Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day in your classroom? Have your students read about the man and have them separate fact from myth.
The Man
St. Patrick was a real person who lived in the 4th and 5th centuries, although he wasn't Irish. He grew up in England and was kidnapped and enslaved in Ireland for six years. Deeply religious, he heard a voice telling him to escape, so he went back to his home in England. When he heard another voice telling him to return to Ireland, he trained as a missionary and lived in Ireland for the rest of his life, converting men and women to Christianity.
The Myth
Snakes? Leprechauns? Parades? None of that is true (well, the parades are, but they were started in a Spanish colony in Florida!)
There were no snakes to be banished from Ireland.
And leprechauns? Well, to the Irish, they weren't happy-go-lucky little people, they were cranky little shoemakers!
Do you want your students to learn more?
Let your upper elementary students celebrate St. Patrick's Day by learning a few things about this man who lived more than 1500 years ago. I created a differentiated reading comprehension passage that comes in digital and pdf versions to best fit your needs.
The St. Patrick's Day Reading Passage also includes
- 2 versions for differentiation
- 9 multiple-choice questions: words in context, making inferences, and nonfiction text structure.
- Short-answer question: students consider the use of folktales in creating "larger than life" stories.
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