Lesson Plan: A Little Halloween Learning…and Fun!
Word Inference
- tradition |trəˈdiSH(ə)n| noun the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way; every shade of color is fixed by tradition and governed by religious laws.
- festivity |feˈstivədē| noun ( pl. -ties) the celebration of something in a joyful and exuberant way : the season of festivity and goodwill.
- distribution noun the action of sharing something out among a number of recipients : the government donated 4,000 pounds of coffee for distribution among refugees.
- roaming verb [ intrans. ]move about or travel aimlessly or unsystematically, esp. over a wide area : tigers once roamed over most of Asia | [as adj. ] ( roaming) roaming elephants.
- Celtic adjective of or relating to the Celts or their languages, which constitute a branch of the Indo-European family and include Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Breton, Manx, Cornish, and several extinct pre-Roman languages such as Gaulish.
- ghosts noun an apparition of a dead person that is believed to appear or become manifest to the living, typically as a nebulous image : the building is haunted by the ghost of a monk |
- appease verb [ trans. ] pacify or placate (someone) by acceding to their demands : amendments have been added to appease local pressure groups. See note at pacify.
- superstition noun excessively credulous belief in and reverence for supernatural beings : he dismissed the ghost stories as mere superstition.
- malevolent adjective having or showing a wish to do evil to others : the glint of dark, malevolent eyes | some malevolent force of nature.
- detection noun the action or process of identifying the presence of something concealed : the early detection of fetal abnormalities.
Source: New Oxford American Dictionary
Grammar Focus: Structure and Usage
I – 1 – was
In the late 1800s, there was a move in America to mold Halloween into a holiday.
II – 1 – had
By the 1920s Halloween had become a secular, but community-centered holiday.
III – 1- A
A new American tradition was born, and it has continued to grow.
Questions for Comprehension True / False
- T- The American Halloween tradition of “trick-or-treating” probably dates back to the early All Souls’ Day parades during the 1800s.
- T Poor people would beg for food and families would give them pastries.
- F The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has both European and Catholic roots.
- T People were afraid of the dark, and food supplies were often scarce hundreds of years ago.
- F- The distribution of soul cakes a practice was known as going a- singing.
- F On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place a bundle of clothes outside their homes.
- F On Halloween it was believed that people would encounter ghosts if they visited cemeteries.
- T To avoid being recognized by ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits.
- T Today’s Halloween ghosts are often depicted as more fearsome and malevolent.
- F We avoid crossing paths with black cats, because we are afraid that they might be our dead relatives.
IV. Listening Activity
1.The Merchant House Museum is located in___
c. New York City
2.The Merchant house was built in_____
b. 1832
3.The Treadwell Family lived in the house for
a. 100 years
4.The youngest daughter was named
b. Gertrude
5.Gertrude was born in the year
b. 1840
6.Gertrude was ___
c. never married
7.The Merchant House exhibition has_____
b. a funeral scene
8.The Tredwells were
a. wealthy
9.Everything on display in the Museum
b. was actually used by the Treadwell family
10.A big cooking staple back then was___
b. bread
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