馃巸 MISSION V: HALLOWEEN IS HERE! 馃懟
Are you ready for a spooky English adventure?
馃 Welcome, brave explorers!
October is here, the nights are getting darker, and something spooky is happening in Misi贸n V… Halloween is coming!
Are you ready to discover the history of Halloween, learn new English words, explore traditions from the USA and the UK, and complete some terrifyingly fun challenges?
Let’s get spooky and learn English! 馃暦️
馃暞️ 1. THE ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN
Did you know that Halloween is more than 2,000 years old?
Halloween has its roots in an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts lived in parts of Europe, including Ireland and Britain. They celebrated the end of the harvest and the beginning of the darker part of the year.
They believed that on this special night, the world of the living and the world of spirits came closer together. People lit bonfires and wore costumes to protect themselves from evil spirits.
Later, November 1 became All Saints’ Day. The night before was called All Hallows’ Eve. Over time, this name became Halloween!
In the 19th century, Irish and Scottish immigrants brought Halloween traditions to the United States, where the celebration became increasingly popular.
Today, Halloween is celebrated in many countries around the world on October 31st.
馃巸 Fun fact: Before pumpkins became popular, people in Ireland carved turnips to make spooky lanterns!
2. HALLOWEEN IN THE USA
In the United States, Halloween is one of the most exciting celebrations of the year!
Here are some popular traditions:
Trick-or-treating: Children wear costumes and visit houses to collect sweets. They say, “Trick or treat!”
Pumpkin carving: Families carve pumpkins and make jack-o’-lanterns with scary or funny faces.
Costume parties: People dress up as witches, vampires, superheroes, monsters and many other characters.
Haunted houses: Some people visit specially decorated houses full of spooky surprises!
Halloween decorations: Houses and gardens are decorated with skeletons, cobwebs, ghosts and pumpkins.
馃崿 Imagine knocking on a door and hearing someone say, “Happy Halloween!” Would you dare to enter a haunted house?
3. HALLOWEEN IN THE UK
Halloween is also celebrated in the United Kingdom, especially in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Many traditions are similar to those in the USA, but there are some interesting differences!
Fancy dress: Children and adults wear costumes for parties and celebrations.
Trick-or-treating: Children visit neighbours and ask for sweets.
Pumpkin carving: Families create their own jack-o’-lanterns.
Halloween parties: Schools, clubs and families organise games, music and spooky activities.
In Scotland and Ireland, Halloween has particularly strong historical connections with ancient Celtic traditions.
馃 Did you know? In British English, people often say fancy dress when they mean dressing up in a costume. In American English, costume is more common!
USA vs UK
| American English | British English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Candy | Sweets | Caramelos |
| Costume | Fancy dress / costume | Disfraz |
| Apartment | Flat | Piso |
| Candy corn | Candy corn | Dulce t铆pico de Halloween |
| Trick-or-treating | Trick-or-treating | Pedir caramelos |
馃 4. HALLOWEEN VOCABULARY
Time to learn some spooky words! Read them, say them aloud and try to remember as many as you can.
| English | Espa帽ol |
|---|---|
| 馃巸 Pumpkin | Calabaza |
| 馃懟 Ghost | Fantasma |
| 馃 Witch | Bruja |
| 馃 Vampire | Vampiro |
| 馃 Zombie | Zombi |
| 馃拃 Skeleton | Esqueleto |
| 馃暦️ Spider | Ara帽a |
| 馃暩️ Cobweb | Telara帽a |
| 馃 Bat | Murci茅lago |
| 馃Ч Broomstick | Escoba de bruja |
| 馃彋️ Haunted house | Casa encantada |
| 馃♂️ Wizard | Mago |
| 馃 Graveyard | Cementerio |
| 馃崿 Sweets / Candy | Caramelos |
| 馃Υ Bones | Huesos |
| 馃槺 Scary | Terror铆fico |
| 馃懝 Monster | Monstruo |
| 馃暞️ Candle | Vela |
| 馃 Owl | B煤ho |
| 馃悎⬛ Black cat | Gato negro |
馃棧️ Useful Halloween expressions
Happy Halloween! — ¡Feliz Halloween!
Trick or treat! — ¡Truco o trato!
I'm scared! — ¡Tengo miedo!
It's spooky! — ¡Da escalofr铆os!
I can see a ghost! — ¡Puedo ver un fantasma!
My favourite costume is… — Mi disfraz favorito es…
I would like some sweets, please. — Me gustar铆a recibir caramelos, por favor.
馃幃 5. HALLOWEEN CHALLENGES: ARE YOU READY?
It's time to prove your English skills! Complete these challenges and become a Halloween Master.
馃暦️ CHALLENGE 1: THE SPOOKY RIDDLE
Can you guess the Halloween character?
I fly at night and I look like a mouse. I am a… __________
I am white, I have no body, and I can go through walls. I am a… __________
I am orange, I have a funny or scary face, and people carve me. I am a… __________
I wear a black hat and I can fly on a broomstick. I am a… __________
I have eight legs and I can make a web. I am a… __________
Bonus point: Write your own Halloween riddle in English!
馃巸 CHALLENGE 2: UNSCRAMBLE THE WORDS
The Halloween words are all mixed up! Put the letters in the correct order.
THGOS → __________
PMUKPIN → __________
THWIC → __________
RVEIPMA → __________
NKELEOTS → __________
TBA → __________
馃崿 CHALLENGE 3: HALLOWEEN QUIZ
Choose the correct answer.
1. When is Halloween?
A) October 12th
B) October 31st
C) November 25th
2. What was Samhain?
A) An ancient Celtic festival
B) A Halloween monster
C) A type of candy
3. What do children say when they visit houses?
A) Good morning!
B) Trick or treat!
C) Merry Christmas!
4. What is a jack-o’-lantern?
A) A scary pumpkin lantern
B) A black cat
C) A witch's hat
5. What does “sweets” mean in British English?
A) Shoes
B) Sweets or candy
C) Skeletons
馃 CHALLENGE 4: CREATE YOUR MONSTER!
Use your imagination and design your own Halloween monster!
Complete the description in English:
My monster's name is: __________
It has: __________ eyes and __________ legs.
It is: __________ (big / small / scary / funny).
It lives in: __________.
Its favourite food is: __________.
It can: __________.
It can't: __________.
馃帹 Draw your monster and give it a terrifying name!
馃 CHALLENGE 5: THE 30-SECOND HALLOWEEN SPEECH
Can you speak English for 30 seconds without stopping?
Talk about these questions:
What is your favourite Halloween character?
What costume would you like to wear?
What Halloween food or sweets do you like?
Would you visit a haunted house? Why or why not?
Extra challenge: Speak for one full minute!
馃懟 6. HALLOWEEN CLASSROOM GAMES
馃幁 Game 1: Halloween Charades
One pupil chooses a Halloween word and acts it out without speaking. The other pupils must guess the word in English.
Can you act like a zombie, a witch or a vampire?
馃暤️ Game 2: Who Am I?
One pupil chooses a Halloween character. The others ask questions that can be answered with yes or no.
For example:
Am I a monster?
Can I fly?
Am I scary?
Do I have wings?
Can your classmates guess your character?
馃弳 7. THE FINAL MISSION: MISSION V HALLOWEEN MASTER
Are you ready for your final mission?
Complete these five tasks:
☐ Learn at least 10 Halloween words in English.
☐ Explain one fact about the origins of Halloween.
☐ Name two Halloween traditions from the USA or the UK.
☐ Complete the riddles and the Halloween quiz.
☐ Write three sentences about your perfect Halloween.
Final writing challenge:
My perfect Halloween
“On Halloween, I would like to wear a __________ costume. I would decorate my house with __________ and __________. I would eat __________ and play __________ with my friends. It would be __________!”
馃帠️ MISSION V BONUS: Can you complete every challenge without using a dictionary?
If you do, you are officially a HALLOWEEN MASTER!
And we mustn't forget to have fun in Halloween ... Play these spooky games:
馃 HAPPY HALLOWEEN, MISSION V!
Remember: learning English can be spooky, creative and fun!
Read, play, speak and enjoy discovering the English-speaking world.
Trick or treat? English is a treat! 馃巸馃懟
See you in our next mission!
