Halloween...

I know every country has its own traditions and holidays, but sometimes I wish I lived in the States, just to get a taste of my favorite celebrations, like Halloween and Thanksgiving...
A couple of years ago I tried a project with some of my classes about Thanksgiving, talked about the holiday, decorated the classroom and in the end made posters wher students wrote why they are thankful. We ended up with some really impressive work. You can see over here.

I thought that talking about Halloween could be more exciting for students - especially pre-teens, who just love scary stories and "creepy" things.

Here's what I've found in Wikipedia bout Halloween:
"Halloween is an annual holiday observed on October 31. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holiday All Saints' Day, but is today largely a secular celebration.
Common Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes and attending costume parties, carving jack-o'-lanterns, ghost tours, bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, committing pranks, telling ghost stories or other frightening tales, and watching horror films. "
So what could we do to have fun and at the same time get students to learn vocabulary?
First of all get them into the mood. Decorate the classroom with pumpkins, masks, brooms, "scary" dolls.
Start a conversation - gather words on the board. What do the students already know?
I have found a variety of links with worksheets about this special holiday:
http://esl.about.com/library/weekly/aa101600b.htm

http://www.eslflow.com/Halloweenlessons.html

http://www.english-4kids.com/festivals.html

http://www.mes-english.com/

http://www.theholidayzone.com/halloween/discussion.html

http://www.handoutsonline.com/flashcards/halloween.php

And much much more...

Younger kids could draw or color pictures, while older ones could make a poster.

They could even go cheat or treating to the other classrooms!!

Adult learners could also start a discussion about holidays and compare them with those in their country.

So whatever you do have fun!!!