St. Patrick’s Day FUN

One year I had my “surprise” evaluation on St. Patrick’s Day! I was teaching 2^nd grade at the time and that morning when the students came in, a leprechaun had visited and left footprints all over the class.

Needless to say, they were a little hyped up. I’m glad the activities I had planned for the day were engaging. Since St. Patrick’s Day is so much fun for students, I like to connect literacy and math skills wherever I can. Whether you’re Irish or not, bringing St. Patrick’s Day into your classroom activities is so much fun! It becomes a “theme” for much of March! Read on for some fun ideas.

St. Patrick’s Day is not only a FUN holiday to celebrate with students, it is one of my favorites and also one that has a deep history for Americans. Irish Americans are Americans who have full or partial ancestry from Ireland. About 32 million Americans or 9.7% of the total population are identified as being Irish (according to the 2019 U.S. Census Bureau).

Resources for Online Teaching AND In-person Teaching

In our classrooms, we can teach the “magical” side of St Patrick’s Day and also the historical perspective. For upper elementary students, you will find this close reading comprehension resource has enough activities to last the entire month (including some math worksheets for place value and reading word problems). There is a digital Google Slides™ version AND a printable version (also a BUNDLE) to meet the diverse needs of teachers during these different times.

This engaging resource answers the following questions in the non-fiction book Click the image for more details.

☘ Who was St. Patrick?

☘ Why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

☘ Why do we wear green on St. Patrick’s Day?

☘ What is a leprechaun?

☘ What does the shamrock have to do with St. Patrick’s Day?

☘ Do four-leaf clovers bring good luck?

☘ Why do you get pinched if you don’t wear green on St. Patrick’s Day?

☘ What do corned beef and cabbage have to do with St. Patrick’s Day traditions?

Literature to Share

There are always great pieces of literature for every holiday. One of my favorite books to share is Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato by Tomie DePaola. Tomie DePaola is one of my absolute favorites!!

Jamie O’Rourke, who is known as the laziest man in all of Ireland, is sure he’ll starve to death when his wife injures her back and can’t do all the work. A leprechaun intervenes and one wish later, Jamie is the proud owner of a potato as big as a house.

Another fun book is How to Catch a Leprechaun by Adam Wallace.

You’ve been planning night and day, and finally, you’ve created the perfect trap! Now all you need to do is wait. Is this the year you’ll finally catch the leprechaun?