Halloween is one of the most memorable days for both kids and adults. It’s a day filled with tricks, treats, and scares. It can also be a time for your students to learn something new! This is why we've compiled a list of educational Halloween tales to share with your class. Together with your students, explore the creepy origins of Halloween, the history of the Salem witch trials, the 1938 radio drama that spooked audiences everywhere, and more! 

The Real Story of Halloween

Appropriate Grades: 7 - 12

The History Channel's The Real Story of Halloween will take your students through the complete journey of Halloween. Your students will learn about Gaelic harvest festivals, John Carpenter's film Halloween, Lemuria, witches, and the origins of trick-or-treating.

Animated Adaption of 'The Tell-Tale Heart'

Appropriate Grades: 7 - 12

"Harken, he had the eye of a vulture."  This animated adaptation by Annette Jung breathes life into Edgar Allan Poe's classic "The Tell-Tale Heart." In this tale of death, Annette takes Edgar's  words from the page and gives your students a visual twist guaranteed to keep your class entertained.

Inside the Salem Witch Trials 

Appropriate Grades: 8 - 12

What do you get when you combine supernatural enemies, false confessions, and the Puritans together in the 17th century? A recipe for disaster! Using real dialogue from historic records, Inside the Salem Witch Trials by the History Channel is full of haunting accounts of an incredibly harrowing time. Beginning in 1692, the Salem Witch Trials left an indelible mark on North American history. From Tituba, Cotton Mathers, and the Putnam's, your students will learn how the trials came to be, and how they thankfully came to an abrupt end.

The War of the Worlds - Original and Complete Broadcast

Appropriate Grades: 8 - 12

Orson Welles' radio adaptation of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds created a mass panic during its first broadcast! Its news bulletin format caught radio listeners off guard. Many of them thought that a Martian invasion was actually happening while they sat listening at home. Take your class back in time to 1938 and check out this radio show to imagine what it would have been like to listen for yourself!

Día de los Muertos Celebration

Appropriate Grades: 1 - 5

Appropriate Grades: 6 -12

Introduce your students to another holiday celebrated this season- Día de los Muertos! These educational videos will help your students become familiar with traditions and symbols of this day! Understand the importance of the vibrant skulls. Learn about how children in Mexico honour the memories of their families. Both of these videos make a great introduction to a larger discussion on how cultures around the world celebrate death.