St. Patrick’s Day Lesson Plan: Culture
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This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic St. Patrick’s Day, and supports the standard of analyzing the background of holidays and their impact on culture. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.
Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
Ask students:
- Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? If so, how do you celebrate? What are some of your traditions?
- What kinds of St. Patrick’s Day traditions do you know of?
Step 2: BUILD BACKGROUND
- Read the description on the St. Patrick’s Day topic page.
- Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding.
- Have students read one of the following Related Reading articles: “Quirky Stuff,” “Myths,” or “Trivia.” Partner them with someone who read a different article to share what they learned with each other.
Step 3: ENGAGE
Students express what they learned about St. Patrick’s Day while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.
- Make-a-Movie: Make a movie explaining the evolution of St. Patrick’s Day from its origins in Ireland to world-wide celebrations today. (Essential Literacy Skill: Determine central ideas)
- Make-a-Map: Make a concept map identifying St. Patrick’s Day traditions in different regions. (Essential Literacy Skill: Summarize key details)
- Creative Coding: Code a flag representing the significance of St. Patrick’s Day for Irish immigrants and their descendents (Essential Literacy Skill: Make logical inferences from explicit details)
- Primary Source Activity: Analyze the Ellis Island customs document and the newspaper article. Cite details to answer the accompanying questions. (Essential Literacy Skill: Cite specific evidence to support conclusions drawn)
Step 4: APPLY & ASSESS
Apply: Students complete the St. Patrick’s Day Worksheet, applying essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.
Assess: Wrap up the lesson with the St. Patrick’s Day Quiz.
Step 5: EXTEND LEARNING
Related BrainPOP Topics: Deepen understanding of different cultures and holidays with these topics: Diwali, Ramadan, and Valentine’s Day.
Additional Support Resources:
- Modifications for BrainPOP Learning Activities: Strategies to meet ELL and other instructional and student needs.
- BrainPOP Learning Activities Support: Resources for best practices using BrainPOP.
