, ,

7 St. Patrick's Day Activities For English

You're in LUCK! If you're stumped for ideas on how you can incorporate St. Patrick's Day activities into your English Language Arts class, here are seven ideas to help you get started!

A great way to establish a routine in any classroom is through the use of daily writing prompts/bell ringers. Not only are students practicing their writing daily, but they are also developing a standard in your class, which might also encourage students to arrive to class on time, prepared to write!

Here are five themed writing prompts that you could use with your students:

1. Write a 50-100 word story using the first line, "It was March 17th, just another day of the week. I got dressed, looked in the mirror and saw that my face was completely green..."

 2. What's the difference between luck and fate? If someone were to win the lottery, would you think they were lucky or that it was meant to happen? Give reasons to explain your answer.

3. Write a 10 line St. Patrick's Day poem using the following words: green, four leaf clover, rainbow, a pot of gold, March, leprechaun, lucky, Irish, shamrock, and magic.

4. The four-leaf clover is one of the most recognized good luck charms. Identify some positive and negative factors of those who might rely on charms. What are some other examples of good luck charms? What or who is your lucky charm?

5. Was there ever a time in your life that you can recall relying on that lucky penny you found? If you found a penny today, would you still consider it to be lucky? Why or why not?

Use these fun St. Patrick's Day-themed topics to practice public speaking and debate-style skills in your classroom! Get your students moving by hanging up four signs that indicate the following: strongly agree, agree, strongly disagree, disagree. 

 Present the following topics and let the discussion begin! Students should be prepared to share their reasons for their opinion selection, so they should choose their decision wisely.
  • Discussion topic #1: There is no such thing as good or bad luck.
  • Discussion topic #2: St. Patrick's Day or St. Paddy's Day?
  • Discussion topic #3: Number 7 is a lucky number.
  • Discussion topic #4: St. Patrick's Day should be a holiday.
  • Discussion topic #5: There is nothing 'lucky' about the four leaf clover.
Often, we forget how truly lucky we are and it's during times of reflection when we only realize this. If you're looking to incorporate a themed activity into your teaching, but do not have a lot of spare time with current, ongoing lessons, consider using this FREE 'Reasons Why I'm Lucky' one-page worksheet with your students. Grab the worksheet HERE! It will give students an opportunity to reflect on reasons why they are lucky, and even better, it won't take up a lot of your class time.
St. Patrick's Day is not all about leprechauns and rainbows, give your students an opportunity to learn more about this day by going on a WebQuest! There are many online sources to find the information, so here are a few questions that you may have them research:
1. Where and when was St. Patrick born?
2. Why is St. Patrick's Day celebrated on March 17? 
3. Where did the first St. Patrick's Day parade occur?
4. What is the significance of the color green to this day?
5. In what country did this celebration originate?
6. Was Saint Patrick actually Irish?
7. What is the legend about the snakes and Saint Patrick?

One of the most beneficial real-world activities that I have incorporated into my English classes are career education activities. Honestly, students will be having so much fun they will forget they are even learning! In order to help prepare students for life outside of the classroom, I have them create career projects based on specific holidays, depending on the time of year.

This St. Patrick's Day Career Project is a fun way for students to learn basic skills and requirements for a job or career. This is also a great way to bring the St. Paddy's Day spirit into the classroom, while practicing writing skills and allowing students to be creative. Students do not necessarily have to complete all of activities in the project; you can pick and choose what would work best and depending on the time available.


First, students will pick a random St. Patrick's Day themed job out of a hat. Next, students will reflect on that job as to what skills would be required for that particular position. Finally, students will learn the formats of these real-world documents and complete a variety of tasks for that role: job application, resume, cover letter, reference letter, and how to properly address an envelope.
 
An editable rubric and templates for the resume and cover letter have been included. You can find a copy of this week-long project HERE!

If you're looking to try something new with your students, consider these Irish-inspired books for young adults! This might be a fun addition to a classroom library and these would be a perfect way for students to explore a new author.

1. Green by Laura Peyton Roberts
2. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
3. The Hounds of the Morrigan by Pat O-Shea
4. The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan\
5. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

A fun and easy way to get all students in involved in poetry are to write and share a limerick. Most people associate this type of poetry with St. Patrick's Day because of a place called Limerick in Ireland.

Elements of a limerick:
  • 5 lines long
  • Rhyme scheme of "AABBA"
  • End the first line with a name of a person or place
  • The last line should be humorous
If you are short on time (or teach younger students), check out this online limerick generator to help your students get started!

 In addition to writing limericks, you might also take this time to consider a short lesson on a famous limerick poet, Edward Lear. 


Check out these other St. Patrick's Day Activities:
loading..
Back to Top