| Body | In this lesson, learners explore the Google Frightgeist site, which has live statistics on Google searches for Halloween costumes around the USA. This activity, in addition to being centered around an authentic resource, requires extensive target language use and incorporates concept-based grammar as connected to the demands of this particular activity. These are three practices discussed in today's Topic of the Week article.
Target language: English
Modes: Interpretive, Interpersonal, Intercultural (investigate practices)
Level: Novice High
Objectives:
- Students will identify some popular criteria for Halloween costumes in the United States.
- Students will understand the different criteria used to compare costumes.
- Students will express their preferences for different costumes, supporting their preferences with comparisons to other costumes.
- Direct learners to the Google Frightgeist website. The landing page shows the most popular searches for Halloween costumes in the United States. In groups of 3-5, ask students to read through the top 20-30 costumes and help each other with words or characters they don’t understand. Following group discussion, lead a whole-class discussion to clear up any costumes that groups still don’t understand.
- Students will explore their preferences for Halloween costumes that they might wear or enjoy seeing at this time of year, using the Costume Wizard.
- Distribute the Costume Preferences worksheet. Students rate each of four criteria based on how important it is to them personally.
- Before students share their results with a partner, give an overview of comparisons using the Comparisons reference sheet.
- Students compare their preferences with a partner.
- On the Google site, have students go to the Costume Wizard (upper right corner). They should adjust the sliders to match their preferences and see what result they get. If they have extra time, they can experiment by varying the settings.
- As a whole class, work together to write a list of all of the costumes the program picked for people, and how many people ended up with that particular costume choice. Debrief the results with questions like “What’s the most common costume choice in this class?” “Is [Spider Man] more popular than [a dinosaur]?” “What is the scariest costume on the list?”
- Using a mixer format of your choice (for example, “Stand up, hand up, pair up as described here), ask students to discuss their costume choices with others in the class.
- As a final reflective activity, students write about whether they would really wear the costume that the program picked for them, and what their Halloween plans are.
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