Autumn has finally arrived, and we can now say for sure that summer is not coming back until next year. For us, this only means… new ideas, more fun, and an exciting year of teaching ahead! Join Ewa this month for another set of ELT activities, where she will focus on one of the most popular topics in October: Halloween!

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Spooky October! – Halloween activities
Autumn has finally arrived, and we can now say for sure that summer is not
coming back until next year. For us, this only means… new ideas, more fun,
and an exciting year of teaching ahead! Join Ewa this month for another set of
ELT activities, where she will focus on one of the most popular topics in
October: Halloween!
Contents
1. B1+ →B2 – Reading → Speaking → Writing – A very spooky story....................................................2
2. Halloween idioms and expressions – A2+ → B1.................................................................................4
3. Pumpkin Pie recipe – Speaking → Listening – B2 → C1......................................................................6
4. Answers...............................................................................................................................................9

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1. B1+ →B2 – Reading → Speaking → Writing – A very spooky story
Did you know that there are many synonyms for the word “scary”? Read the following
text to learn the most popular ones.
It was a dark and windy night. I was in my bed, trying to sleep. Suddenly, I heard a
startling noise from downstairs. I sat up, my eyes wide open, and slowly got out of bed.
After hearing that Alarming sound, it was impossible for me to go back to sleep, so I
decided to find out what was going on. Was the noise loud enough to wake my parents?
I opened my bedroom door and peered into the threatening hallway. As my eyes got
used to the dark, I noticed an eerie, greenish light coming from the kitchen. What could it
be? There was only one way to find out…
I went downstairs, walked up to the kitchen door and opened it. What I saw gave me goose
bumps! The window was wide open and the curtains were swaying in the strong wind. A
ghostly green light was shining straight into the kitchen, but I couldn’t see where it was
coming from. The uncanny noise that had woken me up, similar to the humming of a
machine, filled the entire house. I tried to get closer to the window to see where the light
was coming from, but the wind started blowing even harder and pushed me back towards
the door. I suddenly realised that I was very tired. I sat down on the floor and closed my
eyes…
“Sarah, what are you doing on the kitchen floor?” It was early morning and my mum was
standing over me. She was wearing her dressing gown, and she looked worried. I blinked.
“Something strange happened last night…” I answered, looking towards the window. I
realised it was still wide open, like the night before. How disturbing…

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Answer the questions below as a Speaking or Writing exercise:
1. What was Sarah doing when she heard the strange noise?
2. What did Sarah decide to do after hearing the noise downstairs?
3. What did Sarah see in the kitchen that frightened her?
4. Tell us about a strange situation that happened to you or someone you know. If you
can’t think of anything, you can invent a story of your own. Make sure you use the
adjectives from the text on page 2!

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2. Halloween idioms and expressions – A2+ → B1
Ask your students to work in pairs or groups of three. Have them look at the idioms below
and discuss the possible meaning of each one. Then, elicit answers from each group before
going on to the next exercise.
Skeleton in the cupboard Pale as a ghost Witching hour
To play the devil’s advocate Night owl Ghost town
Blind as a bat Scaredy-cat
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8

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Now, ask your students to work in pairs. Have them match the idiom with its correct
definition:
A. Midnight.
B. Someone who likes working or studying at night.
C. Someone who is too easily frightened.
D. An abandoned town.
E.
1) Completely blind.
2) Unwilling to notice something that is very obvious.
F. A secret that is kept from others.
G. To argue against something just because you enjoy arguing.
H.
When your face goes very white, usually because something frightened or worried
you.
Fill in the gaps with the correct idiom from exercise 6:
1. When I told Sally about the accident, she turned
2. It’s very difficult to have a normal conversation with Danny, as he usually
and we end up arguing.
3. Swanford used to be a lively place, but after the economic crisis it turned into a
4. When it comes to noticing her brother’s faults, Ellie is as !
5. When you study for an exam, do you wake up early in the morning, or are you more of a
?
6. Don’t you agree that Mr. and Mrs. Brown are hiding a ?
They always act so strangely.
7. Last Monday I stayed up until and was late to school the
next day.
8. Don’t be such a , Laura’s dog isn’t going to bite you!

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3. Pumpkin Pie recipe – Speaking → Listening – B2 → C1
Have you ever tried Pumpkin Pie? It’s a delicious dessert
originating in North America, typically served for
Thanksgiving. It is also a very popular snack during the
autumn, as pumpkins are in season!
Ask your students what traditional food they usually eat on
special days, such as local and family festivities. Do they know what ingredients are used to
make them? What’s their favourite meal at the family table? Is there anything specific they
like eating in the autumn?
Tick the ingredients you think will be needed to make pumpkin pie:
Sugar
Whipped cream
Eggs
Yoghurt
Flour
Pumpkin (or pumpkin puree)
Lemons
Potatoes
Butter

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Give your students a list of the ingredients and in pairs, ask them to check whether they
were wrong or right.
Ingredients:
For the Crust:
1 ½ cups of Flour
5 tablespoons of Butter, cut into cubes
½ teaspoon of Salt
1 tablespoon of Sugar
4 tablespoons of very cold Water
For the filling:
A Pumpkin (or 1 can of Pumpkin Puree)
1 can of Evaporated Milk
2 eggs
¾ of a cup of Sugar
1 tablespoon of Pumpkin Pie spice: a mixture of ground cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg
Dictionary time – in pairs, tell your students to look up the following vocabulary in an
English-English dictionary:
Tablespoon –
Teaspoon –
Cubes –
Filling –
Crust –
Spice –
Ground (pepper, cinnamon, ginger, etc.) –

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Watch Laura Vitale make pumpkin pie from scratch and choose the correct answer in the
activity below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwIjNEBDpa4&list=UUNbngWUqL2eqRw12yAwcICg ^
Make sure your students know the following words before starting the listening:
Combine Food processor Roll
Whisk Dough Pour
Rolling pin Pie dish Pie crust
1. When making pie crust, all of the ingredients need to be:
A. Very cold B. Warm
2. Laura forms a ball out of the prepared dough and puts it into some:
A. Plastic wrap B. Aluminium foil
3. After that, she places the pie crust into the fridge for:
A. 15 minutes B. 35 minutes
4. Whenever making pumpkin pie filling, Laura usually:
A. Makes her own pumpkin puree
B. Buys a can of ready-made pumpkin puree from the supermarket
5. Laura warns her fans not to get evaporated milk confused with:
A. Low-fat milk B. Condensed milk
6. To put the pie crust onto the pie dish, Laura uses:
A. A thin chopping board B. A rolling pin
7. To help pour the filling into the pie dish, Laura uses:
A. A spatula B. A spoon
8. After taking the pumpkin pie out of the oven:
A. You can eat it straight away
B. You have to let it cool and put it in the fridge for a couple of hours.

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4. Answers
Activity 2 – Halloween idioms and expressions:
Definitions:
1. Skeleton in the cupboard – F
2. Pale as a ghost – H
3. Witching hour – A
4. To play the devil’s advocate – G
5. Night owl – B
6. Ghost town – D
7. Blind as a bat – E
8. Scaredy-cat – C
Fill in the gaps:
1. Pale as a ghost
2. Plays the devil’s advocate
3. Ghost town
4. Blind as a bat
5. Night owl
6. Skeleton in the cupboard
7. Witching hour
8. Scaredy-cat
Activity 3 – Listening – Pumpkin pie recipe
1. A 5. B
2. A 6. B
3. B 7. A
4. B 8. B