Halloween

Grade Level: 7 - 12

Subject/Content: Social Studies/Geography/World History/Culture Studies

Summary of Lesson: Students will use Gale resources to examine the history of Halloween and statistics about modern day celebrations of Halloween.

Focus Question: Where did Halloween originate and how do people celebrate it today

Database(s): Student Resource Center and Web Feet K-12 Collection

Procedures by Teacher:

1. Arrange for student access to the Gale resources
2. The teacher may want to InfoMark the article below for student use. More information and directions on how to use InfoMarks can be found at http://www.gale.com/infomarks/
1. Facts for Features: Halloween: Oct. 31, 2006 found in Student Resource Center
3. Copy worksheet for each student

Halloween – History and Interesting Tidbits Name ________________________ Hour _________ What is your idea of Halloween? In the space below, jot down your own thoughts on the meaning behind the celebration and how your own family takes part in it. Using Kids InfoBits do a search for Halloween and choose the second article on the list to read. After reading the article, describe how four other cultures have celebrated Halloween and the meaning behind the holiday. According to this article, how did the tradition of carving pumpkins begin in the United States? Now go to Student Resource Center and search for Halloween Facts for Features and choose the most recent of the articles retrieved. Use it to write down five interesting facts about Halloween below. Using your own knowledge and what you have read, explain how the celebration of Halloween has changed over the years. Speculate on why these changes have occurred and how modern celebrations mirror modern society.

 

Steps/Activities by Student(s):

Use the databases to find answers to the Halloween Worksheet

Outcome: Students will have an understanding of how Halloween began and how it has changed over time

Related Activities: Students may survey their own neighborhood, collect data and compare to the database statistics

Standard Date: July 5, 2007

Content Standard(s):

• Describe the ways family, religion, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status and other group and cultural influences contribute to the development of a sense of self
• The student will develop skills using a variety of computer resources to increase productivity, support creativity, conduct and evaluate research and improve communications

Performance Indicators:

• At Level 1, the student is able to:
• Identify the history of Halloween.
• At Level 2, the student is able to:
• Compare and contrast modern Halloween celebrations with historical.
• At Level 3, the student is able to:
• Analyze the cause of changes in the celebration of Halloween.

Computer Literacy and Usage Standards 9-12:

• The student will use technology resources to improve problem solving and decision making skills and apply these skills to real world situations

ISTE NETS for Students

• identify trends and forecast possibilities
• plan strategies to guide inquiry
• locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media
• evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks
• process data and report results
• plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project
• collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions

Information Power; Information Literacy Standards 1-4:

• Standard 6: The student who is an independent learner is information literate and strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation