St. Patrick's Day and April Fools Day

By Walter Steele

Learning Through Celebration

Objectiveshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17107435Go over the history of Saint Patrick's Day and

April Fools DayDiscuss how the two are celebrated in the

United StatesGroup work

In groups of three design a lesson plan from the material presented in class

Class critique Groups will present their material to the class to

share their ideas and receive feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of their lesson plan

Celebrated on March 17thOn this day in 461 A.D., Saint Patrick, dies

at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland. Who is Saint Patrick?

Christian missionary, bishop and apostle of Ireland

Captured and enslaved at age 16 by Irish marauders

Had dream, in which an individual named Victoricus gave him a letter, entitled "The Voice of the Irish." As he read it, Patrick seemed to hear the voices of Irishmen pleading him to return to their country and walk among them once more

History of Saint Patrick's Day

Said to have baptized hundreds of people on a single day, and to have used a three-leaf clover--the famous shamrock--to describe the Holy Trinity

In art, he is often portrayed trampling on snakes, in accordance with the belief that he drove those reptiles out of Ireland – this is thought to represent St Patrick’s ridding Ireland of the druids.

For thousands of years, the Irish have observed the day of Saint Patrick's death as a religious holiday

History of Saint Patrick's Day

History of Saint Patrick's DayCorn Beef and

Cabbage! A traditional Irish dish? No! It’s an Irish

American dish!Boiled Bacon and

potatoes is a traditional Irish dish

Literaturehttp

://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/saint-patrick-dies

Video:http

://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/videos#corned-beef-cabbage

St. Patrick's Day and the United States

Hey New York, who is Saint Patrick???

American TraditionsIf you don’t wear green

on Saint Patties day you may get pinched. Yes pinched. Sometimes very hard.

We have the largest parade! The parades also started in the U.S.

Magically beer at the pubs turn green.

Some rivers as well…

Photos

Chicago River

St. Patrick's Day and the United States

History of April Fools DayOn April 1st 1700 English pranksters begin

popularizing the annual tradition of April Fools Day by playing practical jokes on each other.

Its exact origin remain a mysteryHistorian’s speculate

1582 when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, people who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1st, and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1st became the butt of jokes and hoaxes.

Hoaxeshttp://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/apr

ilfool/https://mail.google.com/mail/help/motion.ht

ml

Methodology

The lesson

objective:

listening, speaking, reading, writing,

grammar (only

focus on one)

Pre (2-3 exercises)

Introduce the topic. Allow students to

imagine/predict what they are going to do.

Familiarize the students with the

topic and vocabulary.

During (2 exercises)

Doing the activity that focus’s on what

you’re trying to teach (i.e. speaking, listen,

exc.)

Post (2-3 exercises)

Reinforce what the students just learned

Pre-Activity Ideas

Pre Listening

Vocabulary

Visuals (with concrete words),

sentence with context (abstract

words), matching exercises, definitions, clustering

Predict/ Anticipate

Brainstorming, silent viewing,

discussion

Compare/ Contrast

Charts, Venn diagrams

Perception

Identify stress of words,

pronunciation

During Activities Remember, the during activity depends on

what you are trying to teach. It is the action of doing either listening, speaking, reading, writing, or grammar.

Post Activity Ideas

Category Activity

Social meaning

Comprehension

Spin off

Group discussion, comparing countries

Role play, dialogues, paraphrasing, summarizing (oral)

Readings, presentations, questionnaires

Remember, the purpose of the post activity is to personalize and reinforce what the student just learned.

Critiquing Rate each question from 1 (no/very poor)-

10 (yes/very well)

Were the instructions clear?Was the objective of the activity clear?Would you find it interesting to do as a

student? Comments:

What do you like and dislike about the activity?