VOCABULARY TASK (ALL LEVELS)

WORKSHEET 1
Match the following definitions with one of the words in the box.

pumpkin · trick-or-treater · bobbing for apples · prank · autumn · bat

haunted house · ghost · jack-o-lantern · skeleton · spider · cobweb ·
witch · wizard

a) A
 game children often play on Halloween in which they have to catch an apple from a basin
filled with water without using their hands.

b) A net that a spider makes out of thin sticky strings.

c) A
 n empty pumpkin with a face cut into it and a light inside that can be seen through the holes
and which is made as a decoration for Halloween.

d) A silly trick that you play on someone to surprise them.

e) A
 model of the set of bones that
supports a human or animal body.

f) A
 person who goes trick-or-treating
on Halloween.

g) In stories, a woman who claims to

have magic powers.

h) In stories, a man who claims to

have magic powers.

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 LISTENING: the origins of Halloween (A1-B1)

WORKSHEET 2
Watch the video and decide if the sentences below are true or false. Then correct the false ones.

a) The origins of Halloween go back 200 years.

b) The night before Samhain people left candy at their doorsteps to keep the spirits away.

c) Samhain was turned into All Saints’ Day in the 18th century.

d) The name “Halloween” is the short form for “All Hallows Eve”.

e) Souling and guising are two other traditions related to Halloween.

f) Trick-or-treating started in the 18th century in America.

g) People in the US spend 2.5 billion dollars on candy every year.

h) Halloween is even more commercial than Christmas.

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 LISTENING: the origins of Halloween (B1+-C1)

WORKSHEET 3
Watch the video and answer the following questions:

1. What happened on the night before Samhain (pronounced sow-in)?

2. Why did people put food and drink on their doorsteps on Samhain? Why did they wear masks?

3. Who turned Samhain into All Hallows in the 8th century?

4. What were soul cakes? Who asked for them and what did they give in return?

5. What was guising?

6.  hen did Halloween become the

W
family-friendly celebration it is
nowadays?

7. H
 ow much money do people in the
US spend annually on Halloween in
total?

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 JIGSAW PAIR READING (A1-B1): the story of Halloween
WORKSHEET 4
THE STORY OF HALLOWEEN

Adapted from http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween#

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. 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.

STUDENT A

to
· ·was millions
· and (x2)
· a

In the second half of the nineteenth century, America flooded with new immigrants. These
new immigrants, especially the of Irish fleeing Irelands potato famine of 1846, helped
popularize the celebration of Halloween nationally. Taking from Irish English
traditions, Americans began to dress up in costumes go house to house asking for food or
money, practice that eventually became todays “trick-or-treat” tradition.

STUDENT B

to · · for the · more · · ·a of and (x2)

In the late 1800s, there was move in America to mold Halloween into a holiday
about community and neighborly get-togethers than about ghosts, pranks witchcraft. At the
turn of the century, Halloween parties both children and adults became the most common
way celebrate the day. Parties focused on games, foods of season and festive
costumes. Parents were encouraged by newspapers community leaders to take anything
“frightening” or “grotesque” out Halloween celebrations.

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 JIGSAW PAIR READING (B1+-C1)
WORKSHEET 5
THE STORY OF HALLOWEEN

Adapted from http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween#

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. 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.

STUDENT A

to · ·was millions · and (x2) · a

In the second half of the nineteenth century, America flooded with new immigrants. These
new immigrants, especially the of Irish fleeing Irelands potato famine of 1846, helped
popularize the celebration of Halloween nationally. Taking from Irish English
traditions, Americans began to dress up in costumes go house to house asking for food
or money, practice that eventually became todays “trick-or-treat” tradition. Young women
believed that on Halloween they could divine the name or appearance of their future husband by
doing tricks with yarn, apple parings or mirrors.

to · · · · · ·
for the more a of and (x2)

In the late 1800s, there was move in America to mold Halloween into a holiday
about community and neighborly get-togethers than about ghosts, pranks witchcraft.
At the turn of the century, Halloween parties both children and adults became the most
common way celebrate the day. Parties focused on games, foods of season and
festive costumes. Parents were encouraged by newspapers community leaders to take
anything “frightening” or “grotesque” out Halloween celebrations. Because of these efforts,
Halloween lost most of its superstitious and religious overtones by the beginning of the twentieth
century.

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 JIGSAW PAIR READING (B1+-C1)

STUDENT B

treats · could · young · · by limited · mainly · played · continued · during

the 1920s and 1930s, Halloween had become a secular, but community-centered holiday,
with parades and town-wide parties as the featured entertainment. Despite the best efforts of many
schools and communities, vandalism began to plague Halloween celebrations in many communities
this time. By the 1950s, town leaders had successfully vandalism and Halloween
had evolved into a holiday directed at the young. Due to the high numbers of
children during the fifties’ baby boom, parties moved from town civic centers into the classroom or
home, where they be more easily accommodated. Between 1920 and 1950, the centuries-
old practice of trick-or-treating was also revived. Trick-or-treating was a relatively inexpensive way for
an entire community to share the Halloween celebration. In theory, families could also prevent tricks
being on them by providing the neighborhood children with small . A new American
tradition was born, and it has to grow. Today, Americans spend an estimated $6 billion
annually on Halloween, making it the country’s second largest commercial holiday.

given · · · · ·
who and a their to (x2) · would

The American Halloween tradition of “trick-or-treating” probably dates back the early All
Souls’ Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families
give them pastries called “soul cakes” in return for promise to pray for the family’s
dead relatives. The distribution of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as way to
replace the ancient practice of leaving food wine for roaming spirits. The practice, which
was referred as “going a-souling-” was eventually taken up by children, would visit
the houses in their neighborhood and be ale, food, and money.

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 WRITING (ALL LEVELS)

WORKSHEET 6
Answer the following questions. Then compare your answers with a partner.

a) Do you usually celebrate Halloween?

b) Do you do anything special?

c) Have you ever been to a Halloween-themed costume party?

d) Have you ever spent Halloween in an English-speaking country? How did people celebrate it there?

e) Are there any typical autumn festivals in your country? If so, which?

f) How do people celebrate them? What do people do/eat/wear?

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