Halloween Research Project and Speech Materials for High School ELA

Complement a unit on Gothic fiction and embrace the harvest season with this low-prep, standards-based research project addressing 33 topics directly and indirectly related to Halloween: ancient celebrations, holidays, and practices (Samhain, Lemuria, guising, souling, and more); more recent traditions (Guy Fawkes Night, the history of trick-or-treating, and the history of pumpkin carving); myths, legends, and superstitions (Jack O'Lantern, the Beast of Bray Road, Mothman, and more); medical conditions ("werewolf syndrome," "walking corpse syndrome," and "vampire disease"); historical figures (Vlad the Impaler, John Hathorne, Sarah Good, and more); and Halloween-inspired authors (Ray Bradbury, Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley, H.P. Lovecraft, and more). Supporting materials—including a detailed scoring rubric—are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. (Alternatively, a Google Drive option is available.)

Ultimately, students will perform the following tasks:

• Collect and classify reliable sources on an assigned topic

• Develop successful methods of recording information

• Evaluate the credibility of nonfiction texts, taking into consideration readability, date, relevance, expertise, and bias

• Apply conventions of MLA formatting

• Correctly site resources to avoid plagiarism

• Organize information in a cohesive manner, using a note-taking system that includes summary, paraphrasing, and quoted material

• Analyze, synthesize, and integrate information, generating a thoughtfully comprehensive report, free of generalities and redundancies

• Present information in a formal, coherent manner

Materials are available for teaching during the Halloween season:

• Creative Writing Unit Plan for Gothic Fiction - Google and printable

• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Google and printable

• The Works of Edgar Allan Poe (Volume 1) - Google and printable

• The Works of Edgar Allan Poe (Volume 2) - Google and printable

• The Works of H.P. Lovecraft (Volume 1) - Google and printable

• The Works of H.P. Lovecraft (Volume 2) - Google and printable