Halloween and the Jack-o’-Lantern - Unit Worksheet - Jack-o’-Lantern History Quiz

Oct 1, 2026

Upload by Mabel

Halloween and the Jack-o’-Lantern worksheet guides learners through three classroom activities: a short history quiz about the Jack O’Lantern legend, a cloze exercise to reconstruct instructions for carving a proper jack-o’-lantern, and a group discussion on Halloween practices and related festivals in their country. Teacher’s Notes include strategies for introducing vocabulary, comparing student answers in open class, using picture/word prompts, and extending with optional homework to create and bring a carved lantern.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

A little jack-o’-lantern history quiz

How to make a proper jack-o’-lantern

More about Halloween

Teacher’s Notes

Halloween and the Jack-o’-Lantern 1) A little jack-o’-lantern history quiz. Read the text and discuss with your partner which of the options given is the correct one. THE original story of a person named Jack O’Lantern comes from 􀀁 Ireland 􀀁 Australia 􀀁 Mexico and is hundreds of years old. Jack tricked the devil so that he © Getty Images/i Stock/Alex Rat hs didn’t have to go to hell when he died. But as he was such a 􀀁 friendly 􀀁 bad 􀀁 hungry person in his life he couldn't go to heaven either1. So Jack has had to walk in darkness between heaven and hell ever since, with only a piece of glowing 􀀁 coal 􀀁 oil 􀀁 butter in a lantern to give him light. That is the story of where jack-o’-lanterns come from. Originally they were made from 􀀁 carrots 􀀁 coconuts 􀀁 turnips2 but when the immigrants came to North America they found out that 􀀁 pumpkins 􀀁 melons 􀀁 potatoes were much better. Nowadays you can see jack-o’-lanterns in 􀀁 almost every window 􀀁 almost every tree 􀀁 front of almost every door where people celebrate Halloween. When it’s dark and the light of a little candle is burning inside the lantern you can almost feel old Jack wandering by. 1 not…either = auch nicht | 2turnip = Rûbe 2) How to make a proper jack-o’-lantern. A kid that did not get a treat played a trick and stole some words from the description how to make a proper jack-o’-lantern. With your partner,~~ fill in the missing words. ~~ Which pumpkin do I take? The should be big enough to cut eyes, nose and a it It should also be a dry with a hard shell. Think abo into ut the form. Do you a moon-faced one or a tall, thin one? And now? Clean the outside of the , then find the “best” side. M nose and on the with a pen but draw th than you want them. Now for the cutting: cut a clean circle at the around lift off the “lid”. Clean the inside, then the face along you made with your pen. Finally clear the rough edges, put in a and, hey presto, here’s your jack-o’-lante 3) More about Halloween. In a small group, talk with your partners about the following questions. -What else do you know about Halloween? -How many people celebrate Halloween where you live? Do any of them make jack-o’-lanterns? -What do you think of Halloween celebrations in your country? -Which other festivals do people celebrate where you live? Are there any at around the same time? Autor: Jürgen Ettenauer © Hueber Verlag | Dieses Blatt darf zu Unterrichtszwecken fotokopiert werden. Teacher’s Notes Introduce the topic with a little quiz. Tell your students that they have to guess the topic. The easier option is to draw a jack-o'-lantern on the board and ask your students what topic they would associate with your picture. Collect the students’ suggestions on the board – one of them is bound to be either Halloween or, depending on the level of you students, even pumpkin. A second option is to explain that you are going to write several words on the board and that the students are supposed to shout out their guesses as soon as they have an idea what the topic could be. You could use witch, holiday, pumpkin, door, sweets, USA, children, costume, tradition, trick or treat, etc. in any order you choose, depending on your students’ skills and previous knowledge. Once the topic Halloween has been clarified, make sure your students know the meaning of pumpkin and introduce the phrase jack-o'-lantern. Now divide your class into pairs and distribute the handouts. 1) Ask your students to look at the text and discuss which of the three options given could be the correct one. In a weaker group clarify vocabulary like devil, hell, glowing and coal before students start reading. Tell your students to do the quiz with their partner and stand by to offer help. Compare the students' answers in open class after some minutes. In order to do this you can ask volunteers to read out their completed sentences. KEY: 􀀁 Ireland / 􀀁 bad / 􀀁 coal / 􀀁 turn

FAQs

What is the legend behind the Jack-o’-Lantern mentioned in the quiz?

The story describes a person named Jack O’Lantern who tricked the devil and, after his death, had to walk in darkness between heaven and hell with a glowing coal in a lantern.

How do students complete the “How to make a proper jack-o’-lantern” exercise?

Students fill in the missing words in the carving instructions, then read out their completed versions in open class for comparison.

What discussion questions are included under “More about Halloween”?

Learners discuss what else they know about Halloween, how many people celebrate it locally and whether they make jack-o’-lanterns, what they think of celebrations in their country, and which other festivals occur around the same time.

Oct 1, 2026

Upload by Mabel