This document outlines a week of lesson plans for teaching first grade students about Halloween. The lessons cover the history and origins of Halloween traditions like costumes, trick-or-treating, and pumpkins. Activities include reading stories, discussing traditions, researching other countries' celebrations, seed sorting, and creative writing. Standards in language arts, social studies, science, music, and math are addressed.

1. Kelsey Zehr
1 Grade Lessons
st
October 28, 2009
Education 357
Monday:
• Guiding Questions:
o What exactly is Halloween?
o Where did it come from?
o Where did the name “Halloween” come from?
• Objectives:
o Students will be able to retell the history of the holiday of Halloween.
o Students will be able to explain where the name Halloween came from.
o Students will be able to reflect on the story of Halloween.
o Students will use their writing skills and imaginations to rewrite the
history of Halloween in their own words.
• Lesson:
o Begin by reading the book The Story of Halloween by Carole Green.
o Discuss with the children what they heard about Halloween in the book.
o Ask intriguing questions that were answered in the book, such as “Where
did Halloween originate?” and “How was Halloween started?”
o Next, ask the class where they think the word Halloween came from.
o Explain to them that the name Halloween came about because by the
800s, Christianity had spread into Celtic lands and Pope Boniface IV
named November 1 "All Saints' Day." It was a day to honor those who
died for their beliefs. The celebration was also called "All-hallows" or "All-
hallowmas" (from an old English word "Alholowmesse," meaning All
Saints' Day). People began to call the night before it "All-hallows Eve."
This name eventually became Halloween (www.timeforkids.com).
• Activity:
o Students will receive a Halloween themed writing prompt.
o They will then be asked to rewrite the story of Halloween however they
would like to tell it.
 They can simply retell it in their own words, put their own spin on
it, make up their own way the name Halloween came about, etc.
• Assessment:
o Students will be verbally assessed in an informal manner:
 Can someone tell me how Halloween originated?
 Why is it called “Halloween?”
o Students’ writing and grammar skills will be assessed through reading
their responses to the writing prompt.

2. o Students’ creativity and imagination will be assessed through their
reading responses.
• Standards:
o Language Arts: Writing: Processes and Feature: Standard 1.4.2 – Use
various organizational strategies to plan writing.
o Language Arts: Writing: Applications: Standard 1.5.1 – Write brief
narratives describing an experience.
o Language Arts: Writing: Applications: Standard 1.5.2 –
o Language Arts: Writing: Applications: Standard 1.5.4 – Use descriptive
words when writing.
o Language Arts: Listening and Speaking: Skill, Strategies and Applications:
Standard 1.7.1 – Comprehension: Listen Attentively.
o Social Studies: History: Standard 1.1.5 – Identify people and events
observed in national celebrations and holidays.
o Social Studies: History: Standard 1.1.10 - Chronological Thinking,
Historical Analysis and Interpretation, Research: Distinguish between
historical fact and fiction in American folktales and legends that are a part
of American culture.
Tuesday:
• Guiding Questions:
o How is Halloween celebrated around the world?
o What Halloween traditions do they have that we don’t and vice versa?
o How does your family celebrate Halloween or the fall season?
o What unique traditions does your family have?
• Objectives:
o Students will be able to answer questions about how other countries
celebrate Halloween.
o Students will be able to name and discuss Halloween traditions practiced
in the United States.
o Students will be able to name and discuss Halloween traditions practiced
in other countries.
o Students will be able to compare and contrast the Halloween traditions
of the United States with the Halloween traditions of other countries.
o Students will create a picture to illustrate a Halloween tradition in the
United States or in their specific family.
o Students will create a picture to illustrate a Halloween tradition in
another country.
• Lesson:
o The lesson will begin by reading the book Celebrate Halloween with
Pumpkins, Costumes, and Candy.
o The teacher will discuss the content of the book with the students and
reflect on the information covered in the book.

3. • Activity:
o Students will be counted off into pairs and assigned a country to
research.
o Research materials and information will be provided for each group.
o Each group is to find out how their assigned country celebrates the
holiday of Halloween, or the holiday that is similar to Halloween.
o Each group should locate their assigned country on a map.
o After researching their country, each group will draw a picture
representing a tradition in that specific country, as well as a picture
illustrating a Halloween tradition native to the United States or to their
specific family.
o Each group will share the information they found with the class as well as
their pictures.
• Assessment:
o Students’ listening skills will be assessed by how well they follow the
directions.
o Students’ research skills will be assessed by whether or not they can find
the information needed to complete the assignment.
o Students will be verbally assessed by answering informal questions asked
by the teacher:
 What are some Halloween traditions we practice here in the
United States?
 What are some traditions your family has for Halloween or for
fall?
 What did you learn about how other countries celebrate
Halloween?
o Students will be assessed by showing their teacher and classmates where
their assigned country is located on a map.
• Standards:
o Social Studies: History: Standard 1.1.5 – Identify people and events
observed in national celebrations and holidays.
o Social Studies: Geography: Standard 1.3.8 - Compare cultural similarities
and differences, such as family traditions and customs, and the
traditional clothing and food of various ethnic and cultural groups found
in Indiana.
o Social Studies: Geography: The World in Spatial Terms: Standard 1.3.2
-Identify and describe continents, oceans, countries, cities and roads on
maps and globes.
o Visual Arts: Creating Art: Standard 1.6.2 – Create artwork about self,
family, and personal experiences.

4. o Visual Arts: Creating Art: Standard 1.6.4 – Demonstrate thoughtfulness
and care in creating artwork.
o Visual Arts: Creating Art: Standard 1.6.6 – Reflect on and share work with
others.
Wednesday:
• Guiding Questions:
o Why do we dress up in costumes for Halloween?
o Why do we go trick-or-treating for Halloween?
• Objectives:
o Students will learn the history of trick-or-treating.
o Students will learn the history of dressing up in costumes for Halloween.
o Students will discuss their favorite Halloween traditions.
o Students will learn the importance of safe trick-or-treating.
o Students will learn a song that places emphasis on safe trick-or-treating.
o Students will be able to sing a Halloween song on their own.
• Lesson:
o Begin the lesson by reading Clifford’s Halloween aloud to the students.
o Ask students why they think we dress up for Halloween.
o Also, ask students why they think we carve pumpkins and go trick-or-
treating for Halloween.
o Next, discuss with the students what they enjoy most of these three
Halloween traditions.
o Tell students the story about how trick-or-treating came about.
 “Trick-or-treating most likely dates back to early All Souls' Day
parades in England. During the festivities, poor people would beg
for food. Families would then give them pastries called "soul
cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead
relatives. Children eventually took on this tradition, known as
"going a-souling," and they would visit houses in their
neighborhood for drinks, food and money.”
(www.timeforkids.com)
o Tell students the story about why we dress up in costumes.
 “Dressing up in Halloween costumes also has European origins.
Hundreds of years ago, people believed that ghosts roamed the
streets on Halloween night, so they wore masks when they left
home to fool ghosts into thinking they were other spirits.”
(www.timeforkids.com)
 “On Halloween, people would also place bowls of food outside
their homes to please the ghosts and discourage them from
entering their houses. Over the course of several centuries,
people gradually began to eat these goodies themselves (and
leave nothing for the ghosts!).” (www.timeforkids.com)

5. o Students will create a timeline of the Halloween costumes that they have
worn for the past five years.
o Students will share their timeline with the class and describe their
favorite costume and why.
• Activity:
o Teach students about safe trick-or-treating by teaching them a song using
an echo activity:
 When I'm Trick-or-Treating
(sung to: Sing a Song of Sixpence)
When I'm trick-or-treating I know what to do,
I walk on the sidewalk and bring my flashlight too!
I don't eat my candy until I'm home at last...
I check it with an adult there and then I eat it fast!
• Assessment:
o Students will be assessed on their listening skills by reciting the lyrics of
the song taught in class.
o Students will be assessed informally by verbal questioning from the
teacher:
 Why do we dress up for Halloween?
 Why do we go trick-or-treating for Halloween?
 Why is it important to take precautions while trick-or-treating?
 What kinds of precautions need to be taken while trick-or-
treating?
• Standards:
o Social Studies: History: Standard 1.1.5 – Identify people and events
observed in national celebrations and holidays.
o Social Studies: History: Standard 1.1.8 Chronological Thinking, Historical
Analysis and Interpretation, Research: Develop a simple timeline of
important events in the student's life.
o Music: Performing Music: Sing short memorized songs from various
cultures.
o Music: Performing Music: Echo short melodic and rhythmic patterns.
Thursday:
• Guiding Questions:
o Why are pumpkins such a big part of fall?
o How do they grow?
• Lesson:

6. o Begin the lesson by reading Pumpkin Jack, a story about a Jack-o-Lantern
who is thrown out in the backyard and eventually decomposes and grows
new pumpkins from his seeds.
o Ask students how they think the pumpkins grew in the back yard in the
book.
o Have students discuss why they think pumpkins are associated with Fall.
o Ask students if they have ever seen a pumpkin patch.
o Ask students if they have ever seen the inside of a pumpkin.
• Activity:
o Students will be divided up into pairs.
o First, each group will be given a Ziploc bag full of different colored
pumpkin seeds and a premade chart.
o Students will estimate how many seeds are in the Ziploc bag and record it
on the chart.
o After the estimations have been recorded, students should take the
seeds out of the bag and count them.
o Have students answer these questions:
 Was your prediction the same as the outcome?
 If not, was your guess greater or less than the result?
 Who was the closest?
o Next, students will sort the seeds according to color.
o Have students answer the following questions:
 Which color has the largest amount of seeds?
 Which color has the least amount of seeds?
o Have children graph the results on a bar graph.
• Assessment:
o The teacher will examine the students’ activities as they are completed.
o Students will be assessed on effort.
o Students will be assessed by form of nonverbal questioning.
o The teacher will assess students’ estimation and sorting skills by
observing them during the activity and observing their finished products.
• Standards:
o Social Studies: Economics: Standard 1.4.1 – Identify goods that people
use. (Pumpkins)
o Social Studies: Economics: Standard 1.4.6 – Explain that people exchange
goods and services to get what they want. (Farming – sell pumpkins and
other crops for money)
o Science: The Living Environment: Standard 1.4.4 – Explain that most living
things need water, food and air.
o Science: The Living Environment: Standard 1.4.1 – Identify when stories
give actions to plants and animals, such as the ability to speak, that they
do not have.

7. o Science: The Nature of Science and Technology: Standard 1.1.1 –
Observe, describe, draw and sort objects carefully to learn about them.
o Science: The Mathematical World: Standard 1.5.2 – Make and use simple
picture graphs to tell about observations.
o Math: Number Sense: Standard 1.1.1 – Count, read and write whole
numbers up to 100.
o Math: Number Sense: Standard 1.2.1 – Show the meaning of addition
using objects.
o Math: Problem Solving: Standard 1.6.2 – Use tools such as objects or
drawings to model problems.
Friday:
• Guiding Questions:
o How has Halloween changed over time?
o What traditions do we have now that were not in place in previous times
and vice versa?
o What was Halloween like back in history?
• Lesson:
o Teach children about how Halloween used to be, using information from
the article Those Were the Days: How Halloween Used to be Celebrated
Like in Good Old Days.
o After reading the article and teaching the students of the differences,
make a chart together.
o Compare and contrast the differences between Halloween in the past
and Halloween now.
• Activity:
o Students will receive a Halloween decorated piece of writing paper.
o Students will write how they would like to celebrate Halloween if they
could do it their own way.
o Some things to consider:
 Would there still be trick-or-treating?
 Would it be mandatory to dress up?
 Where would you go trick-or-treating?
 Would you carve pumpkins?
 Would you start your own Halloween tradition?
o Encourage students to be creative.
• Assessment:
o Students will be assessed based on effort for their writing creativity.
o Students will be assessed on their participation by observation of the
teacher during the activity.
o As a class, students will be assessed verbally by way of questions:
 What are some traditions that used to be linked to Halloween
that we no longer practice today?

8.  What traditions do we commonly associate with Halloween these
days?
 What would your perfect Halloween be like (writing response)?
• Standards:
o Social Studies: History: Standard 1.1.1 - Compare the way individuals in
the community lived in the past with the way they live in the present.
o Social Studies: History: Standard 1.1.5 - Identify people and events
observed in national celebrations and holidays.
o Social Studies: Geography: Standard 1.3.4 Identify and describe physical
features and human features of the local community including home,
school and neighborhood.
o Language Arts: Writing: Standard 1.4.2 – Use various organizational
strategies to plan writing.
o Language Arts: Writing: Standard 1.6.2 – Write in complete sentences.
Language Arts: Writing: Standard 1.7.8 - Relate an important life event or
personal experience in a simple sequence.
Resources:
• http://www.history.com/content/halloween
• http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/halloween/about.html
• http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/halloween/
• http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/specials/story/0,6079,58038,00.html#history
• http://www.novareinna.com/festive/world.html
• Hubbell, Will. Pumpkin Jack. Albert Whitman & Company, 2003.
• Heligman, Deborah. Celebrating Halloween with Pumpkins, Costumes and Candy.
National Geographic Children’s Books, 2007.
• Green, Carole. The Story of Halloween. Illustrated by Linda Bronson.
HarperCollins, 2005.
• Bridwell, Norman. Clifford’s Halloween. Scholastic, Inc., 1986.
• http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Those-Were-The-Days--How-Halloween-
Used-To-Be-Celebrated-Like-In-Good-Old-Days/784268