Teacher Script: Spooky Past

Introduction: What is Halloween? (5 minutes)

"Good morning/afternoon, everyone! Today, we're going on a special journey to learn about a holiday many of you love. Can anyone guess which holiday I'm talking about?"

(Wait for responses. Guide them to Halloween.)

"That's right! Halloween! What are some things you do for Halloween? What makes it special for you?"

(Encourage students to share their experiences with costumes, trick-or-treating, pumpkins, etc.)

"Those are all wonderful parts of Halloween! Have you ever wondered why we do these things? Or where Halloween actually came from? Today, we're going to travel way back in time to discover the spooky, fun, and ancient history of Halloween!"

(Display Slide 1: What's the Trick or Treat?)

Ancient Roots: Samhain (10 minutes)

"Our story begins a very, very long time ago, with a group of people called the Celts. They lived in places like Ireland, Scotland, and parts of France. The Celts celebrated a special festival called Samhain. Can you all try to say Samhain with me? (SOW-in)."

(Display Slide 2: Long, Long Ago: The Celts and Samhain)

"Samhain was a really important time for them. It marked the end of summer and the harvest, when they gathered all their crops. It was like saying goodbye to the sunny, warm part of the year and hello to the colder, darker part."

"Now, the Celts believed something very interesting about Samhain. They thought that on this one special night, the line between our world and the spirit world became very thin. This meant that spirits—both good and sometimes not-so-good—could come back to visit!"

(Display Slide 3: Spirits and Costumes!)

"This might sound a little scary, right? So, to feel safe, the Celts did a few things. Can you guess what they might have done?"

(Allow for guesses. Prompt if needed: "Think about what we do today that might be similar.")

"One thing they did was dress up in costumes! They wore spooky masks or animal skins. Why do you think they did this? Some thought it would make them look like spirits so the real spirits wouldn't bother them. Others thought it would scare away any bad spirits! They also lit huge bonfires to keep warm and to protect themselves."

Roman Influence and Christian Holidays (5 minutes)

"As years went by, other people came to live where the Celts did. The Romans, for example, had their own festivals around this time, celebrating the harvest and honoring the dead. These new ideas started to mix with the Celts' traditions."

(Display Slide 4: New Traditions Mix In)

"Later on, people also started celebrating Christian holidays. One important day was All Saints' Day, which honored saints. The evening before it was called All Hallows' Eve. Does that sound a little like Halloween?"

"That's right! All Hallows' Eve eventually became shortened to Halloween. So, you can see how different traditions and beliefs started to blend together, creating something new!"

Modern Halloween Traditions (5 minutes)

"Now, let's think about our Halloween today. We still dress up in costumes, right?"

(Display Slide 5: From Ancient Times to Today!)

"How is that like what the Celts did?"

(Connect back to scaring spirits or blending in.)

"What about trick-or-treating? That's a fun one! In some old traditions, people would leave food outside their doors for spirits, or sometimes poor people would go door-to-door asking for food, which was called 'souling.' Over time, this changed into our trick-or-treating!"

"And jack-o
omb-lanterns? They used to be turnips or potatoes carved with faces, meant to ward off evil spirits or represent them. Later, people in America started using pumpkins because they were bigger and easier to carve!"

Activity: Match the Tradition (5 minutes)

"You've learned so much about where Halloween came from! Now it's time to put your history detective skills to the test!"

(Display Slide 6: Time for an Activity!)

"I'm going to give each of your groups an activity sheet called Match the Tradition Activity. On one side, you'll see some modern Halloween traditions, and on the other, you'll see some of the historical reasons or events we just talked about."

"Your job, as a team, is to draw lines connecting the modern tradition to its historical root. Talk about it with your group members. If you get stuck, think back to our slides and what we just discussed."

(Distribute the activity and circulate to assist groups. After a few minutes, bring the class back together.)

"Let's review your answers! Who wants to share one match they made and why?"

(Go through each match as a class, reinforcing the connections.)

"Great job, history detectives! You've successfully uncovered the spooky and exciting past of Halloween. Now you know that when you put on your costume or carve a pumpkin, you're taking part in traditions that are thousands of years old!"

Match the Tradition Activity

Name: ___________________________ Date: ___________________________

Directions: Draw a line to connect each modern Halloween tradition to its historical root!

Modern Halloween Tradition

1. Wearing Costumes
   
   
   

2. Trick-or-Treating
   
   
   

3. Carving Jack-o
   omb-Lanterns
   
   
   

Historical Root

A. People left food out for spirits or poor people asked for food (souling).

B. People carved turnips or potatoes to scare away bad spirits or light the way.

C. Ancient Celts dressed up to scare away bad spirits or blend in with good ones.

Match the Tradition Answer Key

Directions: Draw a line to connect each modern Halloween tradition to its historical root!

Modern Halloween Tradition

1. Wearing Costumes
   • Connects to: C. Ancient Celts dressed up to scare away bad spirits or blend in with good ones.
2. Trick-or-Treating
   • Connects to: A. People left food out for spirits or poor people asked for food (souling).
3. Carving Jack-o
   omb-Lanterns
   • Connects to: B. People carved turnips or potatoes to scare away bad spirits or light the way.