U.N.A.M. ~ F.E.S. ACATLÁN ~ LICEL May 12, 2012 Subject: CCC: TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS & ARTISTIC EXPRESSION (ENGLISH) Semester 2012-2 Tutor: Joy Elinore Holloway Creed Student: Áurea Naturaleza Anguiano Sánchez U1: Traditions, Holidays & Folklore Activities to Use in an ESL/EFL Class

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CALENDAR OF BRITISH AND AMERICAN HOLIDAYS

Level: Intermediate

Aim: Students will be able to identify and describe some of the most

important holidays, customs and traditions from the U.S. and the U.K.

It was inspired from this site: http://projectbritain.com/year/index.htm (a

folklore calendar with a link to a brief description of all the British holidays that take

place each month). The idea is that a monthly calendar on the wall will have

highlighted the holidays from these countries, and on that day and/or week, 30-45

minutes will be spent on activities involving that festivity. For example:

(MARCH 17) ST. PATRICK’S DAY

Teachers will choose the materials depending on the specific characteristics

of the group:

a) 2 articles from History.com about St. Patrick’s Day Symbols and Traditions (in

that site there are a few videos that could also be used) v http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day-symbols-and-traditions v http://www.history.com/news/2012/03/16/st-patricks-day-myths-debunked/

b) 2 short Youtube.com videos about St. Patrick and how to celebrate the

Holiday like an Irishman and a webpage on the symbols associated with it v The History of St. Patrick – A Short Story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOqWT2tk9Js v How to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day Like an Irishman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH0TjR9tmPg v History of Shamrock, Leprechaun, and the Blarney's Stone: http://www.theholidayspot.com/patrick/shamrock.htm

Student: Áurea Naturaleza Anguiano Sánchez CLASS ACTIVITIES

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The specific aim in here is for students to know more about this holiday, the

history, customs and traditions associated with it. In order to do that, before reading

the texts and/or watching the videos, make sure to ask students what they already

know about it, and after the activity, to ask them what they learned, which ideas they

had about the holiday that weren’t that accurate.

Students may work in pairs or small groups to discuss the content of the

texts/videos, including a comparison between the celebration in Ireland and in the

United States, as well as their thoughts about the changes that have been made to it

throughout the years. It’s also a good idea to ask them to write in their notebooks a

summary (in two paragraphs) of all what they have learned about St. Patrick’s Day.

It also opens the door to other type of activities, such as: looking for more

information on the subject, talking a bit about the Celts(1) and/or some Irish

folklore(2), cook a traditional Irish recipe(3), listen to some Irish music (traditional and

modern). By doing so, students will be more aware of Ireland’s culture.

References (last viewed online on May 12, 2012):

v http://projectbritain.com/year/index.htm v http://www.theholidayspot.com/patrick/shamrock.htm v How to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day Like an Irishman:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH0TjR9tmPg v The History of St. Patrick – A Short Story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOqWT2tk9Js v St. Patrick’s Day Symbols and Traditions: http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day-

symbols-and-traditions v (1) Celtic Culture: http://www.celtic-culture.com/ v (2) Some myths and stories from storytellers: http://www.prattlibrary.org/home/storyIndex.aspx v (3) St. Patrick’s Day Recipes: http://allrecipes.com/recipes/holidays-and-events/st-patricks-day/ v (3) Cooking Traditional Irish Recipes: http://www.yourirish.com/food/