St. Patrick's Day Lesson Plans and Resources for ESL and ELD Teachers

Help your ESL/ELD students get the most out of their first local St. Patrick's Day with these language building activities. These resources are all geared to the older ESL and ELD students: junior high, high school, and adult learners will all benefit.

An introduction to basic St. Patrick's Day vocabulary is a prerequisite for all of these activities.

Sample Vocabulary List: fairy, green, Ireland, Irish, leprechaun, lucky, miracles, mischief, parade, pinch, pot of gold, rainbow, tricky, St. Patrick's Day, sneaky, snakes, shamrock, March, Saint Patrick, vanish, corned beef, cabbage, parade, mischief, green, clover, four-leaf-clover.

Activities to Reinforce St. Patrick's Day Vocabulary
BogglesWorld.com has a nice selection of vocabulary building worksheets for St. Patrick's Day. All of the worksheets are ready to print, but you must have Microsoft Word to print them. Worksheets are all St. Patrick's Day themed and include: creative writing activities, cloze paragraphs, word searches, crosswords, and more. To access the worksheets, click here.

St. Patrick's Day History and Videos
History.com has several articles on the history of St. Patrick's Day including the history of St. Patrick's Day in Ireland and the history of various St. Patrick's Day traditions in the United States. The site also includes a selection of St. Patrick's Day videos for listening practice. All of History.com's St. Patrick's Day Resources are available here.

The Best Internet Resources for St. Patrick's Day Lessons
The Internet TESL Journal has a page of links of resources for ESL and ELD teachers who are planning on teaching a St. Patrick's Day lesson. Links included direct teachers to websites devoted to Irish cooking, Irish music, the background of St. Patrick's Day, online self study quizzes about St. Patrick's Day, the history of the actual Saint Patrick, and more. To access these links, click here

St. Patrick's Day Writing and Speaking Topics
Use the following journal and discussion topics to assess students' understanding of St. Patrick's Day and vocabulary knowledge:

What would make you the luckiest person in the world?
How do Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day?
How do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day?
What do you know about leprechauns?
What would you do with a pot of gold?
If you had to plan a St. Patrick's Day party, what would you do at the party?
What are the symbols of luck in your culture?
What St. Patrick's Day activities happen in your community?

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