This is a listening and conversation lesson plan for B2+ learners. Use it to scare your students this Halloween!
The lesson is based around a spooky story called Bruiser the Dog told by professional story-teller Wilf Merttens on the Halloween episode of our podcast 2Ts in a pod. You can listen to the whole episode below, but the section you’ll need for the lesson plan is from 40:08-43:10. Students will predict what will happen in the story, do some detailed listening and then discuss their deepest, darkest fears! You’ll find all the lesson materials below. Happy Halloween!
Lesson materials:
To use the audio offline, you can download the whole episode from SoundCloud like this:
Audio Link
2Ts in a Pod Episode 40: Halloween
The story is towards the end of the episode from 40:08-43:10
Predictions
You’re going to listen to a spooky story that involves a young girl, an old house and a big dog called Bruiser. Make some predictions about what’s going to happen.
- Put students in pairs and have them make predictions.
- Make sure students cover the transcript until later in the lesson.
Comprehension Questions
Instructions:
- Students read the comprehension questions then listen to the audio twice.
- Put them in pairs to compare their answers.
- Students listen again with the transcript to clear up doubts.
- Clear up doubts about the highlighted vocabulary.
- Why did the girl often stay alone in the house with only her dog?
Her mother worked away from home often, leaving the girl alone in their large, old house with her dog, Bruiser. - What did the girl do when she felt scared at night, and how did Bruiser comfort her?
When she felt scared, the girl would dangle her hand over the side of the bed, and Bruiser would lick her fingers to comfort her. - What bad news did the girl hear one night that disturbed her sleep?
She heard that a notorious serial killer had escaped from a nearby prison and was on the loose in the area. - What unusual sounds did the girl hear while trying to sleep?
She heard noises on the stairs and a creak in the hallway, as well as her bedroom door creaking open. - What did the girl discover at the end of the story that shocked her?
She found Bruiser’s dead body lying in the hallway, revealing that it wasn’t Bruiser who had been licking her fingers during the night.
Conversation
- What did you think about the story? Did it scare you? Why or why not?
- Why do you think the story is effective as a scary story? What elements make it frightening?
- Have you ever experienced something spooky or heard a similar story? How did it make you feel?
- Why do you think people enjoy listening to scary stories like this one?
- What kinds of stories or situations scare you the most? Why do you think they have that effect on you?
- How do you usually react when you feel scared or nervous? Do you try to stay calm like the girl in the story?
- What would make the story even scarier in your opinion? Would you change anything to make it more intense?
- Do you think scary stories are more effective when they involve realistic situations, like being alone in a house? Why or why not?
Transcript
(0:00) There was this thing that happened near where I live that’s always stayed with me. (0:06) There was a girl about 14 or 15 years old and (0:11) she lived alone with her mother because her father had died some years before and (0:16) her mum had to work away a lot and she would leave her daughter alone in this big old house. (0:24) Now, (0:26) the daughter was very brave and didn’t mind being left.
Plus, she had a big dog. (0:32) He was a fearsome, fearsome dog. Yeah, I think he was an Alsatian and he was called Bruiser and (0:41) well, she had a kind of nighttime ritual with Bruiser and that was that he would sleep under her bed and (0:48) if she was ever scared in the night, she would dangle her hand over the bed and (0:54) he would lick her fingers in that way that that dogs have of doing.
(1:00) Now, there was very scary news one night. I remember it myself and that was that there’s a jail, (1:07) a prison quite local to us, (1:11) and there was news that a (1:13) notorious serial killer (1:15) had escaped from the jail and was on the loose in the area. Now, I told you this girl was very rational.
(1:24) She told herself there is (1:27) only the tiniest chance that he’s going to come knocking at my house of all the houses and so she took herself to bed and (1:34) she took Bruiser with her and she lay down and she went to sleep. (1:39) She didn’t sleep very well. She only slept fitfully.
(1:44) She kept waking up, tossing and turning. Probably the bad news had disturbed her and she was having bad dreams, but (1:51) every time she woke up, she would just dangle her hand over the edge of the bed and (1:59) there’d be (2:01) Bruiser licking her fingers and she would feel comforted and she would go back to sleep. (2:09) Now, a few times she felt like she heard a noise on the stairs or a creak in the hallway, (2:14) but those are just the noises that old houses make.
(2:19) But then the door (2:29) creaked open on its own, but (2:32) she wasn’t scared because that was something the door sometimes did, another quirk of an old house. (2:39) She wasn’t scared, at least, (2:43) until she saw (2:45) lying in the hallway (2:48) the dead body of Bruiser the dog.
Conversation
- What’s your biggest fear? Where does it come from?
- Do you believe in ghosts? Have you or someone you know ever seen one?
- Would you visit a haunted house?
- Do you have any phobias like fear of heights, spiders, or flying? How do they affect you?
- Do you know anyone with a serious phobia? How does it impact their life?
- Are phobias irrational, or do they have roots in real experiences?
- What treatments do you think help with phobias? How do you feel about hypnosis or exposure therapy?
- What scared you most as a child? Did any characters or stories give you nightmares?
- Do you like horror films? Which type scares you most: gory, psychological, or supernatural?
- Were you ever scared of a teacher or another adult as a kid? Why?
- What social situations make you anxious? Public speaking? Parties with strangers?
- Can social anxiety be managed? How?
- Do you feel safe in your town? What do you find most unsettling about it?
- Are there current news stories that worry you about the future?
- Are you easily startled? Has anyone ever tried to scare you with a practical joke?
- Have you ever dressed up for Halloween? What costumes have you tried?
Homework – Research a Spooky Story
- Look for a spooky story or an urban legend on the internet. It can be in any language.
- Don’t copy or print the story, make notes about it, for example:
Bruiser the dog:
- Girl, dad had died.
- Mum works a lot.
- Girl is alone at home.
- Has a dog called Bruiser.
- Serial killer escaped from prison.
- Girl goes to bed.
- Bruiser licks fingers under the bed to comfort her.
- Wakes up in the night, Bruiser licks her fingers.
- Bedroom door opens, she sees Bruiser’s body…
- Who is licking her fingers???
As a follow-up class, put students in small groups, have them choose one of the urban legends they bring in. They must then make it as spooky and suspenseful as possible before telling it to the rest of the class.
