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St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, which means it’s time to start planning if you are going to incorporate this holiday into your lesson plans! If you’ve read my blog post on thematic units, you know how powerful I think they can be. However, for reasons beyond our control, many of us can’t utilize thematic units in our classrooms. While it can be disappointing when we feel like we don’t have autonomy in our own classrooms, you can still provide your students with great learning experiences through read-alouds.
While thematic units offer powerful teaching opportunities, circumstances sometimes limit their use in our classrooms. However, as intermediate teachers, we shouldn’t overlook the value of picture books—a resource that not only engages students but also serves as a compelling tool for teaching essential concepts and life lessons.
As intermediate teachers, I think sometimes we tend to put picture books on the back burner. Our students are older and are reading chapter books. So, why should we read them picture books? In my experience, picture books are a great way to teach and practice concepts. They are also beneficial for teaching students valuable lessons and important topics. So, today, I’m sharing some of my favorite St. Patrick’s Day books to read-aloud in your classroom. These are perfect ways to teach students some holiday-specific vocabulary, gain an understanding of why we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and learn some great lessons.
Fiona’s Luck by Teresa Bateman
I absolutely love this story, and it has a variety of beneficial uses in your classroom, especially in teaching students about the power of figurative language. Similes, metaphors, and personification can be found throughout the text. Pointing out the different examples of figurative language as you read can really help students understand how figurative language helps create vivid pictures in a reader’s mind.
You could also use this book to practice identifying theme and using text evidence to support your answer. Overall, the book is really well done and makes it easy to practice reading comprehension and study writer’s craft.
Patrick Patron Saint of Ireland by Tomie dePaola
This is a great biography that details the life of St. Patrick. It starts with his birth in Britain and goes on to talk about how he was captured and taken back to Ireland by bandits. It also details how he came to be a bishop and his work as a minister. In America, we seem to focus on more of the legend of leprechauns, luck, and four leaf clovers, but this book is a great way to teach students about the man who is the reason we have St. Patrick’s Day to begin with. I will say, if your district or building has an issue with religious topics being presented, I wouldn’t read this in your classroom to keep yourself out of trouble. The book is in no way presenting a correct religion or trying to convince you to become religious, but St. Patrick was a bishop and now a saint, so obviously to tell his life story, religion will be involved. Make the decision that works best for you. However, I found this to be a good book for presenting students with information about St. Patrick.
The Leprechaun’s Gold by Pamela Duncan Edwards
This book is a great resource for providing your students with additional practice identifying the lesson or moral of a story. It effectively teaches students multiple lessons:
- The importance of helping others
- The negative impact greed and boastfulness can have
- Being humble about your abilities
Not only will this book add some St. Patrick’s Day spirit to your classroom, but it will also teach students valuable real-world lessons about having good character.
A Fine St. Patrick’s Day by Susan Wojciechowski
This is such a cute story of two neighboring towns that compete each year to see which town has the best St. Patrick’s Day decorations. Like The Leprechaun’s Gold, this is a great book for teaching students how to determine the lesson or moral of the story. A Fine St. Patrick’s Day will teach your students the importance of treating others with kindness and compassion. As well, it holds a valuable lesson about how there is more to life than winning.
Do you use picture books in your third, fourth, or fifth grade classroom? Let me know in the comments!
