Teacher(s): Subject: Grade 4 Halloween Objectives:

Grade: 4 Period:

Total Time: 40 minutes

Students Students Students Students

will will will will

reaffirm their previous knowledge of the American holiday: Halloween gain new cultural knowledge about the holiday learn the history behind one particular holiday tradition enhance their creativity through a Halloween art activity

National Curriculum Standards Addressed:

Materials and Resources:

Instructional Procedures (anticipatory set, direct instruction, guided practice, evaluation):

Halloween flashcards Story of the jack o lantern Paper, scissors, colored pencils or markers (students own) Photographs of different jack o lanterns
Tim e

Tell students that Halloween is coming up (or is today) Ask students what they remember about the Halloween Holiday in America from previous years. Allow students to share what they know. Give them a quick little test with the flashcards. Show the pictures without the words and see if any of the students remember what the pictures are. Then discuss a little more about the holiday (using the attached sheet about the history and the customs for help)- filling in any gaps they might not have mentioned in the beginning of the class. Ask if there are any questions and answer them. Tell the students that they are going to look into a specific Halloween tradition: the jack o lantern. Ask the students what they know about it (how it is carved, what is put in it [lit candles], etc.) Then ask if the students know why Americans carve pumpkins. When the students cannot answer this question- state that the tradition of carving pumpkins goes back hundreds of years, all because of one man named Jack. Tell the story (see attached) of the history of jack o lanterns (translated to Macedonian so the students understand). Ask the students what they think of the story, and if they have any questions. Tell the students that American families carve pumpkins together every year. Usually they carve faces into the pumpkins but it is getting popular to carve other objects instead. Show the pictures of the different carved pumpkins. Tell the students that they now have the chance to create their own pumpkin. Have them draw and color a pumpkin on a piece of paper, and then they can carve their own design into their pumpkin, either by drawing it or cutting out the shapes in the pumpkin with scissors. They continue with this art activity through the rest of the class.

Independent Practice/Assignment: If students do not finish the classwork they can continue on their pumpkin for homework.

The word Halloween actually originated with the Catholic Church. It comes from a contraction of All Hallows Eve the night before November 1, which is All Hallows Day. Hallows is another name for Saints.

But in the 5th century BC in Ireland, the Celtic people who lived there celebrated the end of summer on October 31. They thought that the spirits of those who died during the year would come back to find a new body to possess. So on Halloween night, they would make their homes dark and do things to scare away the spirits. For example, they would carve turnips into scary faces and dress up in costumes and walk around town making noise and mischief.

A later church tradition celebrated around the same time included begging for square pieces of bread called soul cakes. This may have led to the Halloween tradition of Trick or Treating.

Irish immigrants to the United States brought the customs of Halloween to America in the 1840s. Today Halloween is a favorite among both children and grown-ups. Families carve friendly or scary faces into pumpkins and light them by placing a candle inside. These jack-o-lanterns are then placed in front of their homes. In the evening, children dress in costumes and masks. Its common to see witches, werewolves, vampires, and other creatures walking the streets, as well as princesses, robots, and cartoon heroes. Children walk from door to door saying Trick or Treat. They are usually rewarded with treats like candy, apples, popcorn, and more candy. If a treat is not offered, then they can do a nasty trick in return. But really no one is allowed to do tricks these days.

Young and old enjoy going to Halloween parties with their friends. One party game is called Bobbing for Apples. Apples are placed in a large barrel of water. A person must try to retrieve an apple using only his mouthno hands. Pumpkin carving is also a common Halloween activity for children. Halloween is also a great night to scare your friends by watching a horror movie or going to a haunted houseeither real or pretend.

The Legend of Jack-O'-Lantern By Wicke Chambers & Spring Asher The legend of the Jack-O-Lantern is an old Irish tale that was brought to America almost 200 years ago. Jack was a legendary drunk he never helped another person. He tricked the Devil into climbing an apple tree to get him a juicy apple. As the Devil went up in the tree, Jack then quickly cut the sign of the cross into the tree trunk, preventing the Devil from coming down. Jack made the Devil swear that he wouldn't come after his soul in any way. The Devil promised. But eventually, Jack did die. When he arrived at the gates of heaven, he was turned away because he was a mean drunk who didnt help anyone else. Desperate for a resting place, he went to the Devil. The Devil, true to his word, turned him away. "But where can I go?" pleaded Jack. "Back where you come from," spoke the Devil. The night was dark and the way was long, and the Devil tossed him a lighted coal from the fire of Hell. Jack, who was eating a turnip at the time, placed the coal inside and used it to light his way. Since that day, he has traveled the world over with his Jack-O'-Lantern in search of a place to rest. Irish children carved out turnips and potatoes to light the night on Halloween. When the Irish came to America in great numbers in the 1840s, they found that a pumpkin made an even better lantern, and so this "American" tradition came to be.