brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/harry-houdini-halloween-code/
45-minute lesson plan
| Time | Stage | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3′ | Warm-up | Ask the class: “Do you believe anyone can talk to the dead? Why do you think so many people wanted to believe it 100 years ago?” Let a few students answer. |
| 3–10′ | Words | Pre-teach the 5 words with the flashcards: handcuffs, stunt, medium, fraud, genuine. Say each word, show the meaning, and ask for a quick example. |
| 10–17′ | Video | Play the video (6:37). Students follow the transcript. Play it a second time if needed. |
| 17–25′ | Comprehension | Worksheet C (or the online Story Challenge): check answers together. Ask “How do you know?” |
| 25–33′ | Grammar | have + object + past participle (causative have): to say that we arrange for someone else to do something to us or to our things. Show “He had himself locked in a jail cell.”, then do worksheet E together. |
| 33–40′ | Worksheet | Students do worksheet A, B and D alone or in pairs. Check with the answer key. |
| 40–45′ | Speaking | In pairs: “Houdini was a magician, but he told people his tricks were not real magic. Why do you think honesty was so important to him?” |
Homework: students finish the lesson online (flashcards + Story Challenge). With your class link, you see who finished.
Words and grammar
- handcuffs (noun (plural)): two metal rings joined together, used by the police to lock a person's wrists. “At Scotland Yard, he escaped from police handcuffs.”
- stunt (noun): a dangerous or exciting act, done to get people's attention. “His stunts drew huge crowds.”
- medium (noun): a person who says they can talk to the spirits of the dead. “He went to many mediums.”
- fraud (noun): a person who tricks people to get money or fame. “He showed that many mediums were frauds.”
- genuine (adjective): real, not fake. “The message was not genuine.”
Grammar: have + object + past participle (causative have) — to say that we arrange for someone else to do something to us or to our things. “He had himself locked in a jail cell.”
Discussion questions
- Houdini was a magician, but he told people his tricks were not real magic. Why do you think honesty was so important to him?
- What was the hardest moment in Harry Houdini's story? What did Harry Houdini do?
- Make two sentences about your own life with “have + object + past participle (causative have)”. (From the story: “He had himself locked in a jail cell.”)
Student worksheet
A Match the words to their meanings
- handcuffs (noun (plural))
- stunt (noun)
- medium (noun)
- fraud (noun)
- genuine (adjective)
- séance (noun)
- straitjacket (noun)
- escape artist (noun)
- real, not fake
- a performer who escapes from locks, chains and boxes
- a person who tricks people to get money or fame
- a person who says they can talk to the spirits of the dead
- a meeting where people try to talk to the spirits of the dead
- a dangerous or exciting act, done to get people's attention
- a strong jacket with long sleeves that tie at the back, so you cannot move your arms
- two metal rings joined together, used by the police to lock a person's wrists
B Complete the sentences from the story
séance · genuine · escape artist · mediums · frauds · handcuffs · stunts · straitjacket
- He went to many .
- He showed that many mediums were .
- He hung upside down in a .
- The message was not .
- Houdini was the world's most famous .
- His drew huge crowds.
- Every Halloween, Bess held a .
- At Scotland Yard, he escaped from police .
C Did you understand?
- Houdini was born in the United States.True / False
- What did people call him after his handcuff escapes?
- The Prince of Locks
- The Water Wizard
- The Handcuff King
- The Lion of London
- Why did Houdini know the message from his mother was not genuine?
- It was written in pencil.
- It was in English, and Houdini said his mother could not speak English.
- It came by post.
- It was too short.
- Houdini died in his Water Torture Cell.True / False
- What happened at the final séance on Halloween 1936?
- Houdini's secret code was heard.
- A medium won 10,000 dollars.
- Houdini's elephant came back.
- Bess said: "Houdini did not come through."
D Put the words in order
- had / a / locked / cell / in / jail / himself / He
E Grammar: have + object + past participle (causative have)
We use it for to say that we arrange for someone else to do something to us or to our things. He had himself locked in a jail cell. · He had his feet locked at the top of the tank. · I had my hair cut yesterday.
Example from the story: He had himself locked in a jail cell.
- Back in 1906, he had himself in a jail cell. (locked / lock / locking)
- Last week, I had my car at the garage. (repaired / repair / repairing)
- Yesterday, she her photo taken for her passport. (had / has / having)
F Your turn
Retell Harry Houdini's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.
Answer key
A. 1h 2f 3d 4c 5a 6e 7g 8b
B. 1 mediums · 2 frauds · 3 straitjacket · 4 genuine · 5 escape artist · 6 stunts · 7 séance · 8 handcuffs
C. 1 False · 2 c · 3 b · 4 False · 5 d
D. 1 He had himself locked in a jail cell.
E. 1 locked · 2 repaired · 3 had
Transcript
He escaped from handcuffs, chains and jails.
Then, on Halloween, he died, and he left his wife a secret code.
If anyone could come back from the dead, surely it was Houdini.
So, did he?
This is the story of Harry Houdini.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
Handcuffs. Handcuffs are two metal rings joined together.
The police use them to lock a person's wrists.
It's a plural word.
At Scotland Yard, he escaped from police handcuffs.
Stunt. A stunt is a dangerous or exciting act, done to get people's attention.
His stunts drew huge crowds.
Medium. A medium is a person who says they can talk to the spirits of the dead.
He went to many mediums.
Fraud. A fraud is a person who tricks people to get money or fame.
He showed that many mediums were frauds.
Genuine. Genuine means real, not fake.
The message was not genuine.
Now, one pattern: have, plus a person or thing, plus a past participle.
We use it when we arrange for someone else to do something to us.
The guards locked him in a jail cell.
He had himself locked in a jail cell.
Ready? Let's begin.
Harry Houdini was born Erik Weisz in Budapest in 1874.
When he was four, his family moved to America.
They were very poor.
The boy sold newspapers and shined shoes to help his family.
He loved his mother more than anyone.
As a teenager, he read the life story of a great French magician, Robert-Houdin, and took the name Houdini.
For years, he and his young wife, Bess, performed in small museums and circuses.
He even tried to sell his act, but nobody wanted it.
Then, in 1899, a theatre manager saw him escape from handcuffs.
He told Houdini to focus on escapes and booked him into big theatres.
Houdini later wrote that this moment changed his whole life.
In 1900, he sailed to England.
At Scotland Yard, he escaped from police handcuffs.
Soon, people called him the Handcuff King.
Back in America, he had himself locked in a jail cell in Washington.
And he got out.
His stunts drew huge crowds.
In Boston, in 1908, he had himself handcuffed and jumped from a bridge into the river.
About 20,000 people watched.
Later, he had himself hung upside down in a straitjacket, high above the street.
In 1912, he showed his most famous escape.
He had his feet locked at the top of a glass tank of water, and he hung upside down inside.
A curtain closed.
Seconds passed. Then minutes.
Then the curtain opened.
He was free.
In 1918, he even made an elephant disappear on a New York stage.
How? Nobody knows for sure.
But years earlier, in 1913, his mother had died.
Houdini was heartbroken.
He wanted to talk to her just one more time.
So he went to many mediums.
Could anyone really speak to the dead?
In 1922, his friend Arthur Conan Doyle, the writer of Sherlock Holmes, invited him to a séance.
Doyle's wife wrote a long message from Houdini's mother.
But it was in English, and Houdini said his mother could not speak English.
The message was not genuine.
Houdini was angry.
He wanted the world to know the truth.
He and his team visited séances in disguise.
He showed that many mediums were frauds.
The mediums used simple tricks, and he could repeat those tricks on stage.
In 1926, he spoke to the United States Congress.
He held up an envelope with 10,000 dollars.
It was for any medium who could show one real sign from the spirits.
Nobody won it.
Houdini and Bess had made a promise.
Whoever died first would try to send a message to the other.
They chose a secret code.
The first word was "Rosabelle", the song Bess sang when they met.
In October 1926, he became very ill with appendicitis.
He ignored the pain and kept performing.
By the time he went to hospital, it was too late.
Harry Houdini died on 31 October 1926.
It was Halloween.
Every Halloween for ten years, Bess held a séance and waited for the secret code.
No real message ever came.
On Halloween 1936, the tenth and final séance took place on a hotel roof in Hollywood.
About 300 guests sat in the dim light.
People listened live on the radio.
Everyone waited. Then Bess spoke: "Houdini did not come through."
She said she did not believe that ghosts or spirits existed.
Then she turned out the light.
In a way, Houdini had won his last challenge.
Today, one hundred years later, Houdini séances are still held every Halloween.
Let's review. At Scotland Yard, he escaped from police handcuffs.
His stunts drew huge crowds.
He went to many mediums.
He showed that many mediums were frauds.
The message was not genuine.
And remember: he had himself locked in a jail cell.
Harry Houdini's story teaches us: magic can amaze us, but the truth matters more.
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