MASARYK UNIVERSITY BRNO

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING:
HALLOWEEN PARTY

DIPLOMA THESIS

WRITTEN BY: VLASTA ROUSOV

SUPERVISOR: PhDr. ALENA KAPRKOV

BRNO 2008

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to take this opportunity to thank PhDr. Alena Kaprkov for her kind help
and valuable advice that she provided me throughout my thesis as my supervisor.

DECLARATION
I declare that I worked on my thesis on my own and that I used the sources mentioned in
the bibliography.
20. 3. 2008

CONTENTS
1

Introduction

1.1

Reasons for choosing this topic

1.2

The aim of the thesis

Theoretical part

2.1

"Project" variations of the term in definitions

2.1.1

Czech sources

2.1.2

English sources

2.2

A brief history of project work

13

2.2.1

Pragmatic pedagogy and John Dewey

13

2.2.2

Project-based learning

14

2.3

Connected methods and approaches

15

2.3.1

Humanistic tradition and learner-centredness

15

2.3.2

Co-operative learning and project work

17

2.3.3

Community language learning and project work

18

2.3.4

Task/Problem-based learning and project work

20

2.3.5

Self-directed learning and learner autonomy

21

2.3.6

Cross-curricular teaching and project work

23

2.4

Teachers roles in PBL

25

2.5

The benefits of PBL

27

2.6

Motivation in PBL

28

2.7

Possible problems and difficulties in PBL

31

2.8

The development of the project

33

2.8.1

Bridging/Lead-in activities

33

2.8.2

Planning

33

2.8.3

Carrying out the project

34

2.8.4

Creating the final product

36

2.8.5

Presentation and final evaluation

36

Practical part

37

3.1

Preface

37

3.2

Syllabus

38

3.2.1

Teaching unit I: Lead-in activities

40

3.2.2

Teaching unit II: Halloween festival

49

3.2.3

Teaching unit III: A pumpkin lantern

58

3.2.4

Teaching unit IV: Music at the party

62

3.2.5

Teaching unit V: Refreshments at the party

66

3.2.6

Teaching unit VI: Posters and invitation cards

71

3.2.7

Teaching unit VII: Programme of the party

75

3.2.8

Teaching unit VIII: Final evaluation

79

3.2.8.1 Halloween party the final product

79

3.2.8.2 Assessment scheme (Achievement test, Questionnaire)

79

3.2.8.3 Reactions to piloted activities (evaluation and feedback)

86

Conclusion

89

Rsum

90

Bibliography

91

List of Appendixes

95

Foreword
Whenever a student is supposed to write a work at the end of his/her studies, he/she
is standing face to face to a new phase of life. This time, often associated with
retrospection and self-reflection, causes a stream of thoughts in a students mind and it
could be very difficult to calm them down. Young people have different ambitions and
aspirations. However, all of them are spurred on by the innate need of self-determination.
Before they step over the threshold of a new period of their life, their mind is usually made
up and their aims are established.
The studies of the English language at the Faculty of Education include three main
areas: linguistics, literature and methodology. Which of them has proved to be closest to
me? Linguistics helped me to perceive the language as a system with all the rules and
exceptions. All its branches are highly interesting, but excuse me, M.A.K. Halliday, I have
not chosen a linguistic topic. Literature, on the other hand, does not strictly follow
language rules and offers a large space for learners imagination, intuition and
inventiveness. Simply, whereas linguistics gives you a map and compass, literature gives
you wings. Nevertheless, excuse me, Anthony Burgess, I have not decided for a literature
topic either. So, what has not been mentioned yet? I have come to a decision to write a
thesis based on a methodological topic that will serve as a well of ideas or as a
demonstration of my pedagogical approach in my future career. Frankly, my desire to
teach is still growing and, gradually, I have recognised that this kind of job could give me
real enjoyment and satisfaction. Both teachers and children are encouraged to use their
creativity. Moreover, teaching includes everyday interaction with young people and the
chance for constant development.

1 Introduction
This diploma thesis is entitled "Project-based Learning: Halloween Party" and deals
with the topic of project work. Contemporary educational standards determine the choice
of teaching methods and approaches. Students are supposed to acquire so called "key
skills", e.g. responsibility, independence, cooperation and critical thinking. PBL seems to
cater for all these requirements. Moreover, this approach brings real life tasks into the
teaching process.
Theoretical part includes eight chapters providing necessary background knowledge
for teachers interested in projects. The first chapter investigates variations of the term
"project" in definitions and searches for the clearest explanation. An insight into the history
of project work is offered in the second chapter. Here one can learn basic facts about
pragmatic pedagogy and the emergence of PBL. Next, the chapter 2.3 explores the
connections between PBL and other approaches, i.e. humanistic tradition, co-operative
learning, community language learning, task-based learning, self-directed learning and
cross-curricular teaching. An important aspect of changes in teacher role is mentioned
afterwards. Then both benefits and difficulties in PBL, as well as motivation, are
discussed. The last chapter is concerned with the actual development of a project and
describes in detail its particular stages.
Practical part is designed as a manual consisting of eight teaching units: Lead-in
activities, Halloween festival, A pumpkin lantern, Music at the party, Refreshments at the
party, Posters and invitation cards, Programme of the party and Final evaluation. It is a
detailed teachers guide to the topic of a "Halloween party". This long-term project is
described here through a set of lesson plans, which should be easy for ELT teachers to
follow. The tasks and activities are planned for learners of an intermediate level.
The thesis also includes an important appendix. Enclosed herewith are handouts,
worksheets, examples of assignments, pictures and photos that support the overall idea of
this project.

1.1 Reasons for choosing this topic

It must be mentioned that the primary motive to develop a diploma thesis based on the
topic of projects was personal experience with piloting some of the activities. It caused an
avalanche of ideas which had to be classified and organized into a whole. I had heard and
read about projects before, therefore I was eager to give my ideas the form of a project.
What were the aspects that convinced me to study all the available resources about
projects and write this diploma thesis? Firstly, both teachers and students rarely come
across tangible outcomes in the educational system. It is true that knowledge, skills,
abilities, developed interests and established relationships are of a great value.
Nevertheless, from time to time we long for producing something 'real' which we can touch
and show to others. Maybe, we sometimes need to fly down from abstract sphere and 'build
a house', 'tailor a suit'. In this sense, project work offers a solution in the form of a tangible
end-product giving learners a real sense of achievement and clearly indicating their work
and progress. Secondly, going through a project means to be in contact with reality and see
the practical application of more subjects from the curriculum, not just of English. Students
feel as adults, doing a task from real life. Very often students work on a certain structure,
vocabulary or grammar item hard and repeatedly but it can be called 'knowledge' only
when they are able to use it in practice. It is claimed that project work means learning by
doing and experience, which should facilitate the learning process, both in the terms of
speed and retention.
The topic of a Halloween party is hoped to be interesting and challenging for all the
participants. It is also believed that such a topic can be a powerful driving force for
projects successful implementation.

1.2 The aim of the thesis

The aim of this diploma thesis is to create a work of practical usage that can serve
as a source of inspiration and refreshment for EFL lessons. It is an attempt to generate a
project-based task for intermediate students and exploit the topic as much as possible for
their development. Equally important, the thesis should be a thorough investigation into
PBL and it should enable the author to confirm or disprove long lists of PBL benefits.

2 Theoretical part

2.1 "Project" variations of the term in definitions

Both natural sciences and humanities have their own fields of study, research
methods and terminology. Pedagogy defines hundreds of terms that can be differentiated
according to their transparency. The term "project" occurs in pedagogical dictionaries and
methodology books in different combinations, e.g. Project Teaching, Project Method,
Project Approach, Project-based Approach, Project-centred Approach, Project-based
Learning often abbreviated as PBL. It might appear clear at first sight, but what is
seemingly familiar can turn into a "hard nut" during a deeper insight.
Although the word "project" has its roots in American philosophy, it is also
discussed and described by many Czech pedagogy experts. The following paragraphs
demonstrate how this term is defined by both Czech and English authors. It is essential to
remark that this chapter is focused on definitions, therefore there is less amount of personal
ideas.

2.1.1 Czech sources

In the first half of the 20th century, pedagogy in the Czech lands flourished and was
enriched by democratic and progressive ideas of outstanding educationalists and
professors. Otokar Chlup, a professor of pedagogy at the Masaryk University in Brno at
that time, interprets the project method as follows: The project method organizes lesson
topics as a series of projects or complete tasks that would be attractive for a pupil through
its concrete goal. Pupils, working on the realization of a project, are gaining particular
knowledge and skills that are eventually the teaching aims themselves, and the project
becomes only a tool for reaching this aim. In every project a pupil is facing numerous
questions or problems concentrating on the same unifying idea. A project changes the
school life." (Chlup, 1939).

The 90s continued these democratic traditions and modern theories were also born.
It is possible to find other definitions of a project in this period. Valenta claims that a
project is a task designed definitely and clearly, and we can introduce it to pupils so that
they regard it as important for life, because it is very near to real-life activities. (Valenta,
1993).
The Pedagogical Dictionary from 1998 presents the project method in a straightforward
way: "It is a teaching method which leads pupils to the solution of complex problems and
experience is gained through practical activity and experiments. It is derived from
pragmatic pedagogy and instrumentalism. It is also one of the most important motivational
strategies and significantly supports cooperative learning. Projects can be arranged as
integrated topics, practical problems or activities leading to the creation of a certain visual
or written end-product." (Prcha, 1998: 194).
Later, new experience with this kind of approach added other worth mentioning
aspects. A project is a specific kind of a learning task, in which pupils are allowed to
choose a topic and direction of its investigation. Therefore the result is predictable only to
a limited extent. It is a task that requires initiative, creativity and organisational skills, as
well as undertaking responsibility for the solution of problems connected with the topic."
(Kaskov, 2001: 49). Using the words of Oldich imonk, a project can be characterized
as a complex task, when pupils simultaneously acquire new knowledge and skills. During
the realization stage, the whole range of activation methods, i.e. independent learning in
particular, could be used. More important that the goal itself is the way to it, the
recognition process, pupils active, independent both practical and thought activities
connected with task and problem solving. (imonk, 2003: 58).
These days numerous definitions can be found on the Internet. Only several chosen
examples are presented below.
Project method is based on the connection of theory and practice, i.e. the combination of a
learning process with common life. It is the way of teaching making pupils search for
information sources, leading to collating information, experiments, discussions,
presentation of the result, evaluation and feedback. It supports activity, creativity,
interactive communication, responsibility, cooperation, the ability to see the problem as a
part of more subjects. At the beginning, the goal is always established and pupils main
task is to find a way or ways to it.

10

Projects can be of different duration and range, from one lesson to several years,
covering one or more subjects or areas. A project can be also defined as a plan, intention,
task, the fulfilment of which pupils achieve independently, only with teacher assistance
and guidance.

2.1.2 English sources

It is necessary to explore ideas and opinions of English authors interested in

projects. A well-known personality who deserves to be in the centre of attention is John
Dewey. He can also be considered the father of project approach. More details about his
philosophy are written in the next chapter, but here the shortened version of his definition
of a project is offered. Dewey says that project does not present topics as verbal
formulations to be memorized, but brings conditions when pupils try their resourcefulness,
ability to make right decisions, activity. And this certain degree of uneasiness, certain
amount of obstacles should maintain pupils attention. Thinking begins where obstacles
are. It is aimed at a close relation between thinking and practice. An emphasis is put on
updating knowledge and making it more topical. (sweb).
W. Kilpatrick, another follower of pragmatic pedagogy, indicates the differences between
traditional and modern theory of teaching. Whereas, the traditional one represents learning
from books, learning words and utterances of others, holding back from real life, learning
through repetition and the promise that "what has been learned will be applied somewhere
else and at some other time, the modern theory introduces learning through experience,
situations of concrete personal life, pupils behaviour as a part of learning process and
immediate practice. (Singule, 1990: 182).
It is possible to find another definition in a practical book about the modern theory,
Teaching Today, by G. Petty. He adds that a project is a task or a series of tasks that pupils
should fulfil, mostly individually but sometimes in groups. Pupils can often decide
themselves how, where, when and in what order they will do the tasks. (Petty, 1996: 213).
Simon Haines explanation of project work should not be left out: "Projects are
multi-skill activities focusing on topics or themes rather than on specific language targets.
Of crucial importance is the part which students themselves play in the initial choice of
subject matter and in the decisions related to appropriate working methods, the project

11

timetable and the eventual 'end-product'project work provides students with

opportunities to recycle known language and skills in a relatively natural context." Harmer
then adds that projects involve investigation, reporting, commitment and dedication from
students and the most important thing here is the end-product. (Harmer, 1991: 147,148).
Nowadays, a three teaching approaches are often mentioned together. They are
project, problem and inquiry-based learning. They all fit the description of technology-rich
learning environment. "In each case, technology is used to facilitate learning. It may be a
tool to organize ideas, search for current information, or present ideas, such as PowerPoint
presentations. However the focus of learning environment is the students excitement about
solving a problem or addressing an issue they find meaningful." (eduscapes).
A clear definition found at <http://www.project-approach.com> says: "A project is
defined as an in-depth investigation of a real world topic worthy of childrens attention and
effort. The study may be carried out by a class or by small groups of children. Projects can
be undertaken with children of any age. They do not usually constitute the whole
educational program. Younger children will play and explore as well as engage in projects.
Older childrens project work will complement the systematic instruction in their
program." The next paragraph explains: "The Project Approach refers to a set of teaching
strategies which enable teachers to guide children through in-depth studies of real world
topics. The Project Approach is not unstructured. There is a complex but flexible
framework with features that characterize the teaching-learning interaction. When teachers
implement the Project Approach successfully, children can be highly motivated, feel
actively involved in their learning, and produce work of a high quality."
To summarize, it seems that projects are extended tasks which usually integrate
language skills work by means of a number of activities. These activities combine in
working towards an agreed goal and may include the following: planning, gathering of
information, group discussion, problem solving, oral and written reporting and display.

12

2.2 A brief history of project work

It might be claimed that the variations of the project definition has just been
investigated and the imaginary "hard nut" has been cracked. It is not difficult now to
explain the term in own words and the author inclines to using the term Project-based
Learning (PBL) as well. It is felt that "an approach" is something more binding and it is
immediately associated with the approaches mentioned in the book Techniques and
Principles in Language Teaching by D. Larsen-Freeman. "A method", however, appears to
be a suitable term and projects are really closely connected with a certain kind of
procedure and specific types of teaching methods. Nevertheless, the author appreciates the
useful acronym "PBL".
It is widely recognised that philosophy is the mother of many later separated
branches of study. Pedagogy, born as an independent child in the 19th century, has always
been fed with philosophical ideas and streams.

2.2.1 Pragmatic pedagogy and John Dewey

Pragmatic philosophy was the most widespread in USA from the end of the 19th
century till the 50s of the 20th century. The founder and the most prominent
representative of the pragmatic pedagogy is John Dewey (1859-1952). Educational
approaches already indicated in the 18th century by Franklin and Jefferson took shape
thanks to Dewey. He perceives education as a tool for solving problems that people
encounter in real life. He also says: I want to connect school with life, make it for a child
a residence where it learns directly through life, instead of school being just a classroom
where a child is given tasksa school should be a place where a child would really live."
(Dewey, 1904: 20, 51). Dewey creates his own conception, so called instrumentalism. Its
crucial feature is individual experience gained in practice that provides motives, develops
interests and helps to reveal and solve problems. The development of childrens activity is
also very important. The theory gave a birth to "an active" school, where the Project-based
Learning was its basis. (Prcha, 1998: 184). Deweys two most famous books (Democracy
and education, School and society) indicate an emphasis on the connection between school

13

and real life, theory and practice, which is still up-to-date. Without any doubt, every
educational system should be democratic, tolerant, humanistic and open as much as
possible. Only then children could learn effectively and, above all, for themselves.
Dewey was followed by other educators, e.g. William Kilpatrick (1871-1965), who
have acknowledged the benefits of experimental, student-directed learning and planned
various field trips, laboratory investigations and interdisciplinary activities. "Doing
projects is a long-standing tradition in American education." (bie).

2.2.2 Project-based Learning

Project-based Learning Handbook, available at <www.bie.org> provides

interesting information on the further development:

"The emergence of Project-based Learning is the result of two important

developments over the last 25 years. First, there has been a revolution in learning theory.
Research in neuroscience and psychology has extended cognitive and behavioural models
of learning, which support traditional direct instruction, to show that knowledge, thinking,
doing, and the contexts for learning are inextricably tied. We now know that learning is
partly a social activity, it takes place within the context of culture, community and past
experiences. Research shows that learners not only respond by feeding back information,
but they also actively use what they know to explore, interpret, and create. They construct
solutions, thus shifting the emphasis toward the process of learning.
Second, the world has changed. Nearly all teachers understand how the industrial
culture has shaped the organization and methods of schools in the 19th and 20th centuries,
and they recognize that schools most now adapt to a new century. It is clear that children
need both knowledge and skills to succeed. This need is driven not only by workforce
demands for high-performance employees who can plan, collaborate, and communicate,
but also by the need to help all young people learn civic responsibility and master their
new roles as global citizens.
In a sense, the need for education to adapt to a changing world is the primary
reason that PBL is increasingly popular. PBL is an attempt to create new instructional
practices that reflect the environment in which children now live and learn.

14

And, as the world continues to change, so does the definition of PBL. The most important
recent shift in education has been the increased emphasis on standards, clear outcomes, and
accountability." (bie).

2.3 Connected methods and approaches

2.3.1 Humanistic tradition and learner-centredness

It is known that the USA is the cradle of humanistic psychology flourishing in the
50s of the 20th century at the mycelium of the beat generation and hippies.
Understandably, what is the most important is a human being, his/her ideas, opinions, selfperception and experiences. Human development is stimulated by the endeavour of selfrealization. People should act according to it and gradually reach independence,
satisfaction and the meaning of life. It is possible to learn more from Maslows selfactualization theory or Rogers indirect therapy and education. Petty reminds that the
famous humanistic psychologist, Carl Rogers, emphasizes the idea that learning is not what
others do with children, but what children do themselvesstudents should learn actively.
(Petty, 1996: 52).
Humanistic stream in pedagogy supported "a common belief in the primacy of
affective and emotional factors within the learning process". (Nunan, 2000: 234).
Proponents of methods derived from humanistic psychology also claim that no teaching
techniques can succeed without taking into consideration these affective factors.
Responsible and enthusiastic teachers sometimes devise various innovative techniques and
activities very carefully, however the most basic and natural elements are often forgotten.
But remember those numerous lectures mentioning the importance of positive school
climate, class atmosphere, friendly relationships and partnership between teachers and
students. The author of this thesis has an intention to repeat again that only the teacher with
inner optimism and affection for teaching is able to create desirable atmosphere described
by humanistic educationalists. In other words, "if learners can be encouraged to adopt the
right attitudes, interests and motivation in the target language and culture, as well as in the

15

learning environment in which they find themselves, then successful learning will occur".
(Nunan, 2000: 234).
Humanistic approach is defined by Moskowitz in this way: "Humanistic techniques
are those that blend what the student feels, thinks and knows with what he is learning in the
target language. Rather than self-denial being the acceptable way of life, self-actualization
and self-esteem are the ideals the exercises pursuethese techniques help students to be
themselves, to accept themselves, and be proud of themselveshelp foster a climate of
caring and sharing in the foreign language class. (Moskowitz 1978:2).

According to Nunan, the proponents of humanism in language learning are Curran

who developed Community Language Learning, Gattegno who created the Silent Way,
Lozanov who produced Suggestopedia, and the most significant is Earl Stevick. He
became dissatisfied with both audio-lingual habit theory and cognitive code learning.
Instead, he found a deep interest in applying principles of humanistic psychology to
language learning and teaching. Stevick came to the conclusion that success or failure in
language teaching lies in the extent to which one caters to the learners affective domain,
i.e. learners emotional attitude towards the teacher, fellow learners, target language and
culture. It is argued that teachers should select materials, activities and overall language
content according to it. Moreover, there is a demand for making teaching subservient to
learning. (Nunan, 2000: 235). It means that authoritative style of teaching is prohibited; the
teacher is no more 'the master of puppets'. In other words, the teacher-directed approach is
replaced with learner-centredness and nondirectiveness. Learners attitudes, beliefs,
preferences and ideas are seriously taken into consideration. Broadly speaking, students are
in the centre of attention, which is an outstanding aspect of project work. Another shared
principle is that of a change in teachers roles. These will be dealt with later, but the top
functions of the teacher that are depicted in Nunan should be mentioned here.
It is claimed that the most important is "the vibes" that the teacher puts out. What is
meant by this peripheral expression? It has to do with the warmth and enthusiasm that the
teacher radiates. It is a part of the second personal or interpersonal function dealing with
already emphasized emotional needs and classroom climate. Practical goals of language
learning desired by society are included in the third function.

16

The last two roles are representing the cognitive function with expected teachers
knowledge and the management function with organization and coordination skills.
(Nunan, ibid.).

2.3.2 Co-operative Learning and Project Work

Generally, when people are supposed to work in a group they need to co-operate and help
each other to succeed. Many publications on teamwork have been written in the
management area. There is a strong evidence that co-operation is also a frequent issue in
education. Moreover, it is one of the key competences that should be developed according
to a new educational framework.
Project work can follow different interaction patterns, such as individual work, pair
work, group or whole class work. However, the creation of an outstanding end-product is a
demanding task and often requires responsible group work when all the members are
highly interested in the task fulfilment. A great advantage is the fact that different groups
can deal with different parts of the project. For example, a tourist brochure could include
chapters providing information on history, geography, accommodation, sport and leisure
facilities etc. These sections might be assigned to several groups of students, taking into
account their hobbies and interests. Even better, students themselves should be allowed to
decide which part would be the most attractive for them.
Although, J. A. Comenius put an emphasis on a competitive atmosphere and his
legacy is still a valuable source for teachers, competition should be taken only as one of
activation techniques or warm-ups. It seems that the heterogeneousity in classes is still
increasing. Students come from different learning background, with different experience
and intensity of teaching. They also have different learning strategies. In this sense, visual,
audio, kinaesthetic, left-brained and right-brained types can be distinguished. On top of
that, diagnosed pupils with specific learning difficulties should be seriously taken into
consideration. In this case, class management becomes extremely important. Co-operation
is an inseparable part. Teachers should make pupils co-operate and there should be groups
where the brighter would help the weaker ones. Thus an individual approach is respected.
Without any doubt, group activities are very effective, especially when organising a project
in a mixed-ability class.

17

H. Kaskov enumerates the advantages of group work as follows:

- pupils activity is increased
- more pupils are involved in work, including the slower ones
- pupils interest in tasks is higher
- pupils take on the responsibility for both learning and mistakes
- pupils are allowed to follow their own pace to a certain extent
- pupils acquire communicative and organizational skills
- pupils self-confidence is increased
- various problem solving procedures are naturally compared
- the teacher has enough time to devote to the weaker group (Kaskov, 1997:19).
Group work is regarded a prerequisite for co-operative learning. Kaskov claims
that co-operative learning is realised when "positive mutual dependence" exist among the
pupils, i.e. pupils realize that they can not succeed unless their classmates succeed and they
must coordinate their effort for achieving the goal, personal responsibility of each pupil is
required, activities takes place in the interaction face to face, pupils develop interpersonal
skills and the group is capable of self-reflection. Learners work in group in order to be able
to manage themselves in the future. (Kaskov, 1997:39, 2003:3). Similarly, project work
prepares students for solving real-life problems, tasks and situations. It also promotes
learner autonomy, i.e. makes learners responsible for their own learning. It might be
concluded that co-operative learning is an integral part of project work.

2.3.3 Community Language Learning and Project Work

Community Language Learning (CLL) is one of the language teaching methods

developed by Charles A. Curran as mentioned in the chapter 2.2.3. Richards and Rogers
explain that CLL has its roots in Counselling-Learning theory to teach languages.
Accordingly, CLL redefines the roles of the teacher (the counsellor) and learners (the
clients). The basic procedures of CLL can thus be seen as derived from the counsellorclient relationship. (Richards, Rogers, 2001: 90). Not only is the teacher a counsellor, but
he also functions as a monitor, assistant, adviser, supporter and facilitator, as during project
work.

18

The class is transformed into a community of learners with close relationships and
important communication flows. CLL includes "interactions between learners and
interactions between learners and knowers" (Richards, Rogers, 2001: 91) and is also
termed whole-person learning. A key element of CLL classroom procedures is according
to Curran "consensual validation or convalidation, in which mutual warmth,
understanding, and positive evaluation of the other persons worth develop between the
teacher and the learner. (ibid.: 92). Similarly, Nunan adds that CLL is built on support,
commitment, trust, cohesiveness, solidarity and low anxiety level among the members of
the group. (Nunan, 2000: 236). It is necessary to point out here that this transformation of a
class into a community with a supportive atmosphere is a condition for all successful
projects.
Next to mention, Curran presents very interesting theory of psychological
requirements for successful learning entitled as an acronym "SARD".
- S stands for security
- A stands for attention and aggression (childs knowledge is a tool for self-assertion)
- R stands for retention and reflection. What is retained is internalized and becomes a part
of the learners new persona in the foreign language. Reflection means self-assessment and
re-evaluation of future goals.
- D denotes discrimination which enables students to communicate outside the classroom
(ibid.).
Both Community Language Learning and Project-based Learning starts with a topic
or a task, and therefore the progression is very similar. Both approaches can be indicated as
task or topic-based. In CLL "learners are nominating things they wish to talk about and
messages they wish to communicate to other learners. The teachers responsibility is to
provide a conveyance for these meanings in a way appropriate to the learners proficiency
level." (Richards, Rogers, 2001: 93).
Other resemblances between CLL and PBL concern the choice of activities. These
are, for instance, discussion, problem solving, free conversation, recording, reflection and
observation, self-correction, group work etc. What is of a great importance is collaboration.
Richards and Rogers say about CLL: "Learners become members of a community their
fellow learners and the teacher and learn through interacting with the community.

19

Learning is not viewed as an individual accomplishment but as something that is achieved

collaboratively." (Richards, Rogers, 2001: 94).

2.3.4 Task/Problem-based Learning and Project Work

As it is indicated in the chapter 2.1, problem-solving and task-fulfilment form a

crucial part of project work. It is essential to explain the connections and highlight the
benefits.
Unlike traditional syllabuses based on grammatical items, structures or functions,
projects are focused on meaningful tasks, real life problems and interesting topics or
themes. Whereas usual lessons often present the language without an authentic context,
carrying out a project enables students to experience authentic language input and
authentic tasks.

As a starting point of a task-based learning might be regarded teaching

experiments of the British linguist Allwright conducted in the 1970s. According to

Harmers summary, students were asked to find information through interviews and
communication games. Thus a de-contextualised learning was avoided and students were
actively involved in reaching solutions to tasks. These series of tasks had a problem
solving element: in solving the problems the students naturally came into contact with the
language, which was acquired as a result of students deeper experience. (Harmer, 1991:
34).
Hutchinson suggests: "Languages are learnt most effectively when we use them to
solve problems. Problems make us think and we learn by thinking." (Hutchinson, 1987: 1).
Problem-based learning has its roots in heuristics which presents learning through
individual discoveries of unknown facts and relations. Learners intellectual growth is then
guaranteed. It is proved that knowledge gained through learners own effort and thinking is
likely to be stored in a long-term memory. However, 'ready-made' pieces of information
are usually forgotten very soon. There is strong evidence that projects have the power to
stimulate students to gather, compare, sort out and evaluate facts. Consequently, they are
able to find connections and make conclusions visible in final products.

20

2.3.5 Self-directed learning and learner autonomy

Contemporary pedagogy, including new educational documents, emphasizes the

development of habits associated with autonomous and lifelong learning, active and
responsible approach. In this sense, project work is an effective tool for leading students to
self-study and learner independence. It combines working both in and outside the
classroom, which gives students an opportunity to take charge of their own learning and
enables them to learn independently in the future. Harmers wise words say: "We cannot
teach students everything so we have to train them to teach themselves." (Harmer, 1991:
37).
During project students develop important study and research skills. They are also
allowed to make important choices and decisions. They can select the topic, working
method, way of presentation or the type of an end product. This is certainly preconditioned
by mutual trust between the teacher and the students, responsibility and devotion to the
task. Altogether, student autonomy is supposed to be "one of the hallmarks of PBL". (bie).
Learner training is a frequently used term in ELT and it is undoubtedly promoted in
PBL. Simply, a good teacher should be able to help students to be good learners. But are
there any clues how to do so? Hutchinson suggests a number of ways in which it is
possible to encourage learner development:
1.

"Always encourage learners to work things out for themselves as much as possible.

The basis of all learning is that we use what we already know to make sense of something
new"
During a project, students are often involved in a survey, research and gathering of
information. Teachers should not interfere in this stage, however they should believe in
students abilities and let them have complete freedom of action in dealing with this
matter.
1.

"Teach students how to use various reference sources available to them"

Nowadays, a huge amount of information is easily accessible, which is sometimes a

stumbling block. Students might feel confused and lost in this vast ocean of facts. It is up
to a teacher to show learners how to get their bearings and choose the right source, which
is a condition of every successful project.

21

2.

"Check progress to encourage students to reflect on how well they know things. Take
action to deal with problems that come up."

In the course of a project, students acquire a lot of new expressions, lexical chunks,
grammar structures and also knowledge from other subjects. It is vital to provide
continuous feedback, because in this way problems are revealed and enthusiasm for next
work stimulated.
3.

"Reassure students that errors are a natural and useful part of language learning.
Encourage them through skills activities and project work to take risks with the
language"

As this point suggests, learners can be encouraged through PBL to take risks and
experiment with the language. They can learn a lot in this way and they are likely to
remember it.
4.

"Try to develop a feeling of fun and challenge in the classroomThe most important
aspect of learner development is developing a positive attitude towards English and
the learning process." (Hutchinson, 1999: 6,7).

PBL lessons are colourful and lively. Students more speak than listen, more move that sit
and more laugh than worry. They trust their teacher and s/he trusts them. First and
foremost, working on a project should be an enjoyable activity.

Self-directed and active learning corresponds to modern educational principles, such

as activity, independence and creativity, which are key words of PBL.
It is stressed that a learner should not be only a passive member of an audience and
consumer of teachers monologue. Instead, he/she should be stimulated to active
participation in the teaching process through various factors, e.g. interest, novelty,
applicability, relevance, teaching methods and aids, atmosphere, a teacher as an example
etc. (Mak, 1990: 96). And PBL brings these factors into practice. According to Jva, all
the three types of mental processes should be involved, i.e. cognitive, emotional and
volitional. (Jva, 1997: 11). It is widely recognised that problem solving and project work
represent an effective source of learners activity.
Independence is then expressed by Mak as tendency to self-assertion and to
authentic self-expression. It is also associated with the need of independent deeds,
decisions, searching and creation.

22

These stages of learners independence were verified by researchers: 1. working according

to a pattern, imitation, 2. reproduction, 3. reconstruction and invention, 4. critical approach
and innovation. (Mak, 1999: 28).
Creativity is the ability to bring something new with a positive value. It is the most
appreciated quality of successful projects. Processes suppressed in conventional teaching
are applied through creative work: "imagination, fantasy, intuition." It is also possible to
acquire at least certain elements of creativity: "sensitivity - ability to find out problems,
flexibility - change of a point of view, fluency - proposal of more solutions, originality and
elaboration - sense for details. (ibid.: 30).

2.3.6 Cross-curricular teaching and Project Work

It might be a problem for some students to switch from one subject into another and
realise the connections. But it would be a blunder to insist on the fact that only one subject
is the most important. The crucial point is to orientate yourself in the wide range of
knowledge. In this sense, 'the system of isolated pieces of knowledge' should be overcome
with the introduction of the cross-curricular approach.
This approach requires preparation of materials and cooperation among teachers,
which is sometimes demanding. However, its benefits outweigh its drawbacks many times
over and teachers are eventually rewarded with surprising results. Students gradually build
up a system of knowledge and create the ability of using information gained in other fields.
Besides, their self-esteem is raised as they are encouraged to show their strengths
connected with other subjects.
Teaching across curriculum can be also defined as Content and Language
Integrated Learning, abbreviated as CLIL. Content and Language Integrated Project at
<www.cilt.org.uk> provides this definition: "CLIL (Content and Language Integrated
Learning) aims to introduce students to new ideas and concepts in traditional curriculum
subjects (often the Humanities), using the foreign language as the medium of
communication - in other words, to enhance the pupils' learning experience by exploiting
the synergies between the two subjects." Four major principles of CLIL are stated as
follows:

23

CONTENT
Progression in knowledge, skills and understanding related to specific elements of a
defined curriculum.
COMMUNICATION
Using language to learn - whilst learning to use language.
The key is interaction, NOT reaction.
COGNITION
Developing thinking skills which link concept formation (abstract and concrete),
understanding and language
CULTURE
Exposure to alternative perspectives and shared understandings, which deepen awareness
of otherness and self.

(cilt).

The article by the professor Steve Darn available at <www.teachingenglish.org.uk> further

explains: "Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has become the umbrella
term describing both learning another (content) subject such as physics or geography
through the medium of a foreign language and learning a foreign language by studying a
content-based subject. In ELT, forms of CLIL have previously been known as 'Contentbased instruction' or 'English across the curriculum'." (teachingenglish).
The summary of the advantages of Content and Language Integrated Learning here
contributes to the idea of CLIL and PBL connection:

Knowledge of the language becomes the means of learning content

Language is integrated into the broad curriculum
Learning is improved through increased motivation and the study of natural
language seen in context. When learners are interested in a topic they are motivated
to acquire language to communicate
CLIL is based on language acquisition rather than enforced learning
Language is seen in real-life situations in which students can acquire the language.
This is natural language development which builds on other forms of learning
Fluency is more important than accuracy and errors are a natural part of language
learning. Learners develop fluency in English by using English to communicate for
a variety of purposes
Introduce the wider cultural context
Prepare for internationalisation
Access International Certification and enhance the school profile
Improve overall and specific language competence

24

Prepare for future studies and / or working life

Develop multilingual interests and attitudes
Diversify methods & forms of classroom teaching and learning
Increase learner motivation

(ibid.)

Project work provides a large amount of opportunities for cross-curricular teaching.

Through projects English can be linked to other curriculum subjects, such as geography,
history, art etc. In this way, students knowledge gained in other areas can be exploited or
even enlarged and reinforced through project activities. Learners become aware of the fact
that language is a tool for communication, for transmitting messages and contents that
possess real sense.

2.4 Teachers roles in PBL

Being a teacher is one of the most responsible and demanding professions.
Regardless of time or social system, teachers come just after parents to help children to
integrate into the society, to gain necessary knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, to arouse
interests, to establish the sense of moral and cultural values.
Methodology books enumerate many roles of a teacher, including that of a
manager, organiser, controller, prompter, assessor, participant, resource and investigator.
The last one deserves further attention because of constant development and improvement
that is connected with this role. After several years of teaching the job might fall into a dry
and uninspiring routine, when a teaching style becomes rigid and mechanical or
completely burn-out. Regular self-reflection should help to avoid this situation. It is
suggested that reflective teacher with a flexible approach is innovative, creative, open to
new trends and methods. One of possible guidelines how to "keep out of the way" is
definitely Project-based learning.
It is useful to classify PBL in terms of widely acknowledged teaching styles and
categories, i.e. student vs. teacher-centred approach and liberal, democratic and
authoritative style. It was mentioned in previous chapters that PBL is essentially student
oriented. A special attention devoted to the division of rights and responsibilities gives
evidence of a democratic essence of PBL.

25

A few general observations concerning teachers role in PBL are described in

Haines. The largest single factor in successful project work is the teachers belief in and
commitment to this method of working. Then it must be ensured that students are mature
enough to work in this way and prepared thoroughly in advance. This also includes the
ability of self- and peer-correction. Haines explains that while projects are in progress, the
teacher should act as a reference source alongside dictionaries and grammar books. By
contrast, toward the end students need to realise that accuracy is important to the
communicative effectiveness of their work and 'end product language' should be as
accurate as possible. (Haines, 1989: 4).
Project-based Learning Handbook defines teachers role as follows: "At the heart
of successful PBL is teachers ability to support and direct students. This requires
instructional, organizational, interpersonal and communication skills, as well as the ability
to define the agenda for the class and push a project through to a successful conclusion. It
also includes being sensitive to the fact that students finish work at different rates, with
different abilities, aptitudes, and learning styles." (bie).
On the whole, PBL requires the teacher to adopt a new, enthusiastic attitude, to
acquire a wide range of skills and to leave traditional supreme position. It might be said
that 'leadership' is replaced by 'partnership'. Going back to the idea of CLL, the teacher
should really act as a counsellor, assistant, adviser or consultant, being prepared to give
advice and help with overcoming all difficulties and obstacles. It is his/her duty to coordinate and facilitate the whole process.
Teachers stage-by-stage role is clearly outlined by Simon Haines:
Initially, the teacher should arouse interest and elicit students ideas for the thematic
direction, methods of working, timetable, suitable end product and resource implications.
During the project, the teacher should take on the role of facilitator, which involves
becoming a source of ideas and advice, a referee helping to resolve arguments or
disagreements, chairperson during groups reports to the whole class.
Finally, teachers functions are related to efficient organisation of displays and
productions. His/her role is one of organiser and evaluator. (Haines, 1989: 4).

26

2.5 The benefits of PBL

Although numerous advantages of project work naturally emerge from the previous
chapters, there is still a lot to add. According to the conviction that this approach brings
considerable benefits to the language classroom, an overall summary is presented here.
Contemporary educational frameworks mention the key competences that should
all pupils and students acquire. These are communication and collaboration, activity,
initiative and independence, creativity, responsibility and self-discipline, imagination,
critical thinking and problem solving. There is a question how to achieve these abstract
concepts in ELT. As it is claimed by Hutchinson, "project work is a way of turning such
general aims into practical classroom activity." (Hutchinson, 1999: 8).
PBL includes features such as variety, authenticity, relevance, ego factor enjoyment
and motivation. Motivation will be dealt with later; the following paragraphs are concerned
with the five preceding factors.
There is a space for a variety of topics, tasks, activities and interaction patterns.
Within a project can also be included all the language skills that are not taught in isolation,
but integrated and combined.
Fried-Booth differentiates four types of authenticity that are present in PBL:
"authenticity of language input, authenticity of task, authenticity of event and authenticity
of learner experience". (Fried-Booth, 1986: 4).
PBL removes the relevance gap between knowledge and thinking, school and
reality, theory and practice, between "the language students are taught and the language
they in fact require". (ibid: 5). Learners are encouraged to choose topics that are relevant
and interesting for them. They want to achieve a real, specific goal and are personally
involved in the activity. This fact is closely connected to the ego factor and
personalization, when learners own lives and personalities are taken into consideration. As
it is claimed by Phillips, project work educates the whole child, encourages emotional and
personal development and enhances not only intellectual, but also physical and social
skills. (Phillips, 1999: 6).
Students always appreciate novelty and refreshment. Strict syllabuses often allow a
limited time for doing something different with an essence of general enjoyment.

27

Once carrying out a project is acknowledged and school routine is broken, students
welcome this informal way of teaching as "an antidote to the system". (Haines, 1989: 3).
Hutchinson is convinced that students learn a lot when they are enjoying themselves. "Fun
is not just an added extra, it is the lifeblood of effective learning." (Hutchinson, 1987: 1).
Next worth mentioning benefit is a sense of achievement for all the
participants whose effort becomes visible in a tangible end-product. PBL is an ideal
approach for teaching heterogeneous classes with different students of various skills,
abilities, needs and interests. Projects themselves are open-ended activities and include
wide range of graded tasks. Individual contributions are valued and then positive climate is
easy to maintain. In short, PBL caters for mixed-ability classes with both easiness and
efficiency.
Last but not least, projects are beneficial from a linguistic point of view, extending
students vocabulary stock and consolidating new language. Haines mentions the
advantage of re-integrating language and establishing a context which balances the need
for fluency and accuracy. (Haines, 1989: 3).

2.6 Motivation in PBL

"Motivation is some kind of internal drive that encourages somebody to pursue a course of
action."

(Jeremy Harmer, 1991: 3)

"Motivation involves the attitudes and affective states that influence the degree of effort
that learners make to learn an L2." (Rod Ellis, 1997: 75)

Motivation is such a complex phenomenon that it deserves deeper reflection. Therefore,

the following essay is incorporated into this chapter:

-------Motivation
Many teachers perceive their profession only as a job, as a necessary role in their
lives. Few of them find teaching their vocation and are willing to offer a piece of their

28

heart when working with children and young people. They are aware of the fact that their
goal is not only to teach but also to motivate students to learn. It is widely recognised that
this approach requires more effort and energy, however, the result might be a pleasant
surprise. Although motivating someone to do something is considered a long-term process,
it is possible to find satisfaction and fulfilment at the end. Besides, these are the main
benefits of ones work and teachers should avoid the so called 'burn-out effect' and should
try to maintain their positive attitude and enthusiasm for the whole teaching career.
Numerous methodology course books describe different types of motivation, e.g.
intrinsic, extrinsic, integrative, instrumental. It is not essential to compare them or discuss
the differences here. Nevertheless, teachers should bear in mind that it is vitally important
not to motivate students through marks but through other strategies.
Firstly, when a teacher comes to a class at the beginning of a new school year,
he/she might say either: "I am going to teach you English," or "I am here to help you with
learning English." Undoubtedly, the second alternative is better and far more encouraging.
Learners are given a great deal of freedom, and at the same time the feeling of
responsibility is promoted. The teacher should try to treat the students individually and find
out their needs and expectations. This individual approach can help him/her to recognise
the best ways to motivate each individual learner. Nowadays, English is playing a
significant role in many fields of the modern life and it is a 'universal' language that
enables communication all over the world. Somebody wants to study English at university,
others would like to use it when travelling or in their future jobs, others are interested only
in 'English' music, and still others do not want to learn English at all. What about these
indifferent and bored students? Sometimes it is very demanding to find a solution. But
generally, the teacher should try to connect the English language with something the
students like, be it music, literature, theatre or anything else. Students interests can
become the foundations of large projects.
Then, throughout the school year the teacher ought to promote positive attitude to
the English language and culture, using a wide range of authentic materials in the class,
such as tapes, video recordings, songs, newspaper articles, magazines and the Internet
sources as well. When the target language is presented in such a meaningful context,
learners motivation increases and learning becomes easier and more effective. Motivation
is the basis of successful language learning.

29

In this sense, it should be one of the main features to consider when planning a lesson. One
example can be mentioned here. As teenagers are fond of jokes and humour, why not try to
integrate it into English lessons? Sense of humour is always appreciated and it is also a
powerful teaching tool. Each lesson could include an element of fun, and in this way the
feeling of well-being and relaxation could be created. Positive, stress-free environment is
crucial, especially when teaching less confident learners or those who often fight with
nervousness. Not only positive atmosphere can contribute to teachers motivational
strategies, but also the atmosphere of cooperation can influence learners willingness to
work and participate. This is also one of the possibilities how to lower anxiety levels in the
class. Cooperation is closely connected with interaction patterns, e.g. pair work, group
work, whole class work. Different patterns are suitable for different learners, as well as for
different activities. However, students are more interested in the activity or task when they
can discuss ideas, difficulties, problems and mistakes too. Peer-correction is one of the best
ways to deal with mistakes and errors. It is stated in many sources that errors are 'the
natural outcome of learning' and that 'through mistakes we learn'. It is therefore necessary
to enhance learners self-confidence and esteem rather than punish or humiliate him/her.
To raise awareness of the mistake means to give confidence and to motivate at the same
time. Furthermore, however little sense of achievement is, it motivates a lot. That is why
positive error correction can be regarded as one of the motivational strategies as well.
What is associated with positive error correction is encouraging evaluation and
feedback. When students are supposed to hand in a project log, for example, they are
curious and wait for teachers comments and reactions. The worst case is when the teacher
gives them no feedback at all. Students motivation decreases or completely disappears.
Last but not least, it is the teachers personality that can be an effective
motivational tool. Students observe the teacher carefully and every word and every action
can influence them. If the teacher is not motivated and lacks enthusiasm and creativity,
students recognise it immediately and establish the same attitude. That is why all teachers
should be familiar with the power of creativity, positive relationship, encouragement,
challenge and praise if they are yearning for both learners and their own satisfaction.------

Motivation is one of the key features of PBL and one of its most important benefits.
"Projects offer students a way of practising their English while having funBy creating

30

something, students use English as a tool and see how flexible and useful it can be. Most
important of all, projects offer teenagers a chance to find their own voice and to do
something meaningful and entertaining with the language they are learning. In short,
projects motivate." (Wicks, 2000: 9).
It is possible to summarize motivational aspects of PBL in the short overview below:
- break with routine
- enjoyment and challenge
- discovery approach
- contact with real life
- independence and responsibility
- different abilities appreciated
- useful products and applicable skills

2.7 Possible problems and difficulties in PBL

Various ELT techniques are likely to be described in terms of their pros and cons.
There can always be found people who are strongly for a particular approach and also a
group of confirmed opponents who are strongly against. In spite of the fact that projects
show a huge number of advantages, it is necessary to admit that some problems might
appear in PBL as well.
Firstly, projects may incur certain difficulties associated with organisation. They
have to be integrated into a school curriculum and require a detailed timetable. There are
certain stages that should be followed, i.e. planning, data collection, problem solving,
collating information, creating the final product, presentation, report and evaluation.
Projects are usually carried out both in and outside the classroom, however, combination of
classwork and homework is possible too. Definitely, it takes time to develop a successful
project. It is a good idea to start with so called bridging activities and thus actually bring
students to the idea of project work.
Secondly, monitoring is regarded by Fried-Booth more demanding: "strategies
have to be devised for checking systematically on what the student has heard, learnt, and
understood. And, of course, what he or she may have said while conducting the project."

31

(Fried-Booth, 1986: 11). Error correction in PBL respects the requirement for learners
autonomy and responsibility. As it was mentioned earlier, self- and peer-correction are
effective means of checking students performance and progress. (See checklists and error
monitors in Appendix I). Both students and teachers need feedback that goes hand in hand
with assessment. A teacher might decide whether he/she would apply formal or informal,
final or continuous assessment. Accordingly, the requirements and assignments should be
set. For example, when an assignment is creating a poster, the teacher should assess three
areas separately: language, content and layout.
Thirdly, project work makes demands on students independent work, discipline
and patience. In this sense, there might appear certain personal problems in the course of
the project. Fried-Booth speaks about these obstacles: lack of confidence, interest or
motivation, boredom, uncooperative students, problematic relationships, language learning
plateau. "After the initial burst of enthusiasm, there is often a period of anti-climax, when
everyone begins to worry about coping with learning the new language which is going to
be required for specific situations." (Fried-Booth, 1986: 45, 36). It is essential to maintain
curiosity and challenge throughout the whole project, for instance by progress reports or
continuous assessment scheme. In addition, there should be a climate of mutual trust from
the beginning till the end. Haines further recommends encouraging students to make use of
all their talents and distributing potentially difficult students among the various working
groups. (Haines, 1989: 8).
Last to mention, the character of project work naturally implies using the
mother tongue and noise. The teacher has to determine the limits and explain what is
acceptable and what is undesirable. According to Haines, teachers should allow students to
conduct organisational and planning discussions in L1, but insist on speaking English for
topic and whole class discussions, reporting back sessions and short talks. (ibid: 8).
Hutchinson speaks about noise as follows: "The noise of the well-managed project
classroom is the sound of creativity." (Hutchinson, 1999: 9).

32

2.8 The development of the project

2.8.1 Bridging/Lead-in activities

Whenever a new topic or task is to be dealt with in an EFL classroom, it is always a

purposeful strategy to begin with a suitable pre-activity. It can also be known as an
introductory, preparation or lead-in activity. As the term suggests, this activity should help
the teacher to introduce the topic, explain its relevance and demonstrate what the students
are supposed to do.
Due to an informal, unconventional, student-centred nature of project work there is
frequently the need for building a bridge stretching from traditional directive teaching to an
unknown PBL environment. As it is clearly explained by Fried-Booth, the main objective
is to ease the students gradually away from a teacher-centred approach to a situation where
they have an increasing say in what they do. In other words, bridging activities are
specifically designed to develop receptiveness to project work. (Fried-Booth, 1986: 15, 9).
It must be taken into consideration that it is sometimes the most important step to provide
students with reasonable explanation and rationale.
Bridging activities should prepare students for cooperative working, open-ended
tasks, communicative language production or they can be used for practising specific
language skills. (Haines, 1989: 5). There are various forms of these activities depending on
the project theme. Generally, it is possible to use well-known ELT techniques, viz. guided
visualisation, still image, dialogue, dramatization, simulation, information-gap or role play.
Positive reactions and responses signal that the project can move towards the following
stage.

2.8.2 Planning

Initial class discussion includes both teachers and students suggestions. It can be
compared to a brainstorming session which produces a wide range of ideas concerning the
development of the project. It is highly important that students are allowed to make choices
and decisions from the very beginning because "any decisions that the children make will

33

help foster a feeling of ownership of and responsibility for the project and increase their
motivation." (Phillips, 1999: 14).
Project work certainly requires initial stimulus or inspiration. Ideas, topics and
themes have to be considered carefully to find out whether they are suitable for a project.
According to Fried-Booth, "the jumping-off point, then, is the conviction that the subject is
worth pursuing." (Fried-Booth, 1986: 28). It is necessary to discuss such areas as the
content and scope of the project, curriculum areas, length (long-term vs. short-term
projects), location, level and age, the project objective, student groupings and dividing
responsibilities, the final product and the ways of evaluation and presentation. A visit to a
relevant organization or inviting guest speakers is also recommended to arrange if possible.
Then it is worth remembering that projects often incur preparation of extra
materials and equipment. Fried-Booth recommends getting oneself files, folders,
clipboards, spiral notepads, cassette players, cameras and video cameras, etc. It is useful to
prepare display boards, storage facilities and an accessible classroom equipped with mobile
furniture and presentation facilities. (ibid: 32, 33).
Lastly, valuable and practical advice can be found in the book Projects with Young
Learners. It is described as very helpful to draw a project web consisting of the project
topic in the middle and these areas arranged in a sun-ray format around: vocabulary,
grammar/functions, the language skills and curriculum areas. It can serve as a graphic
reminder of the work to be done and as the project progresses the objectives can be
evaluated and ticked off. Students can have a copy in their files or they can create a wall
poster. It can also be in the form of a calendar for young learners, with a picture for each
day depicting the activity to be achieved. (Phillips, 1999: 11, 16).

2.8.3 Carrying out the project

When all the essential preparations and arrangements are made, it is the right time
to proceed to a next step which is the actual carrying out of the project. Putting the ideas
into effect is the core of the project. Apart from working in the classroom, learners need to
tackle many tasks outside the school as well. Students are expected to practise all the four
language skills, i.e. reading, writing, speaking and listening, as well as various language
functions, e.g. introductions, polite requests etc.

34

Before collecting relevant information and other data, it is advisable to design

written materials, such as questionnaires, maps, grids, tables, etc. (Fried-Booth, 1986: 10).
Consequently, students are supposed to make the research, solve problems, conduct
interviews and surveys, observe specific environment and gather the facts. They can even
make audio or video recordings and take photos. What follows is collating information
which includes comparing results, explanation, negotiation and whole class discussion. Not
only have the students to choose the most important data, but they also need to devise a
system for storing and retrieving them later. For example, wall displays or cardboard boxes
can be used. As it is suggested by Phillips, learners can record their work in files or folders
including project plans, timetables, objectives for the project, written grammar exercises,
vocabulary lists, homework tasks, tests, reports on progress and evaluation sheets.
(Phillips, 1999: 12).
Fried-Booth says that these classroom feedback sessions can be significant in many
aspects. Constructive discussions are invaluable source for teachers reflection. Next to
mention, students learn to be selective and tolerant too. Moreover, unclear language items
can be used as a springboard for more intensive work, and a dossier can be built up for
both diagnostic and remedial purposes. (ibid: 44, 45).
Teachers roles during the project are depicted in the chapter 2.4. Nevertheless, it is
useful to remind his/her responsibility for monitoring and checking the progress. He/she is
expected to take notes of mistakes and errors. Be it individual, group or whole class
achievement or success, it needs to be noted down. But likewise, the same procedure is
aimed at problems and failures. Different activities and charts could be used to ensure
objective record keeping. There is presented a list of them here (example copies can be
found in the Appendix):
- weekly review
- error monitor sheet
- sub-skills checklist (Fried-Booth)
- project diary or log, preference charts (Phillips)

35

2.8.4 Creating the final product

Although there are projects with no tangible end product and with the emphasis on
the development of various skills, students undoubtedly appreciate the chance of producing
something real, original that they can show to their classmates, parents or even to the
general public. They are eager to make a show of their knowledge and abilities. The
significance of language accuracy is accepted as a matter of course. Through a final
product learners gain a sense of achievement that is so important for their motivation and
overall attitude to the subject.
There can be a wide range of the end products depending on the content of the
project, e.g. posters, wall displays, charts, portfolios, leaflets, brochures, booklets,
magazines or newspapers, video cassettes, exhibitions or parties. These days, it is
necessary to mention progressive PowerPoint presentations.

2.8.5 Presentation and final evaluation

Successful and well crafted projects deserve to be presented to others. Thus

students can experience the feeling of researchers, engineers, artists, reporters and all those
admired personalities who usually catch the attention of the public.
Presentations should be well-organized, attractive and not too long. The nature of
the end product influences the conditions, such as intended audience, suitable place and the
form of the presentation. There are classrooms specially equipped for these purposes in
most schools. If it is taken as a more festive occasion, a school hall would be an ideal
place. Inimitable atmosphere is achieved when a presentation takes place outdoors, for
example at school playgrounds.
Final evaluation is a valuable feedback for the teacher. Evaluation forms or
questionnaires can be substituted by whole class discussions. All comments and advice
should be weighed by the teacher, because with a constructive reflection it is possible to
improve future project attempts. Students learn to analyse both teachers and their own
work and become aware of the value of project work.

36

3 Practical part
3.1 Preface
Project-based learning in ELT should not be regarded as something unusual or
supplementary. This approach offers benefits for both teachers and students. "To teach
does not mean to torture" could be its motto. Not only does it promote English language
knowledge, but it is also a means of personal growth and development. It is also widely
recognised that language learning is facilitated through positive atmosphere, mutual trust
and interesting topics. These aspects are taken into consideration in this project called A
Halloween Party.
It is essential for the students of the English language to become familiar with a
piece of English culture. This kind of topic connects learners with the English speaking
world and makes them to compare, to think of cultural differences. In this sense, students
are prepared to evaluate foreign influences and to appreciate our traditions at the same
time.
This project is designed for the learners of an intermediate level. But it can be
easily adapted for other levels as well (see Notes on pp. 49, 58). It is suggested to be a
long-term and multi-layered project and it is possible to choose only certain parts in
practice. A wide range of activities is included to practise all the language skills and
systems. The author bears in mind the factors of relevance, variety and balance. Different
teaching aids are used in individual units. Besides, teaching across curriculum is applied in
most lesson plans. Elements of subjects, such as I T, history, biology are incorporated into
the project. Students are given a chance to experience real life tasks. They are involved in
painting, cooking, computer graphics, planning the programme of the party and in many
other lively activities. Simultaneously, they focus on the language itself, extend their word
stock, improve their speaking skills and pick up grammar structures.
To sum up, this project is carefully planned to be both educational and enjoyable.

37

3.2 Syllabus
3.2.1 Teaching unit I: Lead-in activities
Lesson plan 1: Horrid Henry Tricks and Treats (using authentic literature)
Lesson plan 2: Ghost stories listening
Assignment 1: Draw a haunted house
Lesson plan 3: Ghost stories reading, 'raising of ghosts', tongue twisters, storytelling

3.2.2 Teaching unit II: Halloween festival

Lesson plan 4: Halloween history (computer-based display)
Lesson plan 5: Halloween in the present (video package)
Lesson plan 6: Halloween comparison with Czech traditions, mock test,
Assignment 2: Create a poster

3.2.3 Teaching unit III: A pumpkin lantern

Lesson plan 7: A pumpkin rhyme
Discussion: Pumpkins everywhere
Jack-o-lantern: The old Irish legend
Dramatization of the story
Pumpkin anatomy
How to make a pumpkin lantern
Assignment 3: Create a pumpkin carving manual

3.2.4 Teaching unit IV: Music at the party

Lesson plan 8: Brainstorming, discussion
Who will be a DJ?
Guided visualization
Listening tasks
Assignment 4: Lyrics translation and painting the figures from the songs

38

3.2.5 Teaching unit V: Refreshments at the party

Lesson plan 9: Cooking verbs
Interview
Food associations
Halloween party food and drinks, recipes
Assignment 5: recipes translation, labels, shopping list, preparation of
drinks and snacks, baking the pumpkin pie
3.2.6 Teaching unit VI: Posters and invitation cards
Lesson plan 10: Describing the party adjectives
Language functions invitations
Role-play
Wh-questions
Halloween party invitation cards
Assignment 6: Create posters and invitation cards for the party
3.2.7 Teaching unit VII: Programme of the party
Lesson plan 11: A party joke
Future tense
Pyramid discussion
Assignment 7: Dividing responsibilities
3.2. 8 Teaching unit VIII: Final evaluation
Lesson plan 12: Achievement test
Assessment scheme - questionnaire

39

3.2.1 Teaching unit I: Lead-in activities

Lesson plan 1: Horrid Henry Tricks and Treats (using authentic literature)
Level: intermediate
Number of students: 18
Time: 45 minutes
Main aim: introduction of authentic contemporary literature, raising interest and curiosity
Subsidiary aim: enlarging Ss word stock, present examples of informal childrens
speech, raising cultural awareness
Interaction patterns: individual work, pair work, group work
Learner training:
Learners are trained to perceive the literary text as "a whole". They should be able to
summarize it without understanding each individual word. They will practise orientation in
the text and reading sub-skills.

Procedure:
1) General introduction
Ss are asked to make predictions in pairs about the book according to the picture on the
front page and the titles of the four stories included.

Mark the statements true or false:

1) The book is boring and serious. ( T / F )
2) The stories are exciting and funny. ( T / F )
3) The stories are moral and educational. ( T / F )
4) The book is full of humour and exaggeration. ( T / F )

2) Raising the interest, personalization

In one of the stories, Horrid Henry, the main character, calls himself: "the bulldozer of
babysitters, the terror of teachers, the bully of brothers".

40

Create similar "nicknames for yourselves using alliteration (the same initial letters), either
truthful or untruthful. (dictionaries allowed)

The teacher: "the fan of fantasy", "the hunter of happiness", "the neighbour of nature".

3) Pre-reading activity: setting the topic, trick or treating

Brainstorming: the expression "trick or treating" is written in the centre of the board,
children think of everything connected with this custom (sun-ray effect).
= childrens practice of going to peoples houses on Halloween and asking for treats
(presents, usually sweets or fruit) under threat of playing tricks on people who refuse
(spattering them with a shaving foam).

4) Cutting a long story short

Ss are divided into 4 groups using numbers (ones, twos, threes, fours together). Each group
should read 3 pages of the story. (ending on the page 12: "Ding dong".) Then Ss share what
they have learnt.

5) While-reading activity: vocabulary work competition

Each group is given 6 anticipated unknown words with their Czech equivalents on the back
side. They take the card only if they would not understand the correspondent sentence and
the story would become incomprehensible. The group which has taken the fewest cards
wins. (or they can choose traditional using dictionaries)
1st group: stuff cpt se, woe betide bda tomu, trident trojzubec, copycat ten kdo se
opi po nkom, bound skkat, groan pt
2nd group: punch udeit, tease kdlit, desperately zoufale, yell vt, pat poplcat,
curls kudrny
3rd group: squeal jeet, twirl toit, yucky odporn, howl vt, screech vett,
ragged tufts otrhan chume
4th group: sob vzlykat, melt roztavit, revenge odplata, meekly pokorn, leap
skkat, to be in charge of st. mt zodpovdnost za nco
In any case, Ss are provided with a handout of difficult words and their Czech equivalents
from the whole story at the end of the lesson.

41

6) While-reading activity: culture awareness

The last seven pages are read by the best readers, page by page accompanied with
explanation of unknown words.
During the reading, Ss are asked to note down all the costumes mentioned in the story and
the characters wearing them. Would you like to try trick or treating? What costume would
you like to wear? (devil, bunny, pirate, pillowcase over the head, scarecrow - strak do
zel, robot,)

7) Learning beyond the book

* competition, pair work
Each pair should write down as much as possible of things that are usually used for making
(Halloween) costumes, such as:
paper, scissors, glue, cloth, needle, thread, pins, safety-pins, coloured pencils, colours,
brush, fine wire, fur,
The winning pair has the privilege to try the role of the teacher for a while. They are asked
to go to the board, write their words on the board, check whether their classmates
understand all of them and explain what is necessary. (approx. 4 min.)
Then the teacher adds several words that can be unknown to the students, explain them in
English and encourage learners to guess the meaning in Czech themselves and do not tell
the others. The teacher can prepare simple pictures on cards to help the weakest students.
After everybody has their guesses noted down, the teacher gives them the Czech
equivalents. (approx. 3 min.)

A short exercise follows:

Circle what can not usually be used for making a costume or a mask. ( approx. 4 min.)

1)

a) cotton wool

b) crepe paper

c) green tea

d) felt-tip pen

2)

a) old sheet

b) old T-shirt

c) old dog

d) old curtain

3)

a) ribbon

b) cheese

c) pen

d) sack

4)

a) dictionary

b) paper

c) lipstick

d) string

42

Lesson plan 2: Ghost stories listening

Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)
Number of students: 18
Time: 45 minutes
Main aim: Introduce ghost stories as an integral part of Halloween
Subsidiary aim: Practice listening subskills
Learner training: Learners are trained to pick up lexical chunks and colloquial
expressions from listening to stories.
Language work: picture description, enlarging vocabulary, pronunciation practice
Interaction patterns: individual work, pair work
Learning environment: classroom with a good acoustics
Aids and materials: computer with Windows Media Player installed, worksheets, pictures

Procedure:
1) Pre-listening stage
T introduces the task that awaits the Ss and motivates them to participate. T uses visual
clues (pictures connected with the stories) for this purpose and plays short extracts. There
are three haunted stories on offer. It is up to the Ss to choose one scary story they would
like to hear.
-

Rival Witches (5 min.)

The Hermits House (5 min.)

Pecos Bill and the Haunted House (4 min.)

Note: Stories are available at www.americanfolklore.net

As the first two stories are more suitable for adults, this plan deals with Pecos Bill and the
Haunted House.
T raises a picture depicting typical haunted house and asks somebody to describe it. Then
the Ss are invited to close their eyes and imagine a ghostly house or a place. Afterwards,
they should describe it to their neighbours and tell them if it really exists or if it is only
imaginary.

43

T pre-teaches difficult lexis using his/her voice, gestures and miming:

-

Verbs: howl (vt), moan (stnat), groan (hekat), shriek (jeet, vskat)

Creatures: werewolf (vlkodlak), spook (straidlo, duch), mummy (mumie), banshee

(according to Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture: "a spirit
whose cry is believed to mean that there will be a death in the house")

Other nouns: embarrassment (rozpaky), claws (drpy, spry)

2) While-listening tasks
T makes sure that the acoustics is convenient and remind the Ss that they are not going to
be tested. Ss should practice various listening sub-skills. They listen to the story twice and
the T makes stops whenever it is necessary. During the second listening Ss fill in their
worksheets.
Listen carefully and try to deal with following tasks:

1) Circle the right state where P. B. was travelling:

Pecos Bill was travelling through.a) California b) Arizona c) Nevada

2) Fill the right number in the gap:

a) There were nearly .ghosts, spooks and monsters in the house.
b) Not a single man had stepped foot in it for the last. years.

3) What most of the families in the neighbourhood have done? Circle the right answer:
a) They have complained. b) They have moved away. c) They have gone mad.

4) Complete the sentence:

The owner offered P. B. his share and ..

5) Circle Yes or No:

Was P. B. successful in fighting all the monsters? Yes / No

6) Circle the right answer:

What did P. B. need to kill the werewolves? a) sword b) special gun c) silver bullets

44

7) When the whole house was cleaned up P. B. invited somebody to do something.

Replace somebody and to do something with the right words.

8) Does the story remind you of a similar Czech story or a hero?

KEY: 1) c, 2) 200, 5 3) b 4) a silver mine 5) Yes 6) c 7) a priest to bless the house 8)

3) Follow-up
* Peer correction: Ss work in pairs, exchange their worksheets for correction. Only then the
T shows the key.
* Discussion in pairs: How did you like the story? Did you find it scary? Was it difficult to
understand?
* Assignment: Draw the most haunted house you can imagine and write labels beside to
practice vocabulary.

Lesson plan 3: Ghost stories reading and storytelling

Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)
Number of students: 18
Time: 90 minutes
Main aim: Further insight into ghost and scary stories
Subsidiary aim: Practice of reading skills, using ghost stories for the development of
production (storytelling) skills
Language work: past simple x past continuous, parts of a house
Interaction patterns: individual work, pair work, group work, whole class
Learning environment: classroom, circle seating arrangement, props
Aids and materials: handouts, pictures, stops, board, marker
Preparation: T tells Ss to bring flashlights and candles to create a mysterious setting and
appropriate atmosphere.

45

Procedure:
1) 'Mingle and ask' activity
T presents following questions on the board:
-

Do you believe in ghosts?

Have you ever perceived or seen such a phenomenon?

Do you have any strange experiences that you cant explain?

Do you often have haunted dreams?

Do you like reading ghost and scary stories?

Ss are supposed to stand up, mingle and ask their classmates the above questions. It
naturally emerges from the activity that Ss want to find somebody who believes in ghosts,
who has experienced something like that, who often has haunted dreams and who likes
ghost stories. It could be planned as a group-formation activity as well. There might appear
a group of Ss who are interested in this topic and on the opposite site might stand those
who fundamentally disagree with the existence of supernatural phenomena. It could be an
indicator of Ss either romantic or realistic personalities.

2) Pre-reading stage
T writes this extract on the board: The chair was facing me when I came out of my room, so
I turned it around. Then I heard something squeak.
T explains the meaning of the word squeak (kviet, pitt) and asks somebody to translate
the extract. Then Ss are encouraged to share their suggestions and predictions about the
content of the story.

3) While-reading activities
* Ss are provided with a real life ghost story PINK CHAIR (without a title) on handouts
(see Appendix II) and silent reading in pairs takes place. Then one student retells the story
and the other is a listener. They both think of a suitable title for the story.
* Whole class tasks:
Do-it-yourself questions: Ss compose and answer their own questions.
Summary: Ss try to summarize the content in two or three sentences.
Continue: Ss suggest what might have happen next

46

Attitudes: T elicits reactions to the text and throws questions (Have you ever come across
anything like that? Have you ever experienced a similar situation?)
Exploitation of the text for language practice: past simple x past continuous, description of
a house
Ss are asked to underline all the examples of past simple and past continuous tense and to
explain the difference. Then they concentrate on different parts of the house and its
description.

4) Post-reading activities
* Poltergeist: T asks if somebody can explain what this expression means. If Ss have some
doubts, T can present his/her explanation: The term "poltergeist" comes from the German
poltern, "to knock," and geist, "spirit." It is a spirit which manifests its presence by making
noises, breaking dishes, moving or throwing of objects and even furniture.
Ss discuss: Could the house mentioned in the story be inhabited by a poltergeist?

-BREAK-

* Raising of ghosts
This activity is not meant as a real raising of ghosts, it serves only for language practice
and for making cross-curricula (English History) links.
- Ss are asked to share what they know about raising of ghosts:
Is it dangerous?
Does it have any rules?
Which signals are ghosts supposed to use as a proof of their presence?
- Ss should work in three groups and deal with following tasks:
1) Think of famous personalities from the history and choose one. This would be a
ghost you would like to raise.
2) Be prepared to give reasons why you have chosen this particular personality.
3) Find out when this personality lived (at least a century) and what he/she is famous
for.
4) Prepare questions that you would like to ask him/her.

47

5) Tongue twisters
Ss try to say a tongue twister connected with the topic of Halloween. It is a good warm-up
for the storytelling part of the lesson.
- Dracula digs dreary, dark dungeons.
- If big black bats could blow bubbles, how big of bubbles would big black bats blow?
- If two witches would watch two watches, which witch would watch which watch?
Note: Tongue twisters are available at www.americanfolklore.net.

6) Storytelling
Ss are given small pictures depicting things such as: vampire, werewolf, ghost, witch, owl,
bat, black cat, pumpkin, cemetery, haunted house, spider, skeleton, dungeon,
Each S has three pictures and also one paper road sign 'Stop'.
Now the T gives instructions and checks if the activity is clear.
Ss should sit in a circle, the curtains drawn, the candles placed in the middle.
T chooses the first one to start and points the flashlight at him/her. The student starts
telling a scary story. S/he has to mention the three things on his/her pictures. The next one
continues using his three pictures as well. Everybody contributes in this way for the
completion of the story.
However, there is a weapon that everybody can use. Each S has a small paper road sign
STOP. Whenever s/he raises this sign the learner before him/her has to retell everything
from the beginning.
Ss have to build up the story and pay attention to the others contributions at the same time.

7) Feedback
T writes frequent mistakes on the board and asks Ss to correct them.
T praises the Ss for active participation and original contributions.
Note: An example of teachers flexible approach to this project might be presented here.
Undoubtedly, it is possible to use ghost stories with young learners and with real beginners as well.
T prepares suitable colouring pages (samples are available on the Internet), e.g. a haunted house, a witch with
her broomstick etc. Learners are then supposed to colour them according to their fantasy and write the titles
below to practice vocabulary spelling. Another possibility is drawing pictures according to numbers
(numbers are linked together and in this way a picture is created). T can also introduce a picture dictation as a

48

great way of promoting learners attentiveness. Various monsters might be drawn in this way. For example:
Draw a big circle as monsters head. The monster has three red eyes, four large ears, a long trunk and a
mouth full of sharp teeth
All the pictures emerging from the activities are then used for storytelling and gradually stuck on the board as
the teacher tells the story.

3.2.2 Teaching unit X: Halloween festival

Lesson plan 4: Halloween history
Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)
Number of students: 18
Time: 45 minutes
Main aim: to provide useful background knowledge for the whole project
Subsidiary aim: teaching across curriculum (English history, culture), using discovery
approach
Language work: past tense
Interaction patterns: pair work, group work, whole class
Learning environment: classroom
Aids and materials: data projector, computer with Windows Media Player, worksheets,
cards, board, marker
Procedure:
1) Warm-up: hangman
T greets the Ss and raises their curiosity with an incomplete sentence written on the board.
Gradually, Ss guess letters till the words (festival and magic) are revealed.
Halloween is a F _ _ _ _ _ _ L celebrated on October 31, when it is supposed to be the
most M _ _ _ C night of the year.
2) The History of Halloween: video (3 minutes)
T checks the function of a data projector and Windows Media Player. The video image will
be projected onto a screen from the Internet (www.history.com/minisites/halloween).

49

At first, Ss should go through the worksheets together with the T.

T explains that they are going to discover a few facts from Halloween history. The video is
played twice. First, Ss enjoy the display and then try to make notes and co-operate in pairs.
T reminds the Ss that filling the worksheet is only a challenge for them, not a test.

Worksheet The History of Halloween

1) Which ancient tribe is connected with Halloweens origins?
__________________________________________________
2) Halloween originates from the festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in, meaning
summers end).
Who is believed to walk the earth on this night?
__________________________________________________
3) How was November 1st called by the pope in the 7the century?
__________________________________________________
4) How was the night before November 1st called?
__________________________________________________
5) Where did the Irish immigrants bring their customs?
__________________________________________________
6) The tradition of "trick-or-treating" dates back to the early English tradition of giving
food to the poor who promise to pray for the familys dead relatives.
How was this food called?
__________________________________________________

KEY: 1) the Celts 2) the ghosts of the dead 3) All Saints Day 4) All Hallows Eve
5) to America 6) soul cakes

3) Puzzle
T prepares a sheet of paper with a short summary of Halloween history. (See below)
S/he cuts the sheet to pieces, to several geometrical shapes.
Ss work in pairs and try to rearrange the pieces to get the text.
Then silent reading in pairs takes place, T goes around as a monitor and helps with the
vocabulary.

50

Halloween History

The origins of Halloween go back to Celtic Ireland B. C. Celts celebrated the

festival of Samhain around November 1. They thought that this time the borders between
the worlds of the living and the dead are the smallest. They also believed that the spirits of
the dead are wandering through the earth. That is why they placed lanterns carved from
turnips in front of their houses. These lanterns were meant as a welcome for the dead
relatives and as a protection against evil spirits. Later, European settlers introduced
pumpkins that were bigger and more suitable for carving.
After the Roman conquest in 43 A. D., Roman and Celtic traditions melted. For
example, Pomona was the Roman goddess of fruit and trees and her symbol was the apple.
This might be connected with a favourite Halloween treat candy apples.
By the 8th century, Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. Pope Boniface IV
established November 1 All Saints Day and the night before it began to be called AllHallows Eve.
In the second half of the 19th century, Irish immigrants brought their customs to
America. Americans began to dress up in costumes and go house to house asking for food
or money, which became todays trick-or-treating.
Nowadays, Halloween parties are the most common way to celebrate this festival.

4) Group activity: Match and order

Ss are asked to form three groups. Each group receives 20 cards: 10 of them (A-J) are the
first halves of the sentences and the other 10 (1-10) are the second halves of the sentences.
Groups should match the sentence halves and put them into a correct order to make a story
describing the history of Halloween. (See Appendix III)
A. Ancient Celts celebrated festivals connected with their sun
B. But the fun of Halloween is not only for children, many adults also dress
C. But these are only ordinary Americans, mostly children, pretending
D. Children also dress in costumes to visit nearby
E. Later, November 1 became All Saints Day, but many believe the spirits
F. On October 31 of each year, witches, ghosts and
G. Some children in the U. S. now use Halloween to play

51

H. The Scots and Irish brought these traditions to America, along

I. The traditions that underlie Halloween began in
J. The word Halloween comes from an English phrase

1. god and their god of death around November 1.

2. homes to receive candy and other sweets
3. meaning "all saints eve"
4. of the dead would roam the earth the night before
5. other evil spirits walk the streets of the United States.
6. Scotland and Ireland in the years before Christianity.
7. to be creatures of fantasy in the celebration of Halloween.
8. tricks on friends and neighbours.
9. up in costume to celebrate the magic of the evening.
10. with the practice of making eerie lanterns from carved pumpkins.
KEY: F-5, C-7, I-6, A-1, E-4, J-3, H-10, G-8, D-2, B-9

5) Feedback
T comes to all the groups, checks the answers, gives advice. Finally, s/he presents the key.
T praises Ss for participation and summarizes what they have just discovered about the
history of Halloween.

Lesson plan 5: Halloween in the present

Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)
Number of students: 18
Time: 45 minutes
Main aim: Introduce contemporary Halloween customs
Subsidiary aim: Involve Ss in a variety of activities, not just presenting facts
Language work: passive voice revision
Interaction patterns: individual work, pair work
Learning environment: classroom

52

Aids and materials: video player +video cassette, worksheets, board, marker

Procedure:
1) Video package
T has prepared a video package to guide the Ss through the Halloween festival. In this way
Ss explore the topic, discover pieces of knowledge themselves and are actively involved in
the teaching process. Besides, Ss have a chance to experience this means of delivery and
compare this audio-visual aid to a computer-based display.

Video cassettes available:

Window on Britain, OUP 1997 + Activity Book by Richard Mac Andrew, OUP 1998, ISBN 0-19-459038-0
British Festivals, Connect ELT, 101470.3204@compuserve.com (available at Anglick knihovna MZK,
Solnin 12, Brno 601 74, 542 210 157, zhr@mzk.cz)

T invites the Ss to enjoy the video and highlights significant points that the Ss are supposed
to notice. T makes stops to explain difficult expressions and to draw Ss attention to
interesting facts.
Exploitation of the video: At first, Ss share their impressions. Then, they are engaged in a
variety of activities offered in the Activity Book (see Appendix III).
2) Word game
The word "HALLOWEEN" is written in the centre of the board. The expression consists of
nine letters, which is an ideal number for a group of 18 learners. There can be 9 pairs
formed. It would be good to have a horseshoe seating arrangement in the classroom.
Ss are divided into pairs. The first one should think of a word beginning with the letter H.
The second student from the pair has to start with the last letter from his/ her partners
word. The words must be associated with Halloween.
Gradually, "word fringes" are hanging from HALLOWEEN.

53

Open-ended task: Each student tries to write a Halloween poem using at least three words
from the board. Ss share their attempts in the end.
Example:
H A L L O W E
O T A I

R I

E N

V V

R M N G A T E

I
G

R O T H N C N L H
O S E T

G H I

R P R R

E A N G R

A H N I

A U G E E

V E A C

R N H N A

E R I K

S T O D T

N E L
Y S

E T

D T

3) Consolidation of facts: matching exercise

Ss remain in pairs and T gives them a worksheet with a challenging matching exercise. It is
assumed that the Ss are prepared to find connections between expressions on the left and
those on the right.
Example:
Match the expressions in column A with those in column B.

54

Column A

Column B

pagan

scary costumes

to go

candies

pumpkin

holiday

to wear

lantern

to mark windows

"trick or treating"

to give

a party

to organize

with a tooth paste

4) Grammar focus: passive voice

Ss are supposed to work individually and revise the passive voice in a transformation
exercise, which is finally self-corrected according to Ts instructions.
Turn the following sentences into the passive voice:
1. People celebrate Halloween on October 31.
2. They use pumpkins for making lanterns.
3. Adults usually accompany small children in the darkness.
4. People often organize parties.
5. Someone prepares amazing food for the party.
6. We consider orange and black typical Halloween colours.

5) The end of the lesson: Keep smiling!

A joke is presented on the board: Why didnt the skeleton go to the ball?
Because he had no body to go with! (www.americanfolklore.net)

Lesson plan 6: Halloween comparison with Czech traditions, mock test

Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)
Number of students: 18
Time: 45 minutes
Main aim: Raising awareness of cultural differences
Subsidiary aim: test Ss' memory

55

Interaction patterns: individual work, group work, whole-class work

Learning environment: classroom
Aids and materials: picture, chart, board, marker, mock tests

Procedure:
1) Warm-up: picture description
T shows a picture (newspapers or magazines can be used) depicting Czech people kneeling
by a grave and lighting a candle.
Ss are asked to describe the picture. Each student should add a new detail.

2) Whole-class discussion
There are several points to discuss:
When does it (see the picture) happen in the Czech Republic?
How are these days called? . All Souls Day (November 2)
All Saints Day (November 1)
T guides the Ss to find out these facts themselves.

3) Group-work: comparative approach completing a chart

Ss work in three groups and try to complete a chart showing the differences between
Halloween and the Czech feasts.
Ss should also think of what do the feasts have in common, if there are any similarities.

Festival characteristics

HALLOWEEN

FEASTS in CR

origin

pagan

Christian

date

October 31

November 1, 2

atmosphere

magic, scary

melancholic, respectful

age group mainly involved

children

adults

contents

trick or treating, fun, parties

visiting graveyards, cemeteries

symbols

scary costumes, pumpkins

candles, wreaths of flowers

56

4) Mock test: What do you remember?

T explains to the Ss that it is the right time to check their memory, deals the multiple
choice tests, goes through the items, answers questions and wishes good luck.
Tests are corrected in groups.
In this way feedback is provided for both the T and Ss.

1) The word Halloween comes from a phrase:

a) All Hallows Evening

b) holy week

c) wine hall

2) Halloween dates back to ancient:

a) Greeks

b) Celts

c) Vikings

3) Halloween comes from a festival called:

a) Samhain

b) Druidan

c) Sunrise

4) Trick or treating means:

a) telling jokes

b) making costumes c) knocking on doors and receiving sweets

5) Children dress up as:

a) ghosts, witches

b) doctors, teachers

c) pop stars

6) Typical Halloween colours are:

a) white and grey

b) orange and black c) green and black

7) Typical Halloween animals are:

a) bat, black cat, spider

b) dog, tiger, lion

8) What is connected with a haunted house?

a) garden

b) magic spell

c) ghosts

9) What is not a scary figure?

a) mummy

b) werewolf

c) fairy

57

c) snake, fish, frog

10) What do people usually do on Halloween today?

a) travel abroad

b) have parties

c) do not celebrate it at all

5) Assignment: Create a poster

Ss should create a poster for their schoolmates. This poster should include pictures and
basic facts about Halloween. Posters will be displayed along school corridors.
Note: With small children of the age of 10 or 11 the consolidation of facts connected with Halloween might
have the form of a favourite game with picture pairs pelmanism. Learners could be divided into several
groups and play the game looking for two identical pictures and words at the same card. For instance, they
can come across these items: bat, spider, cat, pumpkin, vampire, witch, wizard, werewolf, ghost, mummy,
skeleton, goblin, executioner, dungeon, castle, haunted house, candies, candle, etc.

3.2.3 Teaching unit III: A pumpkin lantern

Lesson plan 7
Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)
Number of students: 18
Time: 90 minutes !!!
Main aim: making pumpkin lanterns and preparing a short scene for the party
Subsidiary aim: increase cultural awareness, encourage Ss creativity and performance
skills
Learner training: Learners are trained in predicting and guessing the meaning of
unknown expressions.
Language work: enlarging vocabulary, practising reading comprehension and dialogues,
using imperatives
Interaction patterns: pair work, group work, individual work
Learning environment: a spacious classroom equipped with a data projector, decorated
with pictures of carved pumpkins accompanied with associated facts (peripheral learning)

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Aids and materials: data projector + CD, handouts with the Jack-o-lantern legend and
Pumpkin anatomy (see Appendix IV), real pumpkins (at least 3), knives, spoons, candles,
ribbons and supplementary decoration material

Procedure:
1) Warm-up: A pumpkin rhyme
An old pumpkin rhyme is presented on the board using a data projector:

"Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater,

Had a wife and couldnt keep her,
He put her in a pumpkin shell
And there he kept her very well."

A volunteer reads the rhyme aloud. It might help to create a stress-free environment.

2) Discussion: Pumpkins everywhere

T greets the Ss and throws the question: What do you know about pumpkins?
Ss share ideas in pairs for a while and then following statements are presented on the board
using a data projector.

a) There are pumpkins of various shapes and colours.

b) The pumpkin is a multifunction vegetable.
c) Pumpkins are used for cooking.
d) Pumpkins were used by American settlers for making beer.
e) Pumpkins serve as Halloween lanterns.
f) Pumpkins are used to play sports with.
g) Pumpkins leaves and seeds can be used to make medicines.
h) In the USA there are competitions of the biggest pumpkins.

Ss try to evaluate these statements and discuss if they are true or false. (It may be a surprise
that all of them are true. T is supposed to answer Ss questions.)

59

3) Jack-o-lantern: the old Irish legend

* Pair work: reading comprehension
T provides each pair with a handout and gives instructions. S/he also explains that it would
be a shame not to know why the lantern is called so. Ss should read the legend and try to
answer the questions below. (see Appendix IV)
T functions as a monitor and advisor during the activity.

4) Dramatization of the story

* Group work: practising dialogues
T demonstrates what the Ss are about to prepare.
Ss work together to think of possible dialogues between Stingy Jack and the Devil and
between Jack and Saint Peter. This is the time for bright students to help the others. Then
Ss decide which of them will be the actors. There might be the role of a narrator as well.
On the contrary, this is a chance for those who are not afraid to appear "on the stage".
The scene will be included in the Halloween party programme.

Example:
Jack: Hey, Devil, I guess you are so lazy that you never manage to climb this tree.
Devil: You miserable worm! I manage to do whatever I want.
Devil: Oh, what are you doing, you damned creature?
Jack: Ive got a suggestion for you. Promise me not to take my soul and I will remove the
crosses.
Devil: All right, take my word for it.
Jack: Please, let me enter the gate of Heaven.
Saint Peter: Regretfully, you are not allowed here, Jack. Think of your cruelty, meanness
and sinful life.
Jack: Can I enter the gate of Hell?
Devil: You fool! You have got hoist with your own petard. I keep my promise. I dont
want your soul here.
Jack: So, where should I go then?
Devil: Here you are and light your way.

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- B R E A K-

5) Pumpkin anatomy
"Which came first? The pumpkin or the seed?" (An old English saying)
Ss try to match the names of different parts of the pumpkin with the pictures. First they
should try to work individually and then they can check with their neighbour. T provides
handouts, gives instructions and then functions as a monitor and prompter.
Pumpkin anatomy:
stem stopka, tendril vhonek, ponka, leaves listy, the lid vrek, poklika, pumpkin
shell kra a dunina, skin kra, slupka, pulp dunina, ribs rhy, ebra, blossom end
msto po odpadnut kvtu, cavity vnitek, dutina, brains vnitn hmota se semeny,
seeds semena

6) How to make a pumpkin lantern

Ss make necessary precautions, they prepare tables, pumpkins and tools. They should work
preferably in 3 groups (with a giant, medium-sized and small pumpkin).
T presents 8 pictures with a description (see Appendix IV) on the board. Ss are supposed to
have a look at them before they start making their own pumpkin lanterns.
Finally, the groups display their final outcomes which will be a beautiful decoration at the
party and take photos.

7) Assignment: Create a pumpkin carving manual

T praises the Ss for their effort and introduces the short task for the next day.
Ss should write a short manual (pictures may be added) including instructions for making a
pumpkin lantern.

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3.2.4 Teaching unit IV: Music at the party

Lesson plan 8
Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)
Number of students: 18
Time: 90 minutes !!!
Main aim: using of Ss probable interest in music and further motivation for organizing
Halloween Party
Learner training: Learners are trained in using dictionaries and are also shown how to use
songs for improving their English, both enlarging their vocabulary and controlling
pronunciation. They are reminded that translating song lyrics is a great idea how to learn
new expressions actively and more easily. Picking up whole chunks of language is another
advantage that students are made aware of. They are provided with useful web pages
where they can find lyrics of English songs. They are trained to gain all the possible
benefits from listening to songs.
Language work: enlarging vocabulary, pronunciation practice, past tense revision
Interaction patterns: whole class discussion, group work, individual work
Learning environment: classroom with good acoustics, seating arrangement: circle
Aids and materials: audio system/ CD player, Ssand teachers CDs, handouts with song
lyrics (see Appendix V), dictionaries
Procedure:
Task for Ss given in advance, at least one week before this lesson:
Search your CD rack at home, at a library, at your relatives or friends, and try to find
CDs that would be suitable for our Halloween Party, i. e. scary or ghostly titles, songs
supporting the atmosphere of a magic night. Look for such words as wizard, witch, ghost,
devil, fear, darkness, black, magic, etc.
Warning: choose CDs with common sense, they will be used at a school party!
1) Warm-up: "mind map" (brainstorming round an idea - "sun ray" effect)
T greets Ss and introduces the task in a challenging way. S/he writes the word "music" in
the centre of the board. Ss are asked to brainstorm all the expressions, they think of, that
are connected with it (kinds of music, musical instruments, names of singers

62

and pop groups,). Ss go to the board and write the words themselves to practise the
spelling and to refresh through movement kinaesthetic aspect.
Following questions might be asked:
- What is your favourite kind of music, singer or music band? (T can share his/her
preferences.)
- Why do you listen to music how does it help? (to relax, to learn new vocabulary,)
- Do you find listening to music important for language learning?
- Do you know any music groups whose names might remind us of our projects topic?
(e.g. the alternative rock group Smashing Pumpkins or the heavy metal group Halloween)

2) Presentation of Ss task and whole class discussion

T asks Ss to arrange their seats in a circle. A table is placed in the middle and all the CDs
are displayed on it. Everybody has a chance to have a look at the display.
At first, Ss consult possible vocabulary problems with the teacher and unknown words are
written on the board. Then each student introduces his/her contribution. T eliminates CDs
that would not be suitable at all and explains why. Then it is up to Ss to negotiate the final
musical background of the party. Possibly the order of songs might be established.
Examples of teachers contribution:
Gordon the Ghost (from Norman Whitney: Open Doors, OUP)
- a brilliant song for this occasion, easy lyrics, comprehensible, creating a spooky effect
The Trick or Treat Rap
Halloween Rap ( from Mary Glasgow Magazines: Raps for Learning English, Scholastic)
- teenagers will love these two rhythmical songs
Deep Purple: Black Night, Demons Eye
Ozzy Osbourne: Ghost Behind My Eyes, The Wizard
Alice Cooper: Poison, Welcome To My Nightmare
Uriah Heep: Lady In Black, The Wizard
(see lyrics in Appendix V)

3) Who will be a DJ?

When there is no volunteer for this role, a secret election is held in the class.

63

Each student takes his/her "ballot paper" and writes the name of the person on it. Reasons
must be added. The rationale should consist of three sentences at least.

T presents an example:
1) John has much experience with playing records on parties.
2) He is the most responsible person for this job.
3) He is a music lover and has a musical ear.

Ss hand over their ballot papers and T counts the votes. Finally, the winner is asked to be
so kind and accept the position. He can choose his friend as an assistant.

-BREAK-

4) Guided visualisation (3 min.)

T wants Ss to have a rest and relax at the beginning of the second lesson.
This method is used for creating the atmosphere of the party that is anxiously expected.
The song Black Night by Deep Purple is played and Ss just listen and enjoy it.

5) Listening tasks
Ss are going to listen to two songs by Uriah Heep and participate in connected activities.
- pre-teaching of unknown words and instructions for the listening

Group work: students in two groups try to guess the meaning of several chosen words by
matching them with their Czech equivalents. Then the expressions with their pronunciation
are written on the board and explained.
1st group: destruction zkza, zboen, foe neptel, trample down podupat, eager
dychtiv, devour zniit
2nd group: council radit, faith vra, misconceptions myln pedstavy, cloak pl,
courage odvaha
T explains repeatedly what the listening task is about and checks comprehension.

64

A) listening to the song Lady In Black by Uriah Heep

While activities:
Individual work: gap-filling according to the prompts in brackets (listen twice!)
Mixed abilities: two types of handouts are distributed. (the first letter of a missing word is
given / the first letter is given + a prompt is added)
Ss are invited to find their favourite line or sentence. They also share impressions and
opinions. If they are eager, they can sing the song as well.

Post activities:
Finding the message of the song. Girls can discuss who would like to dress as "a lady in
black" for the party.
Language work: Ss underline all the examples of a past tense in the song, they concentrate
on irregular verbs and think of their past participle forms as well.

B) listening to the song The Wizard by Uriah Heep

While activities:
The song is divided into four paragraphs but these are jumbled on the handouts. Ss should
put them into a correct order during the first listening.
Several words are changed, Ss are supposed to find these intentional mistakes and correct
them. (There are 7 mistakes in the text.)
- pigs instead of kings, lies instead of tales, silver instead of gold, happy instead of free,
hear instead of see, house instead of home, shining instead of light

Post activities:
Ss compare this song with the previous one. They try to find similarities and differences
bearing in mind these areas:
- difficulties in understanding, amount of unknown words, main figure, setting, message
Boys discuss who would like to wear a costume of a wizard for the party

Language work: Ss invent variations of the sentence He told me tales and he drank my
wine and concentrate on filling other verbs in their past form. (E.g. He showed me miracles
and he ate my sweets.)

65

Ss should close their eyes and try to imagine how the wizard might look like. Then they
can continue in his description He had a cloak of gold and eyes of fire

6) Assignment lyrics translation and painting of "the lady in black" and "the
wizard"
T suggests that it would be a good idea to work in two groups (boys and girls, if possible)
and try to translate the lyrics of the two songs. Girls might be interested in The Lady in
Black and boys in The Wizard.
Each group should create a poster containing original English version, translation attempt
+ illustration (drawing or painting of the figures).
Ss start the translation in the lesson and finish the assignment during the following 7 days.
7) T thanks Ss for their cooperation, answers questions, gives advice on translation and
provides

useful

internet

links:

www.lyrics007.com,

www.lyricksfreak.com,

www.elyrics.net, www.absolutelyrics.com

3.2.5 Teaching unit V: Refreshments at the party

Lesson plan 9
Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)
Number of students: 18
Time: 90 minutes + the actual 'in the kitchen' work
Main aim: preparing refreshments for the party
Subsidiary aim: teaching practical skills-cooking, support Ss initiative
Learner training: Learners are trained in using dictionaries when translating the recipes.
Language work: cooking verbs, enlarging vocabulary, speaking practice - interview
Interaction patterns: pair work, group work
Learning environment: classroom equipped with computers, school kitchen / at home

66

Aids and materials: cards with the verbs, handout with interview questions, pictures of
food, pictures of Halloween refreshments, computers with the Internet access, handout
with the recipes, board + data projector

Procedure:
1) Warm-up: Cooking verbs - 'find and match'
T greets the Ss and indicates what awaits them in the following lesson. S/he prepares cards
with English verbs connected with cooking and examples of their use. S/he sticks them on
the board. Ss should stand up, walk around the class and search for cards with Czech
equivalents. Either somebody knows a correct pair or they just try to match the verbs.
When all the cards on the board have Czech expressions stuck beside, T goes through the
pairs and deals with difficulties. Finally, there is a useful overview of cooking verbs on the
board.

Verbs suggested:
-

to cutDont cut your fingers.

- ezat, krjet

to sliceHe sliced the lemon.

- krjet na pltky

to grateWe need grated cheese.

- strouhat

to mix Mix eggs and milk in a bowl.

- smchat

to mashI like mashed potatoes.

- rozmakat

to bakeShe baked bread in an oven.

- pci

to boilThe water is boiling.

- vt

to fryThe fish is frying in a pan.

- smait

to stewYou must stew the meet in a pot.

- dusit

to smokeHe likes smoked sausages.

- udit

to spreadSpread butter on the bread.

- rozett

to stirHe stirred the sugar into his tea.

- rozmchat

to whipChocolate cake with whipping cream is delicious.

- lehat lehaku

to beatAdd beaten eggs into it.

- lehat vejce

to pourPour a glass of milk into the mixture.

- nalt

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2) An interview: pair work

Ss are asked to work in pairs. One of them gives an interview to the other, who is
supposed to be the reporter of a school journal. After approx. 2 minutes they change
the roles. This activity is an opportunity for personalization and helps to bring the topic
nearer to the Ss.
Questions for the interview:
1) Do you like cooking?
2) What can you cook?
3) Who is the best cook in your family? Does s/he use a cookery book?
4) Do you think that cooking is an endangered activity?
5) Do you prefer so called fast food or junk food?
6) What is your favourite food?
7) Do you know a recipe that you would recommend?
3) Food associations
T encourages Ss to take part in this activity which needs imagination, fantasy and
maybe a sense of humour as well. T sticks five pictures of different kinds of food on
the board (chocolate, orange, nut, pizza, yoghurt). Ss should discuss in pairs which
food they associate most closely with.
Example: I can be a yoghurt because I try to eat healthy food.
I can be a nut because I dont open my heart to everybody.

4) Halloween party food and drinks lead in

T suggests that a successful Halloween party requires extraordinary and striking
refreshments. T has to raise interest and arouse curiosity among the Ss. S/he uses
pictures and names of Halloween recipes for this purpose. It is up to them to think out
and prepare surprising meals and drinks. It is emphasized that what counts is a visual
attractiveness. Why not give free rein to our imagination and try to make a scary snack
or ghastly-looking refreshments for our guests?

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5) Pictures
T passes several pictures round the class (see Appendix VI). These might represent, for
example, following dishes:
Eerie Eyeballs (dsiv oi)
Creepy Witches Fingers (plc se prsty arodjnice)
Sinister Skulls (zlovstn lebky)
Strained Eyeballs (popraskan on bulvy)
Witches Brew (arodjnick pit)
Then T writes their names on the board and Ss stick the pictures to them.

6) Brainstorming recipes
The previous activity might cause a sudden flash of inspiration. Now, it cant be a
problem for the Ss to invent similar names of Halloween food and drinks.
Ss share ideas, look up unknown expressions in a dictionary or ask T for help.
Brainstorming may produce ideas such as: Bloody Mary (strawberry cocktail),
Vampires Eyes (two slices of lemon in coca cola), Vampires Teeth (jelly teeth in red
lemonade), Slime Toads, Hairy Spiders, etc.
Note: It is easy to find lots of candies in the shapes of worms, spiders, bloody eyes etc.
in sweetshops.

Ss are shown a list of the names of real Halloween recipes. They go through them
with the T, explaining unknown vocabulary, finding the most interesting ones. Ss
are also likely to find that some of their inventions really exist, which might be a
pleasant surprise and further motivation.

7) Whole-class discussion and negotiating recipes for the party

Ss choose the best recipes that could be meant for preparation. Then Ss are asked to
form three groups. The first group is supposed to work on drinks (two kinds), the
second group deals with the typical pumpkin pie and the third group should decide on
other refreshments (two kinds would be enough).

69

8) Searching the net

T introduces web pages where Ss can find a collection of Halloween refreshments.
Ss work with computers and search the Internet for the best recipes. Of course, they are
free to invent their own recipes too.
Useful links:
www.foodnetwork.com
www.britta.com
http://allrecipes.com/Info/Holidays/Halloween/Main.aspx
www.fabulousfoods.com/holidays/halloween/halloween.html
http://childparenting.about.com/cs/holidays/a/halrecipe.htm
www.mountain-breeze.com/holidays/halloween/
www.thefamilycorner.com/family/kids/recipes/halloweenparty.shtml
www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/halloween/index.htm
http://parentingteens.about.com

Note: It may happen that it is not possible to ensure a suitable classroom with the
Internet. There might appear other problems when using computers must be replaced
with an on-board presentation. In this case, T has prepared two recipes for Halloween
drinks, two recipes for scary refreshments and a recipe for the pumpkin pie. (See
Appendix VI).

9) Assignment
Ss in the three groups are supposed to translate the chosen recipes into Czech and
present them to their colleagues. Next, Ss print (or write in hand) cards with the names
of the dishes and drinks that will be used as labels at the party. Besides, they have to
write a shopping list, collect money and buy necessary ingredients.
Note: Parents are welcome to participate in this part of the project, as mothers might
be interested in preparing other kinds of desserts and snacks for the party.

70

10) 'In the kitchen': preparation of drinks and snacks, baking the pie
The groups can decide whether they would like to work in a school kitchen, which
might happen during subjects such as: Home economics or Food technology, or at
home.
This stage takes place the day before the party because the refreshments must be fresh.

3.2.6 Teaching unit IV: Posters and invitation cards

RSVP

Lesson plan 10
Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)
Number of students: 18
Time: 90 minutes !!!
Main aim: creating posters and invitation cards for the party
Subsidiary aim: teaching across curriculum computer graphics/art, encouraging Ss
creativity, highlighting visual aspects of learning
Learner training: Learners are trained in using the Internet and computers for developing
their English language knowledge and for making this progress enjoyable.
Language work: Wh-questions repetition, acquiring new adjectives, language functions
(making suggestions, invitations saying 'no' politely, accepting and refusing invitations,
formal x informal discourse
Interaction patterns: pair work (role-play), group work
Learning environment: classroom equipped with computers
Aids and materials: examples of Halloween party invitations (see Appendix VII),
computers with the Internet access, whiteboard, marker
Procedure:
1) Warm-up: competition
T writes "Halloween party" on the board and introduces the following activity. Ss are
divided into 2 groups. Each group has to prepare a sheet of paper. One of the Ss writes the
letters in a column and then only adds the adjectives to the corresponding letters. S/he is
asked to say all the letters aloud to check correct pronunciation. The task is to put down as

71

many adjectives as possible that can be used to describe the Halloween party. They should
be ordered according to the alphabet. There is a 5- minute time limit. T repeatedly checks
if Ss understand the instructions. The competition begins after everything is made clear.
When the bell rings, groups hand over their papers and T counts the correct adjectives. The
winning group is rewarded with some treats. Finally, the appropriate adjectives are read
aloud because Ss can use them in later tasks.

Example:
A: admirable, awful, appalling
B: beautiful, banned, best, bizarre
C: crazy, charming, celebrated
D: dark, daring, depressing, disgusting
E: effective, educational, elaborated, every
F: famous, fantastic, fascinating, frightening
G: great, ghostly, gloomy
H: horrible, hostile, happy, horrific
I: interesting, ideal, illuminated, illegal
J: jolly
K: keen
L: lively, local, loud
M: magnificent, mysterious, monstrous
N: nice, notable, new
O: obscene, offensive, official
P: pleasant, popular, previous, prepared
Q: quiet
R: radical, rebellious, roaring
S: special, successful, super, spectacular
T: terrible, terrific, treacherous, thrilling
U: unique, usual, unimaginable, unforgettable
V: vivid
W: wild, well-organized, wondrous, wonderful
Z: zealous (horliv, naden)

72

2) Grammar in context: language functions - invitations

T indicates that when people speak they do so for a certain purpose. In this sense the
language has its particular function. T makes Ss think about a situation when two people
meet and one of them wants the other to come for a party. How is this request called?
An anagram might be written on board as a prompt: I V T A N O I N T I

(invitation)

Ss are given handouts entitled Invitations and suggestions, Accepting and refusing
invitations (see Appendix VII).T gives explanation and helps Ss with the tasks.

3) Role-play: speaking practice

Ss are supposed to role-play 2 situations. The first one is an informal conversation between
two friends, when one of them is inviting the other to the Halloween party. The second
situation is more formal, when a student is inviting the headmaster.
T explains the difference and presents a few useful phrases:
-

Hey, dont be a coward and just come. It will be fun.

Mr. Smith, can I talk to you for a while? Our class would like to invite you to our
Halloween party. We would be very pleased if you come.

Ss work in two groups, the first inventing the informal talk and the second preparing the
formal conversation. Then two pairs are chosen to act out the situations.

4) Wh-question: repetition
During this activity Ss repeat the structure of Wh-questions and of the passive voice as
well. The purpose is to plan further details for making the party a successful event.
The outcoming paper might be presented as a useful reminder on the noticeboard in the
classroom.T writes wh-expressions on the board: when, where, what, how, who
Ss work in pairs and try to form the questions:
When does the party begin?
Where will the party take place?
What will be included in the programme?
How many posters do we need? Where will be the posters displayed? (the notice: Stick No
Bills!)
How many invitation cards do we need?
Who will be invited?

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-BREAK-

5) Examples of Halloween party invitations

T prepares computer-based display as an inspiration for Ss. Following things are
highlighted as essential: PICTURE - DATE - PLACE TIME RSVP INVITATION
SLOGAN
T explains the meaning of the acronym RSVP:
According to Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture: letters written on an
invitation to a party, asking you to say whether you will attend or not. They are based on
the French words 'rpondez sil vous plait' (= please reply).
Ss try to think of original slogans for their invitation cards, they can remember some of the
adjectives from the warm-up.
Example: All ghosts, witches and wizards are welcome to a spectacular Halloween party.
This wonderful black sabbath is a must for you!

6) CALL, E-learning
Ss work on computers and search web sites with animated Halloween graphics, e.g.
www.entertainment.webshots.com, http://712educators.about.com/cs/halloween,)
They try to design posters and invitation cards on computers. Or they can be handmade as
well.
Note: This can be done across curriculum in computer lessons.

7) Assignment
Ss are asked to finish posters and invitations cards at home and prepare a presentation for
the next time when the class will choose the best ones that will be finally used.
T thanks Ss for their enthusiasm and invites them to ask questions.

74

3.2.7 Teaching unit VII: Programme of the party

Lesson plan 11
Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)
Number of students: 18
Time: 90 minutes !!!
Main aim: preparing an interesting programme of the Halloween party
Subsidiary aim: strengthening cooperation among Ss and development of critical thinking
Learner training: Jokes are introduced to learners as a great way how to learn new
expressions and acquire language chunks in a pleasant way. They can try to translate
Czech jokes into English (or vice versa) and a small 'class jokebook' can help them to get
into the heart of the language.
Language work: future tense (will x going to), developing speaking skills
Interaction patterns: group work, individual work
Learning environment: classroom
Aids and materials: handout with the joke, grammar worksheet, whiteboard, data
projector, marker
Procedure:
1) Warm up: a party joke
A young woman was suffering badly from hay fever. She was going to a fancy
dinner party that night and figured she would need at least two handkerchiefs to
get her through the evening. She didn't have any pockets, so she stuffed them both
in her bra.
Halfway through the night, she had already used up one handkerchief and was
rummaging around in her bra for the other one. She was having trouble finding it,
and soon she noticed that everyone at the table was looking at her.
"What on earth are you doing?" asked one of her colleagues.
She replied: "I could have sworn I had two when I arrived!"
(http://2havefun.com/Comedy/party.shtml)

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Humour is a powerful tool for language learning and Ss might appreciate this kind of
lesson beginning. Ss are given a handout with the joke. T pre-teaches essential vocabulary
using a marker and board. Ss make notes on their handout.
-

hay fever (senn rma), fancy (pepychov), rummage (prohledvat), swear-sworesworn (psahat)

A volunteer reads the joke aloud and the others follow the text. Laughter is a signal that
everybody has understood and that there is no need to come back to the text.
2) Grammar focus: future tense (will x going to)
T uses inductive approach and tries to make the Ss work out grammar rules themselves. Ss
are provided with worksheets presenting two dialogues that show the difference between
using will and going to for the future.
A) Peggy: Have you thought about the weekend?
John: No, I havent. I have no plans.
Peggy: Lets have a party.
John: Thats a good idea. I will print the invitation cards.
Peggy: That would be kind of you. I will prepare some refreshments then.
B) Peggy: Mummy, is it true that you are leaving for the weekend?
Mummy: Yes, we are going to visit our old friends. Do you remember the Chadwicks?
Peggy: No, I dont. But I have something on my mind. John and I have decided to have a
party on Saturday. We are going to invite lots of people. Could it be in our garden?
Mummy: Yes, of course. But I hope you wont be too noisy.
T elicits Ss ideas concerning the grammar rules, gives feedback and further explanation.
Ss are encouraged to do a following exercise:
1) Oh, I have forgotten to reply to the invitation card. - Dont worry, I _________ them.
a) will phone b) am going to phone

76

2) What are you doing? I _________ a pumpkin pie for tomorrows party.
a) will prepare

b) am going to prepare

3) Did you try your Halloween costume? No, I forgot. I _________ it now.
a) will try

b) am going to try

4) Have you decided on the programme? Yes, everything is planned. We _________

magic and play scary games.
a) will perform

b) are going to perform

Ss check answers with their partners before whole-class feedback.

-BREAK3) Pyramid discussion: programme of the Halloween party
Clear instructions are crucial during this activity!
T explains to Ss that they are going to discuss what they think should be included in the
programme of the party. Ss are reminded that there is a time limit from 2 to 3 hours. T
recalls the Jack-o'-lantern scene, background music, display of refreshments, exhibition of
costumes and games for younger schoolmates. Ss should think of such a programme that
would represent what they have learned during the project, which would be amusing for
both the organizers and the guests.
T can make use of a data projector and present some ideas on the board to get Ss started:
* Carnival procession with Chinese lanterns
* Pumpkin hunt in the dark
* Storytelling with torches
* Magician show with conjuring tricks
* Finding sweets in 'Wiggly Worms' (britishcouncil web):
You need: spaghetti, grapes, cooking oil and wrapped sweets.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Cook the spaghetti. Rinse in cold water.

Add some cooking oil to make the spaghetti slimy.
Put a black plastic bag in a bucket or bin.
Add the spaghetti and grapes
Add the sweets and mix.
Make a cover for the bin.
Make a hole in the cover big enough for a hand.

77

* Guess the Pumpkin Weight

* Who is the ghost? (Have one child leave the room. Then take a large sheet and have a different (child)
stand and hide under the sheet. Mix up the remaining children in the room and then allow the child who left
the room to come back inside. That child has to guess who's the ghost, by process of elimination they need to
figure out which child is hiding under the sheet. Then that "Ghost" goes out of the room and a different child
becomes the new ghost, mix up the remaining children and repeat until all of the children have had a turn
being the ghost. From www.partygameideas.com)

When there are at least 20 ideas on the board, Ss are told to choose only 5 of them. They
should negotiate with their neighbour and agree on a list of 5 items. Ss are expected to give
reasons and be persuasive. When the pairs have decided on their fives, they are asked to
work with another pair and compare their lists. This group of four undergoes discussion
again. Ss try to persuade others and finally they announce the new list. Next, T put Ss into
groups of 8 to discuss and choose the best 5 items. In the end, the whole class agrees on a
final list of 5.
4) Feedback error correction
T could make notes in error monitor charts and give them to Ss after the activity. Another
possibility is to write examples of incorrect language on the board and ask the Ss to find
the errors and correct them.
5) Assignment
Ss are divided into 5 groups, each of them being responsible for one of the 5 chosen items
of the programme. T offers advice and help to all of them and invites them to discuss
problems in his/her consultation hours.

78

3.2.8 Teaching unit VIII: Final evaluation

3.2.8.1 Halloween party - the final product
The final product of this project is supposed to be the Halloween party itself. It should be
held on 31 October, if possible. The most suitable place would be a gymnasium or a school
hall. It might take place even in a local culture house. In this case, the cooperation between
the school, parents and the public would be the closest. Parents can help with preparing the
refreshments and decorations. Pumpkins of various sizes, shapes and colours can be used
to support the atmosphere. Other props might be witchy dolls, candles, darkening curtains,
sheets etc. Students should make Halloween costumes themselves, but they can also buy or
borrow them. These creatures are likely to be seen at the party: a witch, lady in black,
wizard, demon, devil, goblin, ghost, hangman, executioner, mummy, skeleton, werewolf,
vampire and others.
The duration of the party is estimated at 2 or 3 hours. The programme would be organized
as negotiated in the unit 3.2.7 (a rehearsal is recommended).
3.2.8.2 Assessment scheme
- revision activities, checking students progress
1) Informal assessment
In my opinion, projects should be connected with informal assessment. There can be some
exercises and tests, but they should not be marked. It is sufficient to provide points or a
percentage. Otherwise, formal assessment tools, such as oral or written exams, are not
appropriate here. The result might be the same as with usual grammar-based lessons,
stressed and disgusted learners concentrating just on not failing the test, rather than on their
overall personal development and on enjoying the language.
2) Assessment tools
-

observing the students during the whole project and note-taking

weekly review: What have we learnt this week?

79

sub-skills checklist (esp. after reading and listening lessons)

performance sheet + error monitor at the end of the project for each learner: written
evaluation and feedback

conferencing with students in small groups, finding out how they feel about the
project

presentation: dramatization of the legend, storytelling, recipes etc.

posters and other assignments

project diary or log (storing materials and notes), preference charts

3) Final assessment
At the end of the project, learners are given a review form concerning the language
knowledge to fill in. Next, they are encouraged to try an achievement test. They are also
asked to fill in a questionnaire that serves as a feedback for the teacher. This might be a
challenging task as the learners feel like adults whose opinions and ideas are seriously
taken into consideration. (The teacher goes through the questions with the students at first
to make sure that everything is clear.) Finally, each student receives a participation
certificate. (See Appendix)
Project review
1) What new vocabulary have you learnt during the project?
2) Which of these new words can you use with confidence?
3) Which of these new words do you feel unsure about?
4) What can you say now that you could not say before the project?
5) What have you learnt about the English language that you did not know before?
6) Are there any words that you do not know how to pronounce correctly?
7) Any other comments?

80

Achievement test: What have you learnt?

1) Write 3 more words in each group:
1. devil, ghost, wizard (Halloween costumes)
2. paper, cloth, scissors.. (things used for making a
costume or a mask)
3. crazy, great, wonderful.. (adjectives describing a party)
4. hall, kitchen, stairs. (parts of a house)
2) Put one or more words in each blank:
1. People say that this house is full of ghosts and monsters. It is a house.
2. A monster that drinks human blood is called a .
3. The.celebrated the festival Samhain.
4. People light up pumpkin lanterns to scare away
5. Children go around the neighbourhood, knock on the doors and say ""
3) Put in the right form of the verb:
1. A large hole is .around the top of the pumpkin. (cut)
2. A candle is inside. (place)
3. A special cocktail..for the party. (to be, mix)
4. Lot of money is .during Halloween. (spend)
5. There is going to be a party at the weekend. It.fun. (to be)
6. We have bought all the ingredients. We..a pumpkin pie on Friday.(bake)
4) Match the words with their Czech equivalents:
1) pagan

a) vnec

2) seeds

b) vra

3) wreath

c) pohansk

4) faith

d) rozett

81

5) slice

e) semena

6) spread

f) nakrjet na pltky

5) Form questions for the following answers:

1. The party begins at 3 p.m.
2. Funny games will be included in the programme.
3. We need 20 invitation cards.

6) Can you solve this crossword puzzle? You can cross the words in all the eight
directions:
E S

D E

V I

E W L W O

A I

G H

L A

N T

E R

D R

U M R O

T E

T O

R C

R B

K K

M O

N S

T E

evil, lantern, witch, ghost, horror, trick, spider, October, peanut, view, eye, mob (chtra),
rock, rap, drum, rot (hnt), ray (paprsek), red, monsters

7) Crossword: Fill in the gaps and find out a message from me:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

__ __ __ __ __ __
__
__ __
__ __
__ __ __ __ __
__ __
__ __ __
__ __ __ __ __

__
__
__
__
__
__
__
__

__
__ __ __ __
__ __ __
__ __
__ __ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __
__

82

1. all the bones together

2. opposite of hell
3. people light this thing and put it into a pumpkin shell
4. to make a sound on sb. door
5. meaning the same as scary
6. adjective beginning with M, connected with atmosphere
7. witches ride on this thing
8. the most famous vampire

KEY:
1) 1. witch, skeleton, werewolf2. needles, colours, string3. spectacular, boring,
ghostly4. bedroom, bathroom, living room
2) 1. haunted, 2. vampire, 3. Celts, 4. evil spirits, 5. Trick or treat
3) 1. cut, 2. placed, 3. is mixed, 4. spent, 5. will be, 6. are going to bake
4) 1-c, 2-e, 3-a, 4-b, 5-f, 6-d
5) 1. When does the party begin?, 2. What will be included in the programme?, 3. How
many invitation cards do we need?
6) party
7) Thank you!

Questionnaire project evaluation

1) How did you like the project as a whole?
1 very much
5 not at all
Circle the number: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

83

Is there anything you would change next time?.

2) How did you enjoy the party?

Do you think that the party was a success?
If no, what went wrong?

3) Which of these teaching units did you like best?

-

Lead-in activities (stories)

Halloween festival

A pumpkin lantern

Music at the party

Refreshments at the party

Posters and invitation cards

Programme of the party

4) Which of the activities did you like best and why? (+)
Which one/ones did you not like and why? (-)
Which activities were the most demanding (or the most difficult) for you? (?!)
-

Storytelling

?!

Halloween word game

?!

Dramatization of the Jack-o-lantern legend

?!

Listening to the songs

?!

Searching the net

?!

Pyramid discussion (programme)

?!

Others.

84

5) How difficult was the language of the project for you?

1 very easy
5 extremely difficult
Circle the number: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

6) How often did you have to look up words in a dictionary?

1 rarely
5 very often
Circle the number: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

7) The project included 7 assignments: 1) haunted house, 2) Halloween poster, 3) pumpkin

carving manual, 4) lyrics and painting, 5) recipes, 6) invitation cards, 7) responsibilities for
the programme
Do you think that this is: a) too many

b) OK, just enough

c) few

Which assignment did you enjoy the most?

8) Which of these teaching aids were the most helpful for you?
a) video

b) computer

c) pictures

d)board

e)others

9) Did you have any serious problems with the grammar tasks?
If yes, tick the most problematic area: past tense, future tense, passive voice, invitations

10) What have you learnt about the English culture?

85

11) Is there anything you find really great about the project?

12) Is there anything you would like to comment on or ask about?

13) Would you like to participate in other projects during this school year?
If yes, which of these topics is the most interesting for you?
-

Our region
European cookery book
Children and young people in the 21st century

Others (Your ideas are welcome!)

Thank you for your answers, comments and ideas!

3.2.8.3 Reactions to piloted activities (evaluation and feedback)

- piloted at The Grammar School in Bystice nad Perntejnem, October 2007 -

1) Horrid Henry Tricks and Treats (Lesson plan 1)

The students of "tercie" were introduced to me as a rare group of teenagers which likes
literature and working with literary texts. And they convinced me that it was true. There
was a positive atmosphere and enthusiasm in the class. They corrected one another and had
a real interest in making the lesson successful. The students were fond of creating the
nicknames, such as "the terror of teachers", and amazing ideas appeared, e.g. "the
nightmare of nurses", "the murderer of mathematicians", "the lover of languages", "the
hunter of hearts", .
Brainstorming round "trick or treating" was not so productive as I had expected and the
activity changed into teacher's account .

86

What went really well, was the competition concerning vocabulary work. Nobody wanted
to choose traditional using dictionaries and all the learners appreciated the game with cards
(They took a card with an unknown word and its Czech equivalent on the back side only if
they would not understand the correspondent sentence and the story would become
uncomprihensible). Similarly, the competition in pairs (writing down things usually used
for making costumes) appeared to be enjoyable. There was a winning pair with 14 items.
Then the students agreed that competitions are their most favourite activities in English
lessons .
The only problem was timing. We did not manage to read the whole story at school .

2) Storytelling (Halloween pictures)

To my surprise, the students of "tercie" were familiar with storytelling activities and all the
instructions were understood immediately. They were really active and eager to contribute.
They also brought candles and torches to create scary atmosphere .
The students pricked up their ears and tried to pay attention to their classmates'
contributions because there was a threat of meeting the sign 'STOP' and retelling the whole
story from the beginning. Gradually, they built up a horror story about a vampire living in
a haunted house and chasing all the living creatures in the neighbourhood.

3) Halloween in the present (Video package)

The classroom atmosphere was totally different here. I had to change my behaviour and
treat the students in a more demanding way. The problem was that they were persuaded
that watching video in English lesson is a time for having rest and chatting. They were
disappointed that the video lasted only 5 minutes and then their activity was required.
Although they watched it three times, they had problems with the tasks and I had to choose
only some of them .

87

4) Making pumpkin lanterns

The most enjoyable activity seemed to be the manual work itself. Students worked in 3
groups and managed to create real works of art. They proved to be skillful and creative.
Gaining the pumpkins was not a problem either as parents of one student had a garden
centre. Surprisingly, the students were willing to clear the tables and tidy up the classroom.
The time limit, 45 minutes, was sufficient .

5) Posters and costumes

Students worked independently on Halloween posters at home. They had to find basic
information about the festival and present it to their schoolmates. Posters were displayed
along the corridor. Examples in the Appendix show that Ss are talented artists and also
searching the net is no problem for them these days.
Ss were enthusiastic about making Halloween costumes themselves and only few of them
bought a mask. Their overall attitude convinced me that the idea of organizing Halloween
party with teenagers is not a utopia .

88

3 Conclusion
"Success is a journey not a destination."
The process of writing this thesis is near the end. Thus it is essential to draw
conclusions and answer arised questions. The main intention of the thesis was to create a
teaching manual depicting the procedure of working on the project called "Halloween
Party". Now it is possible to state that the aim was achieved.
The topic is designed as a long-term project, which can start at the beginning of October
(or even at the beginning of a school year) and culminate on October 31. The project is
suitable for learners of an intermediate level, but with slight changes it can be practiced
with students of other levels as well. Similarly, the activities and tasks are carried out by
students of one class, but the lesson plans may be adapted, for example, as a whole-school
project. Evidently, PBL is a flexible approach.
As it was mentioned in the preface, students are offered a wide range of activities, a
large space for their own suggestions and ideas and also a great deal of responsibility. All
human senses are taken into consideration. It means that learning is facilitated through
audio-visual aids, movement, artistic work and cooking too. Gradually, students approach
the final product, which is the Halloween party itself.
It seems that the project-based learning demonstrates all the contributions of traditional
EFL techniques together with modern progressive teaching approaches and ideas. Simply,
it appears to be a miraculous method how to overcome common drawbacks and problems
that many teachers stand up to. In proof of it there are positive reactions to the piloted parts
of this project. The project as a whole has not been piloted yet due to my maternity leave.
However, I am going to do so as soon as possible and I would like to invite my colleagues
to try it out as well. I would appreciate their constructive criticism.
Last but not least, my overall attitude to this work did not lack enthusiasm,
responsibility and conscientiousness. I consider working on this diploma thesis a part of
my professional development, a significant road sign on my journey through teaching
practice.

89

4 Rsum
Tato diplomov prce nese nzev "Project-based Learning: Halloween Party",
v pekladu Projektov vuka: Halloweensk bl, a zaobr se vyuitm projekt ve koln
praxi obecn, ale pedevm v oblasti vuky anglickho jazyka.
Teoretick st poskytuje cenn informace o projektech pro vechny pedagogy, kte se
o toto tma zajmaj. Prvn kapitola hled nejvhodnj definici projektu a jej objasnn.
Dle se nabz pohled do historie projektov prce v souvislosti s pragmatickou
pedagogikou. Autorka tak zkoum spojitosti projektov vuky a dalch didaktickch
metod, jako je nap. kooperativn vyuovn nebo humanistick pstup. Zmiuje se dle o
rolch uitele v prbhu projektov vuky, kter se podstatn li od tradinho frontlnho
vyuovn. Dal kapitoly pojednvaj o vhodch i problmech vybranho pstupu.
Autorka se zaml nad vznamnm prvkem pedagogick innosti, kterm je motivace, a
prezentuje zde krtkou esej na toto tma. Pot strun specifikuje motivaci v projektov
vuce. Posledn kapitola se zabv samotnm postupem projektu a popisuje jeho dl
kroky.
Praktick st se zamuje na zvolen tma projektov vuky, tedy Halloweensk bl.
Autorka zde vytvoila plny pro jednotliv vyuovac jednotky, kter dohromady tvo
manul detailn popisujc prbh projektu. Nejdve jsou navreny vodn aktivity
vyuvajc straideln povdky. Nsleduje st, jej npln je historie i souasn podoba
Halloweenu a tak srovnn s eskmi tradicemi. Skrze dal vyuovac jednotky se
studenti dobraj k vslednmu produktu, kterm je samotn "party" uspodan nejlpe
pmo 31. jna. Studenti jsou zapojeni do rozmanitch aktivit, jako nap. vydlabvn dn,
malovn, vytven plakt a pozvnek, vaen a samozejm nechyb pprava kostm.
Projekt nabz monosti kreativnho mylen a originlnho pstupu. Dleitm aspektem
jsou tak mezipedmtov vztahy, kter jsou ve vtin plnu zakomponovny.
Diplomov prce obsahuje plohy, kter dobarvuj podobu vytvoenho projektu. Je
zde mono najt doplujc materily pro uitele, pracovn listy pro studenty, pklady
aktivit a kol, obrzky a fotografie.

90

6 Bibliography
1) CHLUP, Otokar: Pedagogick encyklopedie. Novina, Praha 1939.
2) VALENTA, J. et al.: Pohledy. Projektov metoda ve kole a za kolou. ArtamaSTD, Praha 1993.
3) PRCHA, J.: Pedagogick slovnk. Portl, Praha 1998.
4) KASKOV, H.: Kooperativn uen, kooperativn kola. Portl, Praha 1997 (2001,
2003). ISBN 80-7178-167-3.
5) IMONK, O.: vod do koln didaktiky. MSD Brno, 2003. ISBN 80-86633-04-7
6) SINGULE, F.: Americk pragmatick pedagogika. SPN Praha, 1990.
7) PETTY, G.: Modern vyuovn. Portl, Praha 1996. ISBN 80-7178-681-0
8) HARMER, J.: The Practice of English Language Teaching, Longman 1991. ISBN
0582 046564
9) LARSEN-FREEMAN, D.: Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching.
Oxford: OUP, 1986. ISBN 019434133X.
10) DEWEY, J.: kola a spolenost. Praha, J. Laichter 1904.
11) DEWEY, J: Demokracie a vchova. Praha, J. Laichter 1932.
12) NUNAN, D. Language Teaching Methodology. Harlow: Longman, 2000. ISBN
0135214696.
13) MOSKOWITZ, G.: Caring and Sharing in the Foreign Language Classroom,
1978.
14) RICHARDS, J. C., ROGERS, T. S.: Approaches and Methods in Language
Teaching: A Description and Analysis. Cambridge: CUP, 1991. ISBN 0521312558
15) HUTCHINSON T., WOODBRIDGE, T.: Project 2 (Teacher's Book), OUP 1999.
ISBN 0-19-436525-5.
16) MAK, J.: Nrys didaktiky. Brno: MU, 1990. ISBN 80-210-0210-7.
17) JVA, V.: vod do pedagogiky. Brno: Paido, 1997. ISBN 80-85931-78-8.
18) MAK, J. et al.: Vybran kapitoly z obecn didaktiky. Brno: MU, 1999. ISBN
80-210-1308-7.
19) HAINES, S.: Projects for EFL Classroom (Resource Material for Teachers).
Thomas Nelson and Sons 1989. ISBN 0-17-555736-5.

91

20) DIANA L. FRIED-BOOTH: Project Work (Resource Book for Teachers). OUP,
1986. ISBN 0-19-437092-5.
21) PHILLIPS D. et al.: Projects with Young Learners. OUP, 1999. ISBN 0-19
437221-9
22) HUTCHINSON, T.: Project English 3 (Teacher's Book). OUP, 1987. ISBN 0-19435441-5
23) ELLIS, Rod.: Second Language Acquisition. OUP, 1997. ISBN 10-0194372154.
24) WICKS, M.: Imaginative Projects (A resource book of project work fro young
students). CUP, 2000. ISBN 0 521 668050.
24) FRONEK, J.: Velk esko-anglick slovnk. Leda, 2004. ISBN 80-85927-54-3.
25) HAIS, HODEK: Velk anglicko-esk slovnk. Nakladatelstv eskoslovensk
akademie vd v Praze, 1991. ISBN 80-200-0064-X
26) Dictionary of English Language and Culture. Longman 1998. ISBN 80-582-302048.
27) Friendship (Halloween history), vol. XXX, Foreign Language Publications, 1995.
28) Friendship (How to make a pumpkin lantern), vol. XXXI, FLP, 1997.
29) Friendship (Pumpkins), vol. XXXII, FLP, 1998.
30) British Festivals video cassette + book, Connect ELT

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Internet resources:
Theoretical part:
1) Projektov vuka [on line]. [quoted 2007-10-05]. Available from:
<http://www.gjs.cz/projektova-vyuka.htm>
<http://www.gjs.cz/projekt_2003-4/index.htm>
<http://www.opengate.cz/cs/volny_cas/vyuka_anglictina/index.shtml>
<http://sweb.cz/zdenka-projekty/vyvoj_definice.html>
2) Projects [on line]. [quoted 2007-10-11]. Available from:
<http://www.english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/projects/home.html>
<http://www.nelliemuller.com/Nellies_English_Projects.htm>
3) Project-based Learning [on line]. [quoted 2007-10-11]. Available from:
<http://www.eduscapes.com>
6) Project Approach [on line]. [quoted 2007-10-14]. Available from:
<http://www.project-approach.com>
7) Project-based Learning Handbook [on line]. [quoted 2007-11-02]. Available from:
<http://www.bie.org>
8) Content and Language Integrated Project [on line]. [quoted 2007-11-02].
Available from: http://www.cilt.org.uk
9) DARN, S.: Content and Language Integrated Learning [on line]. [quoted 2007-1107]. Available from: <http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk>

93

Practical part:
10) <http://www.elyrics.net>
11) <http://www.lyricsfreak.com>
12) <http://wwwabsolutelyrics.com>
13) <http://parentingteens.about.com/od/halloweenfun>
14) <http://www.abcteach.com/directory/clip_art/holidays/halloween/>
15) <http://www.abcteach.com/directory/seasonalholidays/halloween/>
16) <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack-o'/lantern>
17) <http://www.pumpkinnook.com/facts/jack.htm>
18) <http://www.pumpkinnook.com/hween/games.htm>
19) <http://www.allhallowseve.com>
20) <http://www.britta.com>
21) <http://www.foodnetwork.com>
22) <http://allrecipes.com/Info/Holidays/Halloween/Main.aspx>
23) <http://www.fabulousfoods.com/holidays/halloween/halloween.html>
24) <http://childparenting.about.com/cs/holidazs/a/halrecipe.htm
25) <http://www.mountain-breeze.com/holidays/halloween>
26) <http://www.thefamilzcorner.com/family/kids/recipes/halloweenpartz.shtml>
27) <http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/halloween/index.htm
28) <http://2havefun.com/comedy/party.shtml>
29) <http://www.partygameideas.com>
30) <http://www.americanfolklore.net/halloween.html/#1>
31) <http://www.americanfolklore.net/halloween-game.html>
32) <http://www.history.com/minisites/halloween>

94

7 List of Appendixes
Appendix I:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

Weekly review
Sub-skills checklist
Error monitor
'Layered' approach to project work (Fried-Booth, 1986)
Project diary (Phillips, 1999)

Appendix II:
1)
2)
3)
4)

The story Horrid Henry Tricks and Treats (by Francesca Simon)
A haunted house (picture)
The ghost story Pink Chair (www.allhallowseve.com)
Pictures for storytelling (www.abcteach.com, www.bristol.ac.uk,
http://images.google.cz, www.akaska.cz/obrazky/halloween,
www.entertainment.webshots.com)

Appendix III:
1) Halloween history (Friendship)
2) Trick or Treat (video package)
Appendix IV:
1) The Jack-o'-lantern legend
2) Pumpkin anatomy (www.pumpkinnook.com)
3) How to make a pumpkin lantern pictures (Friendship)
Appendix V:
1) The Trick or Treat Rap
2) Halloween Rap
3) Lady in Black, The Wizard lyrics handouts
Appendix VI:
1) Halloween refreshments pictures
2) Halloween refreshments recipes
Appendix VII:
1) Invitations and suggestions, Accepting and refusing invitations handouts
2) Examples of Halloween party invitation cards

95

Appendix VIII: The Withered Corpse- A Body Parts Guessing Game (americanfolklore)
Appendix IX: Photos
Appendix X: Certificate of Participation

96