The McDonald family and the Baldoon Mystery

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: The McDonald family and the Baldoon Mystery

Warm-up

Have you ever been in a haunted house? (Yes, I have...)

Vocabulary Match

wing •• ghostly
footsteps •• evil magic
curse •• walking sounds
bullets •• shots from gun
haunted •• farm bird
goose •• flapping arm
porch •• front area

Vocabulary Answers

wingflapping arm
footstepswalking sounds
curseevil magic
bulletsshots from gun
hauntedghostly
goosefarm bird
porchfront area

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

The story says that long ago, the McDonald family lived on a farm in Baldoon, Ontario. Their home was ________, and people believed a witch had put a ________ on them. The family heard ________ in the kitchen, saw ________ and stones fly through windows, and watched fires start around the house.

To stop it, they asked a woman with "second sight" for help. She told them to make a silver bullet and shoot a black-headed ________. When John McDonald hit the bird and broke its ________, he later saw an old woman on her ________ with a broken arm. After that, the haunting stopped.

The story says that long ago, the McDonald family lived on a farm in Baldoon, Ontario. Their home was haunted, and people believed a witch had put a curse on them. The family heard footsteps in the kitchen, saw bullets and stones fly through windows, and watched fires start around the house.

To stop it, they asked a woman with "second sight" for help. She told them to make a silver bullet and shoot a black-headed goose. When John McDonald hit the bird and broke its wing, he later saw an old woman on her porch with a broken arm. After that, the haunting stopped.

Quiz

  1. Where did the McDonald family live?
  2. What did people believe happened?
  3. What unusual things happened in the McDonald home?
  4. How did John McDonald stop the haunting?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. On a farm in Baldoon, Ontario.
  2. A witch had put a curse on them.
  3. They heard footsteps, saw bullets and stones fly, and watched fires start.
  4. He shot a black-headed goose with a silver bullet.

True or False

  1. The McDonald family lived in the city. T F
  2. A woman helped the McDonald family stop the haunting. T F
  3. Ronald McDonald shot a black-headed goose. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. True
  3. False

Conversation

A:Did you hear those footsteps again last night?
B:Yes, and I saw a stone fly through the window!
A:This is getting scary!
B:Let's try the silver bullet plan.
A:Alright, I'll aim for the black-headed goose.
B:Oh! Maybe we can make goose nuggets after!

Discussion

  1. Do you believe in ghosts or haunted houses?
  2. Have you ever heard a ghost story?
  3. What would you do if you thought your house was haunted?
  4. What scary movies have you watched?
  5. What costume would you wear to a Halloween party?

Further Reading

https://skeptoid.com/episodes/426

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