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Halloween is a fun opportunity to bring something different into the classroom. It gives students a chance to learn new vocabulary, practise English and explore traditions and stories.

Here are some simple Halloween classroom ideas for students of different ages and English levels.

1. Learn Halloween vocabulary

Start with some common Halloween words. You could introduce words such as pumpkin, costume, witch, ghost, spider, skeleton, haunted house, monster and bat.

For younger students, use pictures, actions or simple definitions to help them understand the words.

With older students, go beyond basic vocabulary. Ask them to find adjectives to describe a Halloween scene, such as mysterious, frightening, creepy, strange or unusual. They could then write short descriptions using the new words.

2. Create a Halloween story

Give students a few Halloween words and ask them to create a short story.

For younger learners, give them five words such as ghost, pumpkin, forest, cat and door. They can create a simple story using the words.

Older students can take this further. Give them a story opening, such as: “When I opened the door, I immediately knew something was wrong…”

Ask them to continue the story. You could challenge them to include a twist at the end or tell the story from the point of view of a different character.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more common in education. Teachers and students may use AI tools to create ideas, support learning, translate text or find information. But as AI becomes part of everyday classroom life, safeguarding needs to remain a priority.

Safeguarding is about protecting children and young people from harm. When using AI, this means thinking carefully about privacy, online safety, inappropriate content and how students interact with technology.

Protect students' personal information

One of the most important safeguarding issues is privacy. Students may be tempted to enter personal information into an AI tool without understanding where that information goes or how it may be used. Personal information could include a student's full name, address, school details, photographs, contact information or information about their family. It could also include sensitive information about their health, behavior or personal circumstances.

Teachers can help by setting clear rules about what students should and should not share with AI tools. If students are using AI in class, use activities that do not require them to enter personal or sensitive information.

Keeping students motivated can be difficult at any time of the academic year. Around the world, school calendars and term lengths vary, but most educators will recognize the challenge of teaching through a long stretch of lessons. The energy of a new class or course may fade, routines can start to feel repetitive, and students may feel tired or less connected to their learning goals.

For language teachers, this can be especially challenging. Learning a language takes time, and progress is not always easy for students to see. So, how can you keep language students motivated when a course or teaching period starts to lose momentum?