Horror films, haunted houses and ghost stories are more popular than ever. But why do people choose to feel afraid? This lesson looks at what happens in our bodies when we are scared, what scientists have discovered about horror fans, and gets students talking about their own fears. Perfect for the weeks before Halloween. This A2 version explains “fun fear” in simple language, with vocabulary for feelings and scary things.
Level: A2 · Time: 45 to 90 minutes. Pick the activities that suit your class. They work in almost any order.
Lesson Activities
- Warmer: Who Is This? – Reveal the picture tile by tile, if you dare. Who or what is it? Old film or new? How does it make students feel? (It’s Count Orlok from the 1922 silent horror film Nosferatu.)
- Vocabulary: Pre-teach the Key Words – Match 10 words from the text to their meanings before reading (scared, react, relax, safe, brave, scream, ghost…).
- Reading: Why Do We Love Being Scared? – A short graded text with 10 gaps and a word bank.
- Vocabulary: Monsters, Places and Feelings – Sort 15 scary words (ghost, werewolf, graveyard, attic, terrified, relieved…) into three groups. Pre-teach any new items first.
- Discussion: Scary Things – 10 conversation questions about horror films, ghosts, fears and Halloween.
- Speaking: Ranking – What scares you most? Students rank ten fears, from spiders and the dark to clowns and speaking in public, then compare with a partner.
Teacher Tips
- For a shorter lesson, use the warmer, the reading and the discussion cards.
- Language focus: practise adjectives for feelings (scared, nervous, terrified, relieved) and “I’m scared of…”. Students describe their own fears using the ranking.
- Some students may not enjoy scary content. Keep the warmer light and let students choose which cards to answer.
- Follow-up: students tell or write a short scary story using narrative tenses, or describe a local legend from their country.
Teaching a stronger group? Try the B2 version of this lesson.
More Halloween Activities
Looking for more spooky activities for your classes? See our Halloween activities page.