PARTY PREPARATIONS

MAKING MASKS

The dressing up of children, like our carnival, is great fun for each one. First, because we enter the "let's pretend" game, then, for the innate pleasure in making things to express oneself in different ways.
The masks are the simplest way to hide into a fearful character, self-made masks are personal belonging proudly shown.
CLASSES INVOLVED
Second and third year classes, level one (ages: from 7 to 9).
AIMS
-Following instructions.
-Learning to pronounce and recognise the words linked to Hallowe'entopic (ghost, witch, goblin, gremlin, skeleton, monster, vampire...).
-Learning some of the vocabulary of the face (eyes, nose, mouth,ears).
-Practice drawing, colouring and cutting-out skills.
RESOURCES
A/4 Paper, pencils, colours, scissors, elastic string, tape, stapler.
ACTIVITY STEPS
The children choose a character to start with. These masks are very easy to make and require cheap materials. Children follow the texts and draw instructions: cut some A/4 pages into halves, draw before the shape of the eyes, then the rest of the face using, in the meanwhile, the target vocabulary. Colour and modify it to let the mask seem more scaring, then cut out the eyes, add the tape on the right and left sides, staple the elastic. They prepare several masks on different characters, to let each friend have one.

CLASSES INVOLVED
Fourth year- level two and fith year class-level three.
AIMS
-Integrated four skills development through the presentation andpractise of lexical items linked to the topic.
-Understanding how texts are organized, giving clues to pictures andsequencing drawings.
-Recalling given data about the topic.
RESOURCES
Copies of written texts about Hallowe'en tradition and sequences of drawings to give clues.

HALLOWE'EN TIME Hallowe'en is an American tradition. It is on October 31st, the eve of "All Saint's day". Children have great fun on this day. They dress up in spooky and scarey costumes and tell tales about gremlins and goblins. They wear costumes: witches, skeletons, ghosts, monsers and vampires, all characters that love to go out in the dark night. There are parties at school and after school. Children go trick or treating, that is, they go from house to house and wish happy Hallowe'en to neighbours and receive sweets and candy in return. The symbol of this holiday is the pumpkin: the typical Hallowee'n pumpkin is called Jack O'Lantern. (From teacher's book Percorsi Didattici, Giunti e Lisciani ed.)

JACK O'LANTERN The pumpkin is an autumn fruit which is picked in October and November and is just ready for Hallowe'en on October 31. These vegetables have their own special magic. American children cut out a strange and scarey face on the pumpkin to make a Jack o'Lantern. The legend of the Jack o'Lantern is very interesting.It seems there was a man called Jack. He was so stingy that when he died St. Peter refused to let him into heaven and the devil refused to let him into hell. He was condemned to roam the earth cumlessly. He had a lantern with him. Jack is another strange-spooky Hallowe'en character. (From teacher's book Percorsi Didattici, Giunti e Lisciani Ed.)

INVITATION CARDS, THANKYOUS, JACK O'LANTERN SCORES, HALLOWE'EN CHARACTERS FLASHCARDS

CLASSES INVOLVED
Second and third year, i.e. first level learners (ages: 6 and 7).
AIMS
-Follow instructions.
-Copy written texts.
-Learn to collaborate.
-Practice drawing, colouring and cutting-out skills.
RESOURCES
A/4 Paper, pencils, colours, scissors.
ACTIVITY STEPS
These activities recquire poor materials and are very enjoyable expecially for the younger children. They have to follow the given instructions, then modify and complete the drawings as they like. They know all this material is necessary to the party and use as much as they can with the target language: cut the A/4 pages, draw, colour and write, count the products, decide to change pattern if they find a more suitable project.

MY PRIZE

After having participated to all the activities, the team leaders count the Jack o'lantern scores each team owns and all together decide which is the winner team and which is the second, third and fourth classified. The prizes are symbolic and aim to let the children bring home the atmosphere of the party; each child gets his prize, that is a Colur-in Meg and Mog book for the absolute winners, a colur-in cut-out Hallowe'en Mobile for the second team, a colur-in cut-out Jack o' lantern for the following teams.

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