Teach upper elementary students about the history of the holiday, starting with St. Patrick's life. Explain that while there are conflicting details on what is known about him, there are certain facts historians agree upon. Namely, that St. Patrick was kidnapped from England and enslaved in Ireland, where he eventually escaped, but returned to as a missionary priest. Explain to students that St. Patrick's Day marks the saint's day of death, and that the celebration honors St. Patrick's missionary work spreading Christianity in Ireland. There are documentaries available to use as teaching aids, or you can weave a story of St. Patrick's life for your class. Private religious schools, which have more freedom to talk about religious topics, also may want to create a play based on St. Patrick's life to present to other classes or parents.
St. Patrick's Day celebrations take place worldwide, although no country marks the day quite like Ireland. Use pictures, Web videos and books to show the Irish celebrating St. Patrick's Day --- without mentioning the large amount of drinking that tends to accompany the holiday. Talk about how the day came to be so widely recognized in America, thanks to Irish-American populations here. Ask students to research and present on ways U.S. cities mark St. Patrick's Day, such as dyeing the Chicago River green, holding parades and hosting Irish food fests.
St. Patrick's Day comes with a bevy of traditions and symbols, some of which may be new to upper elementary school children. Introduce them to words such as seamroy (shamrock), shillelagh walking sticks, leprechauns, harps, top hats and other St. Patrick's Day symbols. Have students look up definitions for the words, or use the words to create their spelling list for the week. You can also assign students to write a St. Patrick's Day-themed story using the vocabulary words.
St. Patrick's Day provides a good opportunity to talk about Irish populations in the United States. Irish immigrants often faced harsh discrimination and few job prospects because of their heritage, yet were forced to leave their home country because of severe food shortages. Talk with your class about Irish immigration and why people came to this country. If possible, arrange a trip to Ellis Island so they can learn firsthand about the struggles of Irish immigrants in the mid-19th century.
Help your students learn more about Irish foods and the traditional dishes served on St. Patrick's Day. Assign your students to prepare specific Irish dishes, if food is allowed in the classroom in your school, such as soda bread, corned beef, cabbage, brown bread and champ, a potato dish. Have the students prepare small batches of the dish that, when combined, make a classroom feast.