Halloween Theme - Salem Witch Trials

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vmbo b
• Leerjaar 3

When rumors 

turn deadly...

Salem Witch Trials

During this lesson you will...

• check your personal beliefs on the supernatural.
• learn about the Salem Witch Trials in 1692.
• read and discuss the examination of Tituba.
• present your thoughts about a specific topic.
         What do you think happened in 1692?

Lesson goals

1620
Colonists were leaving for the new world.

These colonists, mostly Western Europeans such as the Dutch and English went in search of more religious freedom, like the protestants. Most of these first settlers were religious and the colonies were isolated.

Do you know about:

New Netherland, New Amsterdam and 

what we traded it for?

(Have a guess!) 

New A'dam was
traded for... ?

It was traded for Surinam!

Find:  Tituba, Sarah Osburne, Sarah Good, Jonathan Corwin & Samuel Parris

Web Quest:

Have students look up these names and write down in key words what they find

Tituba = house slave that first accused someone of witchcraft (after being accused of it herself)

Sarah Osburne (elderly lady) & Sarah Good (a homeless lady) were both accused of witchcraft by Tituba.

Jonathan Corwin was the lead investigator/ magistrate of the witch trials.

Samuel Parris had two female family members (a daughter & a niece) that behaved strangly. Their house slave Tituba was suspected of doing voodoo rituals in the presence of these children.

Check your personal beliefs:

Do you believe in.... ?

angels

It is likely that they exist.

It is possible that they exist.

It is not likely that they exist.

lucky numbers

It is likely that they exist.

It is possible that they exist.

It is not likely that they exist.

the Soul

It is likely that it exists.

It is possible that it exists.

It is not likely that it exists.

the Devil

It is likely that they exist.

It is possible that they exist.

It is not likely that they exist.

good luck charms

It is likely that they exist.

It is possible that they exist.

It is not likely that they exist.

witches

It is likely that they exist.

It is possible that they exist.

It is not likely that they exist.

God

It is likely that they exist.

It is possible that they exist.

It is not likely that they exist.

Have you ever been called a witch?
(or a wizard?)

No, never.

Maybe once or twice.

Yes, and I don't like it.

Yes, but I kind of deserved it.

Let's look at her story...

Tituba's testimony

Find the text in Teams - Lease Material

Instruction Video

What: Watch the video about Frane Selak and answer questions.

How: Video on the board, questions on paper (worksheet).

Help: Read the questions and let the teacher know if anything is unclear.

Goal: Practise your listening skills + we will use this video later in class.

What: Read the examination of Tituba, the house slave.

How: Text on paper (worksheet)

Help: Read the text and let the teacher know if anything is unclear.

Goal: Practise your reading skills + we will discuss the text later in class.

Tituba's testimony

10 min

What is described in this text?      What is happening?

Can we trust this text? Why (not)?

You can also ask students to read the text first and then correct it to make it easier to read.
The original text is over 330 years old and Tituba did not have an education, so sometimes the structure and word choice seem odd for modern readers.

Reading the text aloud (practise beforehand) will also help students follow what's going on.

Have students focus on the orange questions on the board.
This document is not very trustworthy starting with the possible torture during the testimony. This practice was actually quite common.

• How many people were hanged 
  (or pressed to death) in Salem in 1692?
• How many were men/ how many women?

24 people died during the trials.
7 were men (George 2x, John 2x, Giles, Samuel, Roger)

Most of the accused were married women between the ages of 40-60. Most of the accusers were single teenage women.

1 What do you know about the Salem witch trials?

2 Who were the main people involved in the trials?

3 Why do you think so many people were accused of witchcraft?

4 What effect did the trials have on the town of Salem?

5 What role did fear play in the witch trials?

6 Do you think the trials were fair? Why or why not?

7 How do you think the trials would be different today?

8 What lessons can we learn from the Salem witch trials?

9 How do stories about the Salem witch trials make you feel?

10 Have you heard of other witch hunts in history?

 Select two questions and write down your 

 thoughts in key words. Be ready to present.                     

10 - 15 min

See the worksheet in Teams - Lease Material

Select one of your answers and present your thoughts to the class.

You can use the key words 

that you have written down.

Have students hand in their written work.

"I am no more a witch than you are a wizard. 

I do not even know what a witch is."

"I do not hurt the children. I have done nothing wrong."

"I am no witch. I do not even know what that means. I am only a poor woman."

"I am an innocent woman. I have lived a good life and done no harm to anyone."

Quotes from the accused:

- Giles Corey

- Tituba

- Sarah Good

- Rebecca Nurse

EVALUATION
Group discussion, have students translate these quotes to Dutch. Ask them what type of emotions they can sense, how these people must have felt.
What would they have said if someone accused them of witchcraft?

symbols of luck/

 good fortune

What's your opinion about 

today's class? Any feedback?

The End

This is the end of class. See you next time 😊

End of today's lesson.

See you after the fall break!

... and enjoy Halloween... ;)