St.

Patrick’s Day

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be
photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.
1
 St. Patrick’s Day
READING

St. Patrick’s Day

March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day. This is Ireland’s most important national holiday, but it is also a special day for
Irish people living throughout the world. On St. Patrick’s Day, people of Irish descent wear the color green.
This is the national color of Ireland. It is the color of the shamrock, a plant with three leaves on a single stem.
The shamrock is a symbol of Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day. In many cities, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated with
parades, dances, and festive dinners. People greet each other with good wishes and often send cards to each
other. Many stores are filled with green decorations and cakes and candies are often decorated with the color
green. Some restaurants and pubs even sell green beer!

The History of St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick was born at the end of the 4th century in Britain. When he was 16, he was kidnapped from his home
by a group of Irish pirates and taken to Ireland. In Ireland, he was sold as a slave and had to work for the next
six years as a shepherd. When Patrick was living in Ireland as a slave, he had a very lonely life and he turned to
religion for comfort. After six long years of slavery, at the age of 22, he escaped to France and began to study
the bible. Later he became a priest and decided to return to Ireland to convert the people to Christianity. Patrick
was a very brave man and the people admired him. He traveled all over the country setting up schools and
churches for the Irish people. He also worked very hard to develop a strong national spirit in the country.

There are many stories about St. Patrick. Some people say that he used the shamrock when he was teaching
about Christianity. The shamrock with its three leaves represented the Trinity (the father, the son, and the holy
spirit), which is a basic principle of the Catholic religion. Many people believe that St. Patrick performed
miracles. The most famous story about St. Patrick is that he drove all the snakes out of Ireland. He put them in a
box and threw them into the sea. People say that is why there aren’t any snakes in Ireland today.

St. Patrick died on March 17th, 461. Ever since his death, March 17th has been celebrated as St. Patrick’s Day.
It is an important day for the Irish because it celebrates the conversion of Ireland to Christianity. Nowadays, it is
also a special day to celebrate one’s Irish traditions and to have fun.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be
photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.
2
 St. Patrick’s Day
READING COMPREHENSION

Practice asking and answering the following questions with your partner. Then write the answers in the
spaces below.

1. Which country celebrates St. Patrick’s Day as a national holiday? ___________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________
2. When was St. Patrick born? _________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What happened to Patrick when he was 16? ____________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What kind of work did he do when he was a slave? ______________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
5. How long did he live in slavery? _____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
6. What did Patrick do after he escaped to France? _________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
7. Why did Patrick return to Ireland? ____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
8. What did Patrick do to help the people of Ireland? _______________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
9. When did Patrick die? _____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
10. How do people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? ___________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be
photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.
3
 St. Patrick’s Day
VOCABULARY REVIEW

A. Match the word on the left with the correct meaning on the right.

_____ 1. descent a. change

_____ 2. shamrock b. a person who takes care of sheep
_____ 3. kidnap c. a festive march with music and costumes
_____ 4. slave d. like and respect
_____ 5. shepherd e. a thief or robber who lives on the sea
_____ 6. bible f. a plant which usually has three leaves on each stem
_____ 7. priest g. origin, coming from
_____ 8. convert h. a person who is forced to work for someone and can be bought and sold
_____ 9. admire i. an unbelievable event, an act of God
_____ 10. miracle j. to steal a person
_____ 11. pirate k. a religious man who works for the church
_____ 12. parade l. a book of sacred writings of the church

B. Choose the correct word from the left column above to complete the following sentences. (You may
have to change a verb tense or make a noun plural.)

1. Pierre is of French ____________________. His grandparents moved to Canada from France forty years ago.
2. In many cartoon movies, a ____________________ wears a black patch over one eye and a scarf on his head.
3. When his mother recovered from cancer, he thought it was a ____________________.
4. The _________________________ is the national symbol of Ireland.
5. There were many clowns, dancers, and marching bands in the ____________________.
6. The ____________________ will perform the marriage ceremony in the church.
7. Before the American Civil War, it was legal to own _________________________ in the U.S.A. After the
war, the black people became free.
8. You can _____________________ your American dollars to Canadian dollars at the airport.
9. He is a very religious person. He reads the _________________________ everyday.
10. After they _________________________ the child, they asked for a million dollars for his safe return.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be
photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.
4
INFORMATION SHARING - Student A St. Patrick’s Day

A. Legends
Read the Irish legend below and then share the information with your partner.

Student A - The Blarney Stone

The Blarney Stone is a stone located in a wall of the Blarney Castle in the small village of Blarney in Ireland.
People believe that the Blarney Stone has magical powers. According to the legend, an old woman made the
stone magical in order to reward the king, who had saved her from drowning. The stone gave the king the
ability to speak very beautifully. People believe that anyone who kisses the Blarney Stone will receive “the gift
of the gab”, a special ability to talk sweetly and convincingly. It is not easy to reach the Blarney Stone. You
have to climb many stairs in the castle and then lie on your back, bend downwards, and hold onto iron bars for
support.

B. Facts About Ireland

You and your partner each have some information about Ireland. Try to complete the sentences below by
asking your partner for the missing information.

1. Ireland is also called the Emerald Island.

2. The capital of Ireland is ___________________________.
3. The official languages of Ireland are English and Gaelic.
4. Ireland is located ___________________________ of Great Britain.
5. The shamrock is the national flower of Ireland.
6. The longest river in Ireland is the ___________________________.
7. The flag of Ireland has three vertical stripes.
8. The stripes on the flag of Ireland are _________________, _________________, and _________________.
9. The size of Ireland is 27, 136 square miles.
10. The population of Ireland is ___________________________.
11. Ireland became self-governing in 1922.
12. St. Patrick’s Day was first celebrated in North America in ___________________________ (city) in 1737.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be
photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.
5
 St. Patrick’s Day
INFORMATION SHARING - Student B

A. Legends
Read the Irish legend below and then share the information with your partner.

Student B - Leprechauns (Irish Fairies)

According to legend, leprechauns are little Irish fairies who look like old men. They are only about two feet tall
and they dress like shoemakers. They are not very friendly. They live alone and spend their time making shoes.
They are very special because they possess a hidden pot of gold. You can try to find a leprechaun by listening
for the sound of his hammer when he is making shoes. If you find one, you can try to force him to tell you
where he has hidden his gold.

B. Facts About Ireland

You and your partner each have some information about Ireland. Try to complete the sentences below by
asking your partner for the missing information.

1. Ireland is also called ____________________________.

2. The capital of Ireland is Dublin.
3. The official languages of Ireland are __________________________ and __________________________.
4. Ireland is located west of Great Britain.
5. The __________________________ is the national flower of Ireland.
6. The longest river in Ireland is the Shannon River.
7. The flag of Ireland has three __________________________ stripes.
8. The stripes on the flag of Ireland are green, white, and orange.
9. The size of Ireland is __________________________ square miles.
10. The population of Ireland is about 4 million.
11. Ireland became self-governing in __________________________ (date).
12. St. Patrick’s Day was first celebrated in North America in Boston in __________________________ (date).

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be
photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.
6
 St. Patrick’s Day
IDIOMS AND EXPRESSIONS

1. green with envy - to be very jealous of what somebody else has

2. to get (or give) the green light - to get (or give) permission to start something
3. to be green - to have no experience
4. to have a green thumb - to be a good gardener or have a natural ability with plants and flowers

5. the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence - we always think that what other people have is
better than what we have or that somebody else’s situation is better than ours

6. the luck of the Irish - to have the good luck of Irish people
7. the gift of the gab - the ability to speak very well, to have a good way with words

A. Choose the correct idiom or expression from the list above to complete the following exercise. You
may have to make some changes to the sentences or verb tenses.

1. All my plants die. I don’t have ____________________________. Maybe I should buy some artificial plants.
2. The new president of our club is a wonderful speaker. He is always very persuasive. He really has
_____________________________________________________.

3. My friend is going to Hawaii for a three-week vacation. I wish I could go, but I have to work. I am
_____________________________________________________.

4. Shaun has won the lottery three times this month. She must have _________________________________.
5. Frank is thinking of quitting his job and moving to another company. He always thinks that
_____________________________________________________.

6. If Robert gets the job, the company will have to spend a lot of time training him. He is really
_____________________________________________________. He knows nothing about sales.

7. The government has finally given _________________________________ to start building a new hospital.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be
photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.
7
 St. Patrick’s Day
Find Someone Who...

Interview your classmates and try to find someone who has “seen green beer” for example. When you
find someone, write the person’s name in the space provided. Then ask the person another question
related to the first one.

Find someone who...

1. has seen green beer. ____________________________________________

2. has felt green with envy. ____________________________________________

3. whose favorite color is green. ____________________________________________

4. has a green thumb. ____________________________________________

5. has been to the capital of Ireland. ____________________________________________

6. has seen a parade in the past few months. ____________________________________________

7. is afraid of snakes. ____________________________________________

8. can describe a leprechaun. ____________________________________________

9. can draw the flag of Ireland. ____________________________________________

10. is planning to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. ____________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be
photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.
8
St. Patrick’s Day Teacher’s Notes / Answer Key

These activities are designed for intermediate-level adult ESL learners, but they may also be suitable for junior and senior
high school ESL students.

Activity One - Warm Up, Introduction to St. Patrick’s Day

You can begin by bringing to class pictures of shamrocks, leprechauns, pots of gold, an Irish map, Irish flag, cookies or
candies decorated in green or any other symbols of St. Patrick’s Day. Ask the students if they know why they have been
seeing so much “green” in the stores lately. Then ask them to share any information they may already have about this
celebration or about Ireland.

Activity Two - Reading on St. Patrick’s Day and Comprehension Questions

Begin by introducing any vocabulary you feel the students may have difficulty with. You may choose to have the students
read the passage silently, or have the students take turns reading aloud in order to monitor pronunciation. After reading the
passage, break the students into pairs and have them practice asking and answering the comprehension questions. At the
end of the oral practice, have the students write the answers. Review again orally with the whole class.

1. Ireland celebrates St. Patrick’s Day as a national holiday.

2. St. Patrick was born at the end of the 4th century in Britain.
3. When he was 16, he was kidnapped from his home by a group of Irish pirates and taken to Ireland.
4. While in slavery he worked as a shepherd.
5. He lived in slavery for six years.
6. After he escaped to France he began to study the bible.
7. He returned to Ireland to convert people there to Christianity.
8. He traveled all over the country setting up schools and churches for the Irish people. He also worked very hard to
develop a strong national spirit in the country.
9. St. Patrick died on March 17th, 461.
10. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated with parades, dances, and festive dinners. Many people wear green, drink green beer
and send cards.

Activity Three - Vocabulary Review

Ask the students to match the words with the correct meaning and then choose the correct word to complete the sentences.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be
photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.
9
 1. g 2. f 3. j 4. h 5. b 6. l 7. k 8. a 9. d 10. i 11. e 12. c

1. descent 2. pirate 3. miracle 4. shamrock 5. parade 6. priest 7. slaves

8. convert 9. bible 10. kidnapped

Activity Four - Pair Work/Information Sharing

Break the class into pairs. One student is given a reading on leprechauns and the other a legend about the Blarney Stone.
Have the students read their own legend silently and then share the information orally with their partner. You may then
have a few students retell the legends to the whole class. The students also have some information about Ireland. Each
student has half the information. Have them complete the information sheets by asking their partner questions. You can
also follow up this activity with a review of question formation. The students can write the questions for each of the
underlined words.

Activity Five - Idiom work

Teach expressions related to the color green and St. Patrick’s Day. Explain the meanings, use them in context, have the
students complete the sentences, and then have them write their own sentences using the idioms.

1. a green thumb 2. the gift of the gab 3. green with envy 4. the luck of the Irish 5. the grass is always
greener on the other side of the fence 6. green 7. the green light

Activity Six - Group Interaction (“Find Someone Who..”)

Distribute the worksheet. Have the students circulate around the class asking the questions on the sheet. When the student
finds a classmate who can answer the question, he will then write the student’s name on the line and follow up with one
more question of his/her own. Ex. Have you ever been green with envy? If the student answers “yes”, the second
question might be: Who did you envy? Try to encourage the students to engage in real conversation during this activity.
Follow up by sharing the information with the class.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be
photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.
10