A Very Polish. . .St. Patrick's Day

Over the year, I have really enjoyed being about to talk about different holidays with my students, and St. Patrick's is no exception. I prepared a variety of activities based on the different age groups. The students really didn't know anything about this day or anything connected with it other than it's Irish and green is the color. We played Jeopardy, did crossword puzzles and word searches, and I even printed up some shamrocks with Irish blessings on them to hang around the school. The following are some tidbits from my favorite moments.

Irish Slang
On the Internet I found a great website that has a list of great Irish slang words. Of course A LOT of it is connected with alcohol and various sexual innuendos, so those words I did not share with the class. But I was able to find some great phrases. For example: "Put a gap in the bush," means close the door. We had a lot of fun laughing over these phrases because I could not explain them as well as I can explain American slang, so we just had to accept them for what they are together.

Green, Green, and Green
This is a fun game I found on the Internet, where students have to make a list of everything they can think of that is green or can be green. I realize that this can be almost anything and that's what makes it so funny. After they finished their lists, everyone stands up and then in turn they read one item off of their list. No words can be repeated, and the student only has 5 seconds to respond once their name has been called. If a student breaks one of these rules, then he/she is out and must sit down. I played this game a bunch of times so I've heard all types of responses from household objects to school supplies to plants. However my favorite two responses are these: a polar bear with color and diarrhea. I was so pleased that one of my students went there. It was hilarious.

It was a fun few days getting to share this other culture with the students and getting play. I hope that they learned something throughout the madness and that they'll remember it for next. I'm sure at least a few of my students want to come to America to try our green beer!

Blessings,
Colleen