HALLOWEEN IDIOMS

“Halloween is in the air, the moon is full, beware beware!”

Halloween is most definitely in the air.

I got quite a lot of positive feedback on my recent Music Idioms Gallery Walk so I decided to explore a bit further using VR or 360 degree images and music to teach vocabulary.

Halloween idioms seemed like an ideal topic. I had to plan something new for this year anyway in addition to the *To-Halloween-or-not-to-Halloween-that-is-the-Question debate class.

So the topic was clear, and I just needed to think of a spooky storyline and make it as learning intensive as possible (#how_to_celebrate_the_season_without_sacrificing_the_learning).

Creating a spooky storyline

Initially it seemed pretty easy.

Darkness, dust, cobwebs and creaking floors.
Secrets, spirits, strange noises and occasional slamming doors.

Well, it was not.

Overall, this season does not really hold up well for an adult who is a scaredy-cat with a rich imagination. After the third Halloween-esque piano piece on www.freesound.org (check this great resource if you need to find some free sounds for your classroom activities), I decided to stick to fun instead of scary, and use some funny looking characters:

To complete the Adventure, learners should click on the characters and read about the meanings and origin /etymology of the following 11 Halloween idioms and idiomatic expressions:

A ghost town

A scaredy-cat

A haunted house

A night owl

Scared stiff

To give somebody the heebie-jeebies

A skeleton in the closet

A skeleton staff

To come back to haunt you

As blind as a bat

To whistle past the graveyard

After they have explored all the places in the Adventure, learners will need to complete a Self-Check exercise. Just as in the Music Idioms Gallery Walk, the task is to look through the list of idioms and click on the ones they can remember. The Self-Check may be used for such pair/group work activities as:

• Make a sentence with each idiom that is true about you or someone you know;
• Read out your sentences in a whisper voice;
• Charades or Word Taboo (have others guess the idiom);
• Play Curios Cat, or make a short story with the idioms. Try to use as many idioms from the list as possible.

The Adventure may be played through all platforms/devices, including phones, or offline.

Click on the image below to open the game in a new window.

If you have any comments or suggestions about the Adventure, please leave a comment!

If you are looking for some fresh ideas and Halloween activities, check out these resources:

Games: Trick or Treat (including the ppt game template and ppt question templates) from Tekhnologic

Music: 10 Halloween songs from On the Same Page ELT

Exam practice: Halloween Themed B2 Speaking from JoannaESL

Films: Suckablood from All.at.C

Debate/Reading: Should we celebrate Halloween – www. debate.org

History/Halloween themed quiz from EFL Summer School

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24 hours before posting the Halloween Idioms Adventure

I finally finished up my new Halloween Idioms Adventure last night and planned to post it first thing in the morning.

8 am – Up up! It’s time for coffee.

8.30 am – My domain website is down; my ELTcation subdomain is also down. Good that it’s not Facebook, no global chaos caused.

9.15 am – Chat with the technical support. ELTcation is back to life. BOO!

10 pm – Myenglishdomain is still down.

12 pm – Chat with the technical support. They’re trying to get it fixed. Pray, hope, and don’t worry.

6 pm – Some strange noise from the balcony door jamb. Something got stuck there. LEGS! No idea what this is. Do they have tarantulas here?

6.01 pm – Panic.

6.05 pm – I can’t just close the door to the room and wait for the beast to leave. Face your fears, Lana. Go there and fight.

6.10 pm – Or call your friends.

6.30 pm – So good to have friends! Just a silly grasshopper, but HUGE!

8 pm – The website is up and running.

10.13 pm – An earthquake.

Bad magic?

Will post the Halloween Adventure first thing tomorrow.

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Happy Halloween everyone!