Download This Sample
This sample is exclusively for KidsKonnect members!
To download this worksheet, click the button below to signup for free (it only takes a minute) and you'll be brought right back to this page to start the download!
Sign Me Up
Table of Contents
Since ancient times ghost stories—tales of spirits who return from the dead to haunt the places they left behind—have figured prominently in the folklore of many cultures around the world.
See the fact file below for more information on Ghosts or alternatively download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
- The concept of a ghost, also known as a specter, is based on the ancient idea that a person’s spirit exists separately from his or her body and may continue to exist after that person dies.
- Places that are haunted are usually believed to be associated with some occurrence or emotion in the ghost’s past; they are often a former home or the place where he or she died.
- Aside from actual ghostly apparitions, traditional signs of haunting range from strange noises, lights, odors or breezes to the displacement of objects, bells that ring spontaneously or musical instruments that seem to play on their own.
- In the first century A.D., the great Roman author and statesman Pliny the Younger recorded one of the first notable ghost stories in his letters.
- Pliny reported that the specter of an old man with a long beard and rattling chains was haunting his house in Athens.
- Centuries later, in 856 A.D., the first poltergeist–a ghost that causes physical disturbances such as loud noises or objects falling or being thrown around–was reported at a farmhouse in Germany.
- The poltergeist tormented the family living there in a number of ways including throwing stones and starting fires, among other things.
- One of the most frequently reported ghost sightings in England dates back to the 16th century. This sighting was of Anne Boleyn.
- Anne Boleyn was the second wife of King Henry VIII and the mother of Queen Elizabeth I. She was executed at the Tower of London in May 1536 after being accused of witchcraft, treason, incest and adultery.
- Sightings of Boleyn’s ghost have been reported at the tower as well as in various other locations including her childhood home, Hever Castle, in Kent.
- America’s own rich tradition of historical ghosts begins with one of its most illustrious founding fathers: Benjamin Franklin.
- Franklin’s ghost was seen near the library of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Some reports stated that the statue of Franklin, in front of the society, comes to life and dances in the streets.
- Abraham Lincoln is said to have been seen wandering near the old Springfield capitol building, as well as his nearby law offices. At the White House, everyone from first ladies to queens to prime ministers have reported seeing the ghost or feeling the presence of Honest Abe.
- Another particularly active center for paranormal activity is the HMS Queen Mary, a cruise ship built in 1936.
- After serving in the British Royal Navy in World War II, the ship retired in Long Beach, California in 1967. Since then, the Queen Mary has become notorious for its spectral presences, with more than 50 ghosts reported over the years.
- The ship’s last chief engineer, John Smith, reported hearing unexplained sounds and voices from the area near the ship’s bow. This was in almost the same location as where a doomed British aircraft cruiser, the Coracao, had pierced a hole in it when it sank after an accidental wartime crash that killed more than 300 sailors aboard.
- Smith also claimed to have encountered the ghost of Winston Churchill–or at least his spectral cigar smoke–in the prime minister’s old stateroom aboard the ship.
- Many visitors to the Queen Mary have reported seeing a phantom crew member in blue overalls walking the decks. Around the ship’s swimming pool, reports have been made of mysterious splashes, and ghostly women in old fashioned bathing suits or dresses, along with trails of wet footsteps appearing long after the pool had been drained.
Ghost Worksheets
This bundle contains 11 ready-to-use Ghost worksheets that are perfect for students who want to learn more about tales of spirits who return from the dead to haunt the places they left behind—have figured prominently in the folklore of many cultures around the world. These have become known as Ghosts.
Download includes the following worksheets:
- Ghost Facts
- Ghost Story
- Ghost Acrostic
- Fact or Bluff
- Vocabulary
- Ghosts in Action
- Word Search
- Let’s Draw!
- Ghosts Sightings
- Folklore
- Paranormal
Link/cite this page
If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.
Link will appear as Ghosts Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, October 12, 2017
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.