The Witch Hunt: A Lesson in Fear and Power
- Kate
- Oct 24
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 8
This ESL Lesson Plan The Witch Hunt takes C1 learners into the dark and fascinating world of witches, fear, and superstition. Based on the history of European witch hunts and the infamous Salem trials, this lesson invites learners to explore why witch hunts happened, who was accused, and what these events reveal about society, fear, and power.
Perfect for Halloween or any lesson exploring history, belief, and critical thinking, The Witch Hunt: a lesson in fear and power helps learners question how fear shapes society — then and now.
Skills and Outcomes:
Develop advanced reading and listening comprehension through historical texts and videos.
Expand academic and topic-specific vocabulary related to belief, fear, and power.
Analyse how social and religious beliefs shape human behaviour and justice.
Express complex opinions and comparisons about historical and modern examples of collective fear.
Reflect critically on the impact of superstition, authority, and mass thinking in society.
Vocabulary
heretic
stereotype
absolute
witchcraft
executed
torture
accused
prevailing worldview
Lesson Plan
Lead-in
Discuss beliefs and ideas about magic, special powers, and witches.
Encourage students to share opinions about why people enjoy scary stories or believe in the supernatural.
Then and Now
Compare past and present beliefs using the “Then vs Now” chart.
Discuss how explanations for illness, nature, and events have changed over time.
Vocabulary
Introduce and discuss key words: heretic, absolute, stereotype, witchcraft, accused, torture, executed, prevailing worldview.
Use example sentences and elicit meanings through context.
Check understanding through short oral questions.
Reading: The Origins of Witch Hunts
Read the adapted text from Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Focus on comprehension of main ideas and key vocabulary.
Discuss how fear, religion, and authority influenced witch hunts.
Comprehension
Complete the follow-up questions to check understanding of the text.
Encourage students to summarise key points in pairs or small groups.
Practice
Fill in the blanks with target vocabulary words.
Review answers together, highlighting pronunciation and usage.
Video: The Salem Witch Trials
Watch the video “What really happened during the Salem Witch Trials – Brian A. Pavlac.”
Answer comprehension questions about fear, society, and behaviour.
Discuss differences between European and North American witch hunts.
Think
In groups, discuss questions connecting history to modern society:
Can you think of other historical events where beliefs caused injustice?
Why do people follow harmful beliefs without questioning them?
What current beliefs might be questioned in the future?
Encourage critical and reflective responses.
Quotes and Reflection
Read and interpret the quotes:
“Magic is just science we don’t understand yet.”
“Everyone loves a witch hunt as long as it’s someone else’s witch being hunted.”
Reflect on their meanings and how they connect to the lesson theme.
Additional Video (Optional Extension)
Watch “Ugly History: Witch Hunts” by Brian A. Pavlac for further exploration of European and American witch hunts.
Encourage note-taking and discussion about causes and consequences.
Lesson length: 90 min
Level: C1
Category: Culture
Image credit: Illustrations by Rizki Ardia and others, Unsplash, used with permission.