Tag Archives: Halloween

Horror Story Contest

Halloween’s coming!

I. Do you like horror stories? Why / why not? Why do you think some people love them?

II. Watch the following video and check what the ingredients of a horror story are. Listen and choose the correct option.

[Thanks to Clara Navarra]

This year you are going to record a horror story for a school contest. The best horror story will be watched in the classes on Halloween day. 

III.  First, you will have to write it.

[Activities designed by Anna Asián]

a) Let’s go through the structure and language of a horror story. Then, in groups, you are going to answer the questions to come up with ideas about how your story will be. Use this worksheet to note down your ideas.

b) Think about the vocabulary you will need.

c) Now it’s time to write your story. You can use the dictionary if you don’t know how to say something. (Cambridge Dictionary / Wordreference)

IV. Now, it’s time to record your story and create a video to illustrate it. Check this example:

a) Firstly, practice your pronunciation. Everybody needs to participate, so you need to decide who is going to say or read what. PRACTICE YOUR PRONUNCIATION AND CHECK WITH YOUR TEACHER.

b) While you’re reading, you can include sounds (a door creaking, a dog howling…). In this website, you will find different sounds.

c) You can record real images or use animation. There are different tools you can use: Animaker, Moovly, Canva, Animoto.

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Writing a Horror Story

[Activity designed by Anna Asián]

I. What makes a horror story a horror story?

II. Watch the short tutorial on how to make your writing suspenseful and then answer the questions.

1. According to classic horror writer H.P. Lovecreaft, what creates the strongest kind of fear in a story?
 
a) Monsters
 
b) Fountains of blood
 
c) Fear of the unknown
 
d) Things that jump out

 

2. What effect does “a state of suspense” have on the audience?
 
a) The audience is terrified
 
b) The audience is satisfied
 
c) The audience does not know what’s going on
 
d) The audience anticipates what’s coming next
3. A “limited” point of view means that . . .
 
a) the story is told from the perspective of an omniscient narrator
 
b) the story is told from the perspective of a character who doesn´t really know what is happening or why
 
c) the audience knows more than the characters themselves
 
d) the story is told from the point of view of various characters
4. Suspense and tension can be created by . . .
 
a) using vivid imagery
 
b) setting the scene in a dark, sinister or deserted palce
 
c) using short or fragmented sentences
 
d) all of the above
5. “Dramatic irony” means occurs when . . .
 
a) the narrator says the opposite of what s/he means
 
b) the story is funny and serious at the same time
 
c) the audience knows elements of the story that the characters don´t know
 
d) the audience is kept in the dark until the end of the story

III. Now it’s time to write your story.

a) First of all let’s check the guidelines to write a horror story.

b) Now have a look at this specific vocabulary. What words are you going to use in your story?

Now you’ve already got the basics to write your story. Hands on!

IV. Once you’ve written your story, go through this rubric to check out whether your writing follows all the steps to be a perfect scary story. 

V. Design a booklet for your story.

 – Design a cover and choose a title for your story.

 – On the second page write a bio about the author (that’s you!)

 – Then write the story

 – Design the back cover. Write a summary or blurb and a design to illustrate it.

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Scary stories

I. In pairs, think about situations you are scared of when you are little.

II. Do you know who Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Paloma Elsesser are? Watch the video and listen to them explaining scary situations they lived when they were young. Answer the questions when the video stops.

 

III. Now think about something that scared you a lot you were a kid and explain it to a classmate.

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Halloween poems

halloween-151162_640

Do you like poetry? Can you remember any poem you learnt when you were little?

On the 31st October it’s Halloween. Do you like it? Do you celebrate it?

1. We are going to read some Halloween poems. First, listen to the teacher as she reads them. What Halloween words do you know? Write them down.

POEM 1 – Five little pumpkins.

POEM 2 – Flutter, flutter little bat.

POEM 3 – Jack-O-Lantern.

POEM 4 – Monsters.

POEM 5 – Pumpkin Time.

POEM 6 – Trick or treat.

POEM 7 – Who’s that knocking?

2. Now, in pairs, choose one poem and practise it. Then, you are going to read it out loud.

3. Now that you know what Halloween words rhyme, can you write a poem in pairs or in groups of three? 

 

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Halloween & scary stories

stux on pixabay

stux on pixabay

I. Go to this SITE and read the text about Halloween. Then do the exercises below the text.

II. Discuss the following questions in groups of 4:

– After reading the text, can you say what the origin of Halloween is?

– Which of the things mentioned in the text do people in your country do?

– Do you celebrate Halloween?

– Do you like this festivity? Is there a similar festivity here in your country?

– Do you like scary films or stories? Do you remember any?

III. Vocabulary. Match the words to their definitions:

1. eerie (adj) a. to hurry or move quickly somewhere
2. to rush (vb) b.  easily annoyed and often complaining
3. to sigh (vb) c. a sudden frightened feeling
4. grumpy (adj) d. unusual and slightly frightening
5 duvet (noun) e. to pay attention to some advice or a warning
6. chill (noun) f. to breathe out slowly and noisily, often because you are annoyed or unhappy
7. doom (noun) g. the parts of a building that are made from wood
8. to take heed (vb) h. a cover filled with feathers or warm material that you sleep under
9. to fuss (vb) k. to complain about something
10. woodwork (noun) j. death, destruction, and other unpleasant events that cannot be avoided

IV. Watch the story of “The house on a lake”, written by Mark Newton and answer the following questions.

1. Who was living in the house?

2. Why was Arthur scared?

3. Did his father pay attention to him? Why/why not?

4. What is the Saurus?

5. What happened to Arthur in the end?

6. How does the story finish?

HERE you can read the full story.

V. Now it’s time for you to write a scary story. The best one will be published here.

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Source Writing : Oxford University Press

STUDENTS’ WORKSHEET

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