Cobwebs, cauldrons, and pumpkins, oh my! October is a time when “scary” takes center stage, making it the perfect moment to explore themes of fear, bravery, and resilience in your language classroom. And don’t worry—we’re not talking about actual ghosts and goblins (unless you want to). Instead, we’re using the season’s spooky energy to encourage students to express emotions, tell stories, and practice language skills in ways that are frightfully fun or helps normalize an experience for students to continue learning.
Facing Fear with Words
Fear is something all students can relate to, no matter their age or background. In the language classroom, you can use it as a springboard to:
- Teach emotion vocabulary (scared, nervous, worried, brave, relieved).
- Introduce expressions and idioms (e.g., “tener miedo” in Spanish or “avoir peur” in French).
- Encourage students to share stories about when they felt nervous but overcame it.
Even younger students enjoy describing “spooky” scenarios—whether it’s a haunted house, a mysterious forest, or just the thought of presenting in front of the class!
Once we’ve made it fun for students to enjoy, there’s also an important note on fear to share: facing fears isn’t only about haunted houses or ghost stories—it’s something we all do in big and small ways every day. Whether it’s raising a hand in class, trying out a new word in a different language, or presenting in front of peers, each act of “doing it scared” builds courage. The more we show up and face those fears, the more power we have over them—a reminder we can carry into our own lives and share with our students. This also segways perfectly into bravery and resilience…
Bravery & Resilience: The Treat Behind the Tricks
Bravery is the sweet side of October’s scary themes. Folk tales, legends, and cultural traditions give students plenty of examples of characters who face their fears and come out stronger. Try:
- Folktale explorations: Share short stories like La Llorona, French fables, or Día de los Muertos legends.
- Cultural comparisons: Discuss how holidays like Halloween, Toussaint, or Día de los Muertos honor fear, courage, or remembrance.
- Creative writing: Have students spin a “spooky story” that ends with a character showing resilience.
Bravery is not the absence of fear—it’s the willingness to act despite fear. Brave individuals take risks, step into the unknown, and face challenges head-on.
Resilience is the ability to not only bounce back, but bounce forward, and persevere after challenging experiences – viewing setbacks as opportunities for growth rather than failures. Resilient individuals maintain the mental and emotional courage to cope with difficult experiences.
Resilience is linked to motivation, which makes it an important quality for students to develop in their learning. Resilient students maintain initiative and a positive attitude and sustain academic performance despite the presence of stressful events or conditions. And this can be a taught and learned skill! By fostering student resilience, schools can help prepare learners for the future, helping them manage both personal and academic setbacks with composure and self-confidence.
Learn more about Social Emotional Learning here.
Classroom Ideas for Every Age
🎃 Elementary (K–5):
- Monster Match Vocabulary: Pair emotion words with silly monster faces.
- Not-So-Scary Storytime: Read a gentle spooky tale in the target language and act it out.
- Bravery Badges: Students create paper badges written in the target language celebrating something brave they’ve done.
👻 Middle School (6–8):
- Mini Ghost Stories: Students write or record short tales using past tense.
- “What Would You Do If…?” Role-Play: Zombies? Haunted houses? Awkward cafeteria moments? Students practice creative responses.
- Discussion Circles: Talk about bravery across cultures—what makes a hero?
🦇 High School (9–12):
- Spooky Literature: Analyze poems or legends in the target language that explore fear and courage.
- Debate: Is fear helpful or harmful?
- Creative Projects: Design a scary short film script, comic strip, or podcast in the target language.
Vista Higher Learning has authentic stories, cultural texts, and multimedia resources that bring these “scary” lessons to life. From global folk tales to interactive storytelling activities, your classroom can be the perfect haunted (learning) house.
October isn’t just about costumes and candy—it’s about courage. By exploring fear, bravery, and resilience, you normalize these universal experiences and give students the words and confidence to face challenges in class and beyond.
So go ahead—embrace the spooky season. With the right activities, your students will find that learning new languages is a treat, not a trick.
By Sierra Combelic
Also read:
Interactive Role-Play Activities: Halloween en la casa embrujada (Halloween at the Haunted House)
