Pagan biology at the Halloween Hop
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Pagan biology at the Halloween Hop
Roger Lock
ABSTRACT Send your pupils into the autumn term half-term holiday with a task that requires
them to explore more about the biology associated with Halloween. This article offers a fun
approach, with a pub quiz format based on bats, skeletons, pumpkins and witches, that is suitable
for lessons following the end-of-topic test, for STEM clubs or for PTA events, with an autumnal and
biological flavour.
The origins of Halloween are in a pagan festival Many world religions form a part of most
in Britain and Ireland associated with the Celtic school offerings in religious education lessons but
new year and falling on 1 November. As well as it appears that beliefs whose origins run alongside
preparing for winter, people believed that at this these, and pre-date some, are less frequently
time the spirits of the dead and ghosts and witches explored. The activities suggested here might
mingled with those of the living. It was a time provide the stimulus for cross-curricular work.
of bonfires, food, drink and celebration; even
sacrifices were made to placate the spirits. The Activities
Romans added their own touches to the festival All of the activities described here have a
with cider drinking and apple bobbing to celebrate strong link to biology and to Halloween. In the
Pomona, the Roman goddess of the orchards. tradition of the pub quiz, the activities begin
Early Christian missionaries tried without with each team selecting an appropriate name
success to suppress the festival, so in 835 Pope for itself, ideally with a biological link such as
Gregory IV tried to ‘Christianise’ the festival by the Fermenting Fungi or Bedevilled Bats. Points
moving All Saints’ Day (which was also called may be awarded for inventiveness. The rounds
All Hallows) from 13 May to 1 November. described here feature:
Celebrations took place the night before
l bats;
1 November, that is All Hallows’ Even, and
l witches and fungi;
eventually the festival became known as Hallows’
l witches’ brooms;
Eve, hence Halloween.
l the human skeleton (including building the
Possibly because the Christianised idea was
skeleton);
not closely enough related to the original tradition,
l pumpkins and gourds.
many of the pagan ideas are retained to this day
and seem to be growing in popularity. The notion The activities could be extended to include
behind the activities described here is not to rounds on cats or other witches’ familiars,
promote pagan ideas but to suggest some engaging and spiders and rats. Central to the quiz, as
activities related to biology and to a festival that ‘modern’ approaches to lessons dictate, is the
falls close to the half-term break in the autumn PowerPoint presentation (available from the
term. These activities can be a fun approach to author on request) but other approaches, such
a period when pupils and teachers are jaded and as a worksheet for each round (some of which
in need of something to lift the ‘spirits’ ready for are used as boxes in this article), are possible.
the half-term break. If there is not enough class Adding appropriate graphics of witches, cats
time then the activities described here could form and ghouls, along with sounds such as creaking
part of a science/STEM club activity or, for the doors and cackling witches, to the presentation
ambitious, a pupils’ and parents’ evening for the all adds to the atmosphere. Background music
PTA with a pub quiz atmosphere. can also help to create the right mood, with my
SSR September 2011, 93(342) 45
Pagan biology at the Halloween Hop Lock
BOX 1 Round 1: the Bat Quiz
Q1 Bats really are blind.
A False Though they don’t see in colour,
they see more effectively than we do at
night. Bats can ‘see’ by sonar.
Q2 The world’s smallest bat weighs less
than a penny.
A True It’s the bumblebee bat of Thailand,
the world’s smallest mammal.
Q3 Some bats’ hearing is so keen they can
hear the footsteps of an insect walking
on sand more than six feet away.
A True Many bats find their way and locate
prey using the sound of echoes.
Q4 Bats are cruel by nature.
A False Some bats are so kind they adopt
orphans and will risk their lives to share
food with less-fortunate bats.
Q5 Vampire bats are the only mammals
that feed on nothing but blood.
A True Vampire bats live only in Latin
America, where most people will never
even see one.
Q6 Bats hang by their nose.
Figure 1 Halloween-themed balloons
A False They hang by their toes.
Q7 Bats get tangled in your hair.
favourite, as a child of the 1960s, being Bobby
A False People may have thought this
‘Boris’ Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers’ rendition of
because bats fly over our heads hunting
Monster Mash (1962) and its opening line ‘I was
insects. If a bat flies by you, it’s probably
working in the lab late last night’. Other possible
chasing a gnat.
musical accompaniments might include Boris the
Spider (1966) by The Who, Ghost Town (1981) by Q8 All bats live in attics and caves.
The Specials, Bat out of Hell (1979 and again in A False Some choose trees or other sites;
1993) by Meat Loaf or Michael Jackson’s Thriller tropical bats make homes everywhere
(1982). Decorating the room with a few balloons from banana leaves to spider webs.
(Figure 1) is also a possibility. Q9 Bats are vicious.
Round 1: Bats A False Bats pose little threat to people
With team names decided and a suitable table who leave them alone; they will bite in
(five rows × number of teams, with two extra self-defence if mishandled.
columns for the team names and totals) drawn up Reproduced with permission from Lawrence Hall
on the interactive whiteboard, you are ready to of Science, University of California, Berkeley (see
roll. The bats round is a misleadingly easy starter, Website).
with true or false answers to nine questions. It is
possible to make up your own but the one reported
here (Box 1) comes from the Lawrence Hall of opposite for a T or F to indicate the answer, can be
Science on the University of California, Berkeley, handed out and then collected in so that the scores
website (see Website). for each team can be determined and entered into
A small slip of paper with a space for the the table while the second round is in progress.
team name and numbers 1–9, each with a space Answers to the true/false questions (also given in
46 SSR September 2011, 93(342)
Lock Pagan biology at the Halloween Hop
Box 1) can be reported to the teams along with
BOX 2 Round 2: Witches; supporting
their scores after Round 2.
worksheet complete with possible mark plan
Round 2: Witches
There are two parts to this round: Witches and Team name: ..………………………………………
Fungi, and Witches’ Brooms. Access to the internet
is needed for this round as the information needed Witches and Fungi
is likely to be outside the knowledge of pupils, One possible explanation for witches is ergot
although some, especially from rural areas, do poisoning. Note down below the biological
already know about witches’ brooms and their explanation for this, including any physiological
biological links. It is a good idea to hand out a sheet and behavioural aspects.
(Box 2) that can help to structure the responses as
………………………………………………………
this makes it easier to mark while Round 3 is in
progress. A time limit is also a good idea as this ………………………………………………………
encourages teams to work quickly and efficiently. ………………………………………………………
In the 1950s, the study of fungi formed a ………………………………………………………
part of most A-level examinations and Claviceps
………………………………………………………
purpurea was among them. This fungal parasite
forms a sclerotium (a fruiting body) in the ovary Possible mark plan:
of cereal plants such as barley. This is black or l fungus (1), Claviceps purpurea (1)
brown in colour and called an ergot; it sits in the l parasite (1)
ear of the cereal together with the uninfected l barley (1), other cereal (1)
seeds. If these were not spotted at harvest, the l mycelium in ovary (1)
ergot would be ground with the seeds and the l black/brown (1), ‘seed’ ergot (1)
resulting flour eventually made into bread. The l make bread with ergot (1)
ergot contains alkaloids including ergotamine l ergot produces alkaloids (1)
and these have effects on circulation and l two alkaloids (1), lysergic acid ergotamine
neurotransmission. In the latter case, they can and lysergic acid (1)
cause hallucinations and involuntary twitching l affects circulation (1), neurotransmission (1),
that may have been misinterpreted by some as twitch (1)
signs of bewitchment. There have been theories, l symptoms of ‘bewitchment’ (1), e.g.
though disputed, that ergotism was the causative hallucination, vomiting, biting, increased
factor in the Salem witch trials. A possible mark sexual appetite (1 + n)
plan, based on this information, is provided in l link made to Salem witches (1), disputed (1)
Box 2 but this should be flexible and adapted to
suit the needs of the activity. Witches’ Brooms
Witches’ brooms are ubiquitous and are Explain the link between witches’ brooms, birch
potentially visible to all who know what they are trees and biology.
looking for. The ones in Figure 2 are on a silver
………………………………………………………
birch tree in inner-city Birmingham. The distorted
twigs are caused by a range of factors but ………………………………………………………
principal among them are fungi and viruses. These ………………………………………………………
infections cause a dense mass of shoots to grow
………………………………………………………
together in close proximity (Figure 3), with the
resulting growth resembling a broom. A fungus, ………………………………………………………
Taphrina betulina, is the main cause of brooms on Possible mark plan:
silver birch trees. Again, a potential mark plan is l distorted twigs look like brooms (1)
provided in Box 2, but bonus points can be given l in birch caused by a fungus (1) and virus (1),
for those who know where examples, close to in other plants as a response to aphid, mite
school, may be found. or nematode attack (1)
l the brooms cause no serious harm to the tree
(1)
SSR September 2011, 93(342) 47
Pagan biology at the Halloween Hop Lock
Figure 4 Lola at Halloween
Figure 2 Witches’ brooms
Figure 3 A close-up of a broom
Round 3: The human skeleton
Skeletons feature strongly in the artefacts available
in shops and supermarkets around Halloween.
These vary from full skeleton suits to T-shirts
showing just the rib cage. The main activity in this
round is to spot the errors in the skeleton compared Figure 5 The author at the Halloween Hop
with actual human skeleton structure and there
are lots of opportunities for differentiation. Using whereas an adult’s T-shirt (Figure 5) can look
a child’s suit (Figure 4) gives lots of possibilities misleadingly close to the actual structure.
48 SSR September 2011, 93(342)
Lock Pagan biology at the Halloween Hop
A good time to buy these resources is in the as a ‘red herring’ to catch out the former medical
period immediately following Halloween in students who are retraining as science teachers.
preparation for the following year, as shops such The skeleton illustrated in Figure 5 has three
as supermarkets make big price reductions in order pairs of ribs missing. There are nine pairs when
to sell off their surplus stock. However, they can there should be 12. The T-shirt shows five pairs of
also be readily found at jumble and car boot sales. true ribs where there should be seven pairs that go
Skeletons are also available in life-size cardboard from the vertebral column to the sternum. There
form and as small plastic models. are three pairs of false ribs shown on the T-shirt
Local fairs around Halloween may have that run from the vertebral column and join into
fairground rides where Houses of Horror or the bottom true rib. This is accurate but it should
Ghost Trains (Figure 6) feature skeletons, and be rib pairs 8, 9 and 10 that do this. The T-shirt
suitable pictures, incorporated into a PowerPoint has a single pair of floating ribs when there should
presentation, could be a resource on which this be two pairs. The clavicle and scapula on the
round is based. Further differentiation can be T-shirt are fine, as are the five lumbar vertebrae.
provided in the form of a textbook diagram Only half of the pelvic girdle is present. Readers
against which the flawed skeleton artefact can be are left to form their own mark plan for this
compared. Those schools that possess a full-size round as the correct answers will depend on how
skeleton can use this. If you want to make this detailed and how full a skeleton is involved.
round difficult then there is the possibility of not If you wish to tax older students engaged
providing a resource against which to compare the in more advanced study, the goblet shown in
artefact but to bring out the school skeleton at the Figure 7 provides such an opportunity. There
end of the round. Swapping answer sheets between are two errors in this resource: the first, and
groups and doing a bit of peer assessment is a most obvious, is the point of articulation of the
possible scoring strategy here too. thumb to the carpals, while the less obvious is in
The favoured approach for the author the number of carpal bones – seven where there
(Figure 5) is to wear the T-shirt under a dark should be eight. The numbers of phalanges and
shirt and tie at the start of the quiz and then, with metacarpals are correct.
possibly some appropriate music of the burlesque
genre, to remove the shirt and tie, revealing the
skeleton T-shirt. The quiz teams have been known
to call a stop before the trousers are removed
to reveal the skeleton pyjama bottoms; if the
latter were also removed, the boxers with hip
girdle would be revealed. If needed, the author
also has a pair of socks with the bones of the
lower leg, ankle and foot shown but, as these are
anatomically correct, they are rarely used except
Figure 6 Ghost train art Figure 7 A goblet containing fake blood
SSR September 2011, 93(342) 49
Pagan biology at the Halloween Hop Lock
To make false blood, which is edible, I added
some red food colouring to milk plus one or two
drops of blue food colouring. An alternative recipe
is as follows:
l 230 g of golden syrup;
l 15 g of red food colouring;
l one or two drops of blue food colouring;
l warm water;
l cornflour.
Add warm water to the syrup to thin it down
and then add the food colourings. Stir well. To
make the blood more opaque, add cornflour. Figure 8 Halloween biscuit treats
This substance can be used to drip ‘blood’ from
syringes over the prizes and refreshments, as
shown in Figures 8 and 9. Take care with the
food colouring as it will stain clothing and may
temporarily discolour skin. Risk analyses are
appropriate here. Bonus points may be given
for the ‘bush tucker trial’ activity, with the first
team with an empty goblet getting bonus points;
however, for those who think there should be no
‘hand to mouth’ operations in science laboratories
at any time, this may be a no-go activity.
Round 3 provides opportunities for peer or
self-assessment, if required, but the quizmaster
could also do the marking.
Round 4: Pumpkins and gourds
The carved pumpkin is a traditional Halloween
Figure 9 Finger, eye and brain sweets
feature (Figure 10) but too little is known
by young people today about the biology
and botany of these interesting members of
the cucumber family. I well remember my
old biology teacher, Mr Searle, setting his
Scholarship level (S-level) group an essay
entitled ‘A cucumber is like a pregnant woman’.
I opened my response with a joke told by
Ken Dodd about cucumbers, letter boxes and
Martians before going on to make comparisons
of embryos, food sources and protection. I never
did sit the S-level exam!
Pictures or the artefacts themselves
(Figure 11) are needed for this round, which
I offer as a form of table completion activity
(Box 3). Differentiation can be achieved through
removing/leaving the country or origin sticker on
the fruit, making the internet available, or adding/ Figure 10 A carved pumpkin lantern
deleting more information to or from the table.
There is time for this round to be marked
Round 5: Build your own skeleton
by the question setter as Round 5 takes at least
This round requires the team to cut out and
4 minutes to complete.
assemble their own skeleton. Suitable skeletons
50 SSR September 2011, 93(342)
Lock Pagan biology at the Halloween Hop
BOX 3 Round 4: Where’s the pumpkin?
Team name: ..………………………………………
Complete the cucumber family table
Plant Butternut s----h Gourd Plant Melon
Fruit Round
Colour Orange
Food type Vegetable Starter or Sweet
Country of origin
for this round are available on the internet but, if before the start of the activity with the criteria
you are stuck, a C4 stamped addressed envelope by which this performance will be judged. I
sent to the author will secure you one that is usually give speed of task completion, neatness
copyright free. Teams are provided with paper of cutting out and accuracy of assembly as the
fasteners to join the various parts of the skeleton criteria, but it is also possible to combine this
together, scissors for cutting out (at least two activity with Round 3 by asking for the bones to
pairs for each team) and Blu-Tack to display be labelled and the inaccuracies to be identified.
the finished article (Figure 12). In the spirit of This round generates a real sense of urgency and
assessment for learning, teams are provided competitiveness with other teams (Figure 13). As
Figure 12 Completed skeletons
Figure 11 Pumpkins and gourds Figure 13 A team in action
SSR September 2011, 93(342) 51
Pagan biology at the Halloween Hop Lock
it takes some time to complete, it is possible to
have the score table updated before this round is
marked. This allows the interest in who has won
to build up as the scores for Round 5 are added
one criterion at a time to the totals.
It is not difficult to find appropriate prizes
for the winning team, with items such as candles,
masks, key rings with skeletons and leg bone
pens being readily and cheaply available. I
tend to see them all as winners, with plates
of appropriate biscuits (Figure 9) and body-
part sweets such as brains, eyes and fingers
(Figure 10) liberally sprinkled with edible blood
being available for all teams.
Another possible activity
There is one further activity that I have undertaken
with resources available at the same time of
year and this involves the genetics of maize that
is sold in supermarkets under the name ‘Indian
corn’ (Figure 14). The ‘Indian’ here means Native
American or Mexican as this is the region in which
the maize was first cultivated. I varnish the cobs
as this protects them and allows them to be used
year after year. With the Indian corn I challenge
the groups to identify the number of different
phenotypes among the specimens and, following
Figure 14 Indian corn
this, the ratios between them. This is quite a
difficult task and the ratios found are rarely familiar
ones: I have found a 9 : 7 ratio that may actually imagination from biologists. Over the years,
just be 1 : 1, as I do not have enough other examples the ideas have developed, with a few falling by
to replicate the experiment. I do, however, still the wayside, such as bobbing for apples in the
have two other sets of specimens, originally sold by laboratory sinks – although this might not be
Philip Harris, that permit students to work out the such a bad idea in some schools that I hear tales
ratios of the phenotypes and those come to ratios of of, where (with apologies to the Getting Practical
approximately 3 : 1 and 9 : 3 : 3 : 1. project) it would mean that at least the sinks
would be used once a year!
Conclusion
The ideas suggested here first arose when I
Website
worked for a head teacher who believed that we
Bat Quiz (Lawrence Hall of Science, University of
should always go out with a ‘big bang’ at the California; Berkeley): www.lawrencehallofscience.org/
end of every term or half-term. This was easy kidsite/portfolio/bat-quiz.
for my chemistry colleagues but required more
Roger Lock was a lecturer in science education at the School of Education, University of Birmingham,
Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT. Email: roger@rogerlock.com.
52 SSR September 2011, 93(342)
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