Bring the Luck of the Irish to Your ESL Classroom ☘️
Celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with ready-made lessons, creative classroom ideas, and festive activities your students will love—all from Florentis Learning.
Saint Patrick’s Day is a wonderful time to bring some festive energy into your ESL classroom! Whether you’re teaching online or in person, incorporating holiday-themed activities makes learning more engaging and memorable.
At Florentis Learning, we believe in making lessons interactive and enjoyable. In this post, we’ll share ideas for vocabulary-building, reading and writing exercises, and fun games that will make your Saint Patrick’s Day ESL lesson a success.✨
For those looking for ready-made lesson plans, Florentis Learning offers two fantastic Saint Patrick’s Day lessons designed to help ESL students develop their skills while having fun!
A Memorable Saint Patrick’s Day Lesson
Last year, I planned a special Saint Patrick’s Day party for my online ESL students. I encouraged everyone to wear green and bring something festive to show the class. We started with a Saint Patrick’s Day scavenger hunt, where students had to find items in their home that matched words like “green,” “round,” and “gold.”
Next, we read a short story about a leprechaun’s lost treasure and worked together to answer comprehension questions. The students were so excited that they took turns creating their own endings for the story! To finish, we played a Would You Rather? game with silly Saint Patrick’s Day choices, and the laughter was contagious.
The best part, even my shy students participated enthusiastically, showing how themed lessons can make English learning more accessible and fun!
Saint Patrick’s Day Vocabulary for ESL Students
Here are suggested vocabulary words for different levels:
| Level | Vocabulary Words |
|---|---|
| Pre-A1 | green, hat, rainbow, gold, lucky, ☘️ shamrock |
| A1 | parade, coin, leprechaun, clover, dance, Ireland |
| A2 | celebration, festival, holiday, tradition, treasure, charm |
| B1 | custom, heritage, legend, community, folklore, superstition |
| B2 | cultural identity, historical significance, festivities, symbolism, mythology, ⛪ patron saint |
Teaching Vocabulary
- Flashcards & Matching Games – Use images to help students remember new words.
- Find Something Green Challenge – Encourage students to find something green in their home.
- Guess the Word – Describe a word and have students guess it.
Listening & Speaking Activities
Listening Ideas
- Saint Patrick’s Day Story – Read a short leprechaun story and have students listen for keywords. Make the story ‘active’ by having the students do something when they hear the keyword. For example: Clap your hands when you hear leprechaun or cheer when you hear ‘gold’.
- Song Listening Activity – Play a simple Saint Patrick’s Day song and have students listen for specific words.
Here is a fun song with a St. Patrick’s Day theme appropriate for Pre-A1 – A2 students.
Check out more Saint Patrick’s Day songs, poems, and fingerplays available from Pre-K Fun.
Speaking Ideas
- Would You Rather – Saint Patrick’s Day Edition
- Would you rather find a pot of gold or catch a leprechaun?
- Would you rather go to a parade or have a party?
- Show and Tell – Students bring and describe a festive item.
Reading & Writing Activities
Reading Ideas
- Simple Story – Read a short tale about a leprechaun and have students answer questions.
- Books for Young Learners – There are lots of fun Saint Patrick’s Day themed books or you can write your own story. Here are a couple that I like which also have a YouTube read-aloud version. You can share these stories with your students as a pre or post-lesson activity.
Writing Ideas ✍️
Holidays are an easy time to incorporate writing, particularly creative writing into your ESL classroom. Here are some quick and easy writing prompts that you can use which require no preparation.
- Sentence Building – Provide sentence starters like “On Saint Patrick’s Day, I see…”.
- Creative Writing – Students write about what they would do if they found a pot of gold.
- Letter to a Leprechaun – Students write a short letter asking a leprechaun for three wishes.
- Saint Patrick’s Day Mythology – Have students create their own holiday legend.
- ✨ What Brings You Luck? – Students describe a personal lucky charm or tradition.
- How is Saint Patrick’s Day Celebrated Worldwide? – Research and write about global celebrations.
Teaching Saint Patrick’s Day in an Online ESL Classroom
When teaching online, consider how to keep students engaged with interactive elements:
- Use interactive slides for vocabulary.
- Encourage students to dress up or bring festive items.
- Host a mini parade where students describe their favorite Saint Patrick’s Day tradition.
- Screen-sharing games like word searches and puzzles.
- Incorporate fun games and activities
- Find the Gold Game
- Hide a digital gold coin in an online whiteboard or in the classroom.
- Students guess where it is hidden by using prepositions (“Is it under the rainbow?”).
- Brain Break – Move & Recharge
- Give students a quick movement break with a fun song and dance: I Said a-Boom-Chicka-Boom
- Art Activity: Make a Leprechaun Hat
- Students can create their own leprechaun hats using construction paper, glue, and markers. This activity helps reinforce Saint Patrick’s Day vocabulary while allowing students to practice following instructions in English.
- Find the Gold Game
Conclusion
Saint Patrick’s Day is a great opportunity to bring culture and excitement into your ESL classroom. Whether you use Florentis Learning lessons (available for Complete Classroom Curriculum subscribers) or create your own, these ideas will help students learn in a fun and meaningful way.
I’m happy to recommend engaging and effective lesson resources to make your teaching easier and more enjoyable. Try them out and let me know how your Saint Patrick’s Day lessons go!
Do you have a favorite Saint Patrick’s Day ESL activity? Share your ideas in the comments!
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