Secondary Education
by David Reeson
TO THE TEACHER
Welcome to the email teacher’s notes for Halloween 2006.
Here you will find activities and worksheets to scare your
students for a day. These are worksheets and activities for
all different levels of secondary education. They are
designed to provide vocabulary and cultural knowledge
related to Halloween.
Each worksheet is marked with the level, time, language
used and class management. There are also notes on how
to use the worksheets and in some cases extra activities to
accompany the worksheets. Also included are cultural
information about Halloween so that you and your
students are well informed.
Happy Halloweening.
Background information
Ancient Origins
Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic
festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).
The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is
now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France,
celebrated their new year on November 1. This day
marked the end of summer and the harvest and the
beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was
often associated with human death. Celts believed that on
the night before the New Year, the boundary between the
worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the
night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it
was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.
In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts
thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made
it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make
predictions about the future. For a people entirely
dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies
were an important source of comfort and direction during
the long, dark winter.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred
bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and
animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.
During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically
consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell
each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they
re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished
earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help
protect them during the coming winter.
By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic
territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they
ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were
combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of
Samhain.
The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the
Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the
dead. The second was a day to honour Pomona, the
Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona
is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into
Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for
apples that is practiced today on Halloween.
By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into
Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV
designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honour
saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the
pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the
dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The
celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas
(from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints'
Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began
to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.
Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make
November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honour the dead. It
was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires,
parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels,
and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All
Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.
History of the Jack O'Lantern
The Irish brought the tradition of the Jack O'Lantern to
America. But, the original Jack O'Lantern was not a
pumpkin. The Jack O'Lantern legend goes back hundreds
of years in Irish History. As the story goes, Stingy Jack
was a miserable, old drunk who liked to play tricks on
everyone: family, friends, his mother and even the Devil
himself. One day, he tricked the Devil into climbing up an
apple tree. Once the Devil climbed up the apple tree,
Stingy Jack hurriedly placed crosses around the trunk of
the tree. The Devil was then unable to get down the tree.
Stingy Jack made the Devil promise him not to take his
soul when he died. Once the devil promised not to take
his soul, Stingy Jack removed the crosses and let the
Devil down.
Many years later, when Jack finally died, he went to the
pearly gates of Heaven and was told by Saint Peter that he
was too mean and too cruel and had led a miserable and
worthless life on earth. He was not allowed to enter
heaven. He then went down to Hell and the Devil. The
Devil kept his promise and would not allow him to enter
Hell. Now Jack was scared and had nowhere to go but to
wander about forever in the darkness between heaven and
hell. He asked the Devil how he could leave as there was
no light. The Devil tossed him an ember from the flames
of Hell to help him light his way. Jack placed the ember in
a hollowed out Turnip, one of his favourite foods which
he always carried around with him whenever he could
steal one. For that day onward, Stingy Jack roamed the
earth without a resting place, lighting his way as he went
with his "Jack O'Lantern".
On all Hallow's eve, the Irish hollowed out Turnips,
rutabagas, gourds, potatoes and beets. They placed a light
in them to ward off evil spirits and keep Stingy Jack away.
These were the original Jack O'Lanterns. In the 1800's a
couple of waves of Irish immigrants came to America.
The Irish immigrants quickly discovered that Pumpkins
were bigger and easier to carve out. So they used
pumpkins for Jack O'Lanterns.
Fire
Fire was very important to the Celts as it was to all early
people. In the old days people lit bonfires, to scare away
evil spirits. They believed that light had power over
darkness. In some places they used to jump over the fire
to bring good luck.
Today, we light candles in pumpkin lanterns and then put
them outside our homes to frighten away witches and
ghosts.
Apple Bobbing (Duck-apple)
The Roman festival for remembering the dead was also in
October. During this time, the Romans remembered their
goddess, Pomona. She was the goddess of the trees and
fruits, and when the Romans came to Britain, they began
to hold these two festivals on the same day as Samhain.
Apple games probably became associated with Halloween
because of this.
We play the game bobbing for apples, in which apples are
placed in a tub or a large basin of water. The contestants,
sometimes blindfolded, must take one bite from one of the
apples without using their hands. It is not permitted to
edge the apple to the side of the bowl to get hold of it.
Dressing up The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has
both European and Celtic roots. On Halloween, when it
was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world,
people thought that they would encounter ghosts if they
left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these
ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their
homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them
for fellow spirits.
To keep ghosts away from their houses on Halloween,
people would place bowls of food outside their homes to
appease the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to
enter.
Trick or Treat
Halloween was a time for making mischief - many parts
of England still recognise Halloween as Mischief Night when children would knock on doors demanding a treat
(Trick or Treat) and people would disguise themselves as
witches and ghosts, in order to obtain food and money
from nervous householders.
Activities
Answers
Witching Worksheets
T
Witching Worksheet 1
Level: 3rd of ESO – 2nd Batxillerat
Time: 20 mins
Group: pairs, whole class, individual
Language: Halloween language,
Gaelic, celebrate, emigrate
Celts,
To begin with, ask the students what they know about
Halloween, including the celebrations. Get them to make
a list of all the different celebrations that people do on
Halloween.
Then compare their answers with the
following celebrations: trick or treat, wearing costumes,
apple bobbing, Jack O’Lantern. Ask students why we
celebrate these things and why we celebrate Halloween.
After they discussed this with their partner and later the
class, give them witching worksheet 1 to check their
answers.
Answers
1 F (Halloween is more than 2000 years old)
2F
3 F (they worshipped Samhain lord of the dead)
4F
5F
6F
7F
8T
Witching Worksheet 2
Level: 1st of ESO – 2nd Batxillerat
Time: 15 mins
Group: pairs, whole class, individual
Language: Halloween language,
In pairs ask students to make a list of vocabulary they
know related to Halloween. Check meanings with the
whole class. Give them Witching Worksheet 2 and let
them find the words. Check meaning with the whole class
once everyone has finished the worksheet.
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Witching Worksheet 3
Level: 2nd of ESO – 2nd Batxillerat
Time: 15 mins
Group: pairs, whole class
Language: Halloween language, question
formation
Students play this game in pairs to practice vocabulary
and question formations. This game is better played as a
follow up to witching worksheet 2 where students get a
good understanding of the vocabulary. The game is play
with coins and not dice; if the coin lands on heads the
students move one space, if it lands on tails they move
two spaces.
Answers
1 Jack O’lantern
2 Celts
3 31st October
4 Pumpkin
5 Witch
6 Broomstick
7 Gravestone
8 Bat / Owl
9 Black cat
10 Treat
11 Frankenstein
12 Skull
Answers
pumpkin
vampire
haunted
zombie
mummy
warlock
scary
costume
goblin
Witching Worksheet 4
Level: 3rd of ESO – 2nd Batxillerat
Time: 15 mins
Group: individual, pairs, whole class
Language: Halloween language
Crossword
3
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9
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7
S
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Witching Worksheet 6a / b
Level: 4th of ESO – 2nd Batxillerat
Time: 50 mins
Group: individual, pairs, whole class
Language: Halloween language, narrative
structures
E
O
1
4
C
A
1
3
H
1
2
B
R
ghost
monster
witch
bat
skull
carve
devil
pagan
These two worksheets are designed to help students
understand the structure of a story better. Photocopy as
necessary and cut out witching worksheet 6b. Students
have to put the story in order focusing on important
narrative structures and linking words. Using this story as
a guide the students write there own story. Before they
begin writing, in pairs they have to discuss the elements
of the story e.g. characters, setting, action, content etc.
The students can then write their stories at home and then
compare their stories in the next class with their partners.
Witching Worksheet 7
N
Witching worksheet 5
Level: 3rd of ESO – 2nd Batxillerat
Time: 10 mins
Group: individual, pairs, whole class
Language: Halloween language
Hand out Witching worksheet 5 and ask students to
construct the words by finding the combinations that exist
on either side of Frankenstein. The words are in halves
only and they are sporadically placed.
Level: 1st – 2nd of ESO
Time: 15 mins
Group: pairs, whole class
Language: Halloween language
Memory game
Photocopy as necessary Witching Worksheet 7, then cut it
out and glue it to card. Explain to the students that they
have to put the cards faced down and turn two up at a time.
If the cards match (picture and word) then the student
keeps that card and has another go. If the cards don’t
match then the student has to replace the cards in the same
place. The winning is the student with the most pairs.
Witching Worksheet 1
HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN
The history of Halloween is more than 2,000 years old. The Celts, who lived in
Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Cornwall, were the first to celebrate the festival. The
Celts worshiped nature. They worshiped a Sun God and believed that without him,
they would not live. They also worshipped Samhain who was the lord of the dead
and of the cold, dark winter season. They believed that on October 31 Samhain
would call together all of the dead and these souls would take on the shape of an
animal. They believed that all creatures walked on Earth on that night. This was
called the Vigil of Samhain. When the Romans introduced Catholicism to the Celts
they had a festival to celebrate all the saints who didn’t have their own holiday. This
was celebrated on November 1st and was called All Saints Day or All Hallows Day in
Gaelic. The Roman Catholics thought that this would stop people celebrating the
festival of Samhain on October 31st. Unfortunately, according to tradition the devil
and his friends came out on October 31st to make fun of All Hallows Day. So
October 31st became known as All Hallows Eve, and over time it has been reduced
to Halloween. The holiday Halloween has become famous all over the world and
many countries celebrate its traditions. It is however most famous in the United
States of America where the Celts took the festival when they emigrated many years
ago. It is also celebrated a lot in Great Britain. Many people wear costumes and have
parties in celebration of the festival. If you don’t have any plans yet for Halloween
why don’t you spend some time with a friend or family? Because whatever happens,
you don’t want to be alone on Halloween.
Answer the statements with (T) True or (F) False
1) Halloween is 2000 years old.
________
2) The Celts are Americans.
________
3) The Celts worshiped the dead.
________
4) Samhain was an animal.
________
5) The devil appears on November 31st.
________
6) The name Halloween comes from Spanish.
________
7) The English took Halloween to the United States of America.
________
8) People put on costumes on Halloween.
________
Witching Worksheet 2
HALLOWEEN WORKSHEETS
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GHOSTS
WITCHES
BROOMSTICK
CAULDRON
BAT
PAGAN
OWL
CELTS
TRICK OR TREAT
PUMPKIN
JACK O’LANTERN
SKELETON
COSTUMES
ZOMBIE
HAUNTED HOUSE
MONSTERS
DEVILS
SPIRITS
VAMPIRE
SCARY
Witching Worksheet 3
Where
Dracula
When do
does
sucks your
we
Halloween
blood,
celebrate
come
miss a go Halloween?
from?
What is
this?
START
What is a
jack o
lantern
made
from?
What is
this?
Bats are
What does
chasing
a witch fly
you,
on?
go forward
one
What is
this?
There are
lots of
monsters
and you are
scared to
death go
back to start
What
animal
comes out
at night
and flies?
What is
this?
FINISH
What
What
What do
animal is
monster is we say on
associated
made by Halloween,
with
man?
trick or…?
Halloween?
Witching Worksheet 4
1
2
3
4
6
5
7
15
10
8
9
11
12
14
13
ACROSS
3. Worn on Halloween night.
7. Creates a web to catch flies.
8. A black one is said to bring bad
luck.
9. Made of all the bones in your body.
11. Month in which Halloween takes
place.
13. A house where ghosts live is said
to be this.
DOWN
1. Wolves howl at this.
2. These are carved for Halloween.
4. Turns into a wolf when the moon is
full
5. Dracula is one of these.
6. You might wear a sheet to look like
one of these.
10. Flies on a broomstick on
Halloween
12. Witches fly on these on
Halloween
14. Potions are created in this.
15. Hoots at night.
Witching Worksheet 5
Help Dracula put the word boxes in the right order and write the words in the
table below.
sc
de
sk
at
hau
ca
lin
pa
ost
pkin
mu
cos
pum
Answers:
ster
gob
war
wi
mmy
rve
nted
vam
ary
gh
b
vil
bie
pire
tch
lock
mon
gan
tume
ull
zom
Witching Worksheet 6a
GHOST STORIES
Write a ghost story and scare your friends
Witching Worksheet 6b
GHOST STORIES
The White Lady
Haapsalu is an old medieval town northern Estonia. In the winter it is very cold and dark with only
about 4 hours of daylight in the day. It often snows and there is a permanent white blanket across the
whole town. In the middle of the town there is a dark and moody castle. For many years it has been
derelict and people refuse to go near it because they think it is haunted; and they maybe right.
Four hundred years ago the castle was home to many monks who lived and worked in the castle.
These monks were very pious people and also very powerful in the region. They were respected by
everyone and believed everything they said. They very rarely went out of the castle grounds as they
had to dedicate their lives to God.
One of these monks, Peter, had lived in the castle for many years and was loved by many. Peter,
however, was lonely and desired the pleasures and love of the outside world. One day he managed to
escape the castle dressed in normal clothes and began walking the streets unnoticed. He loved this
new freedom and smiled and said hello to everyone he met. While walking he met a prostitute,
Agatha, and asked her if she would walk with him. She accepted and they began to walk. Agatha was
a beautiful young woman who was dressed in a long white dress. Peter liked her and persuaded her to
go back to the castle with him where they would be more comfortable, and again she accepted.
Once back in the castle grounds they were seen by another monk who quickly told the bishop. Peter
and Agatha were caught and were sent to the bishop. The bishop told Peter that he had been very
bad and was told to pray to God and ask for forgiveness. However the bishop told Agatha that
entering the castle grounds was a very serious crime and for her punishment ordered her to be put into
the wall of the tower.
Agatha was horrified and protested but the bishop repeated that she would be put into the tower.
Agatha had understood however that the tower was a jail but Agatha was put into a very small room
next to the tower wall and the monks built a wall over the door so that she would never be able get out
and no-one would get in. Agatha screamed, scratching at the walls in desperation not knowing if it was
day or night but the monks would not let her out. She lived for four more days before dieing of
starvation. Agatha’s soul couldn’t escape when she died; it remained in the wall and so she decided to
haunt the monks until they left the castle. She wailed and cried as loud as she could day and night all
around the castle. The monks were terrified and they all left the castle a year later.
The white lady can still be heard in the castle walls to this day four hundred years later. You can hear
her crying over the injustice of her death. But if you go near the tower wall she might think you are a
monk – so be careful.
MONSTER
VAMPIRE
BROOMSTICK
CAULDRON
SKELETON
BLACK
CAT
DEVIL
OWL
HAUNTED
HOUSE
WITCH
PUMPKIN
SKULL
BAT
GHOST
MUMMY
Witching Worksheet 7
MEMORY