history

The Life and Legend of Saint Patrick

Learn the surprising history of Saint Patrick's Day with this A2 level English worksheet.

Title

Reading Text

Saint Patrick is the famous patron saint of Ireland, but he was not actually Irish. He was born in Brittany in the fifth century. When he was sixteen, Irish raiders kidnapped him. He lived in Ireland for six years as a prisoner. Later, he escaped but returned as a missionary to teach Christianity. There are many stories about him. One legend says he drove all the snakes out of Ireland. However, scientists say Ireland never had snakes! He also used a shamrock to explain his religion. This is why people wear green today. Interestingly, the first Saint Patrick’s Day parades began in America. In the 1840s, many Irish immigrants moved to cities like New York. They started big parades to celebrate their history. Today, March 17th is a global celebration of Irish culture.

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Learn the surprising history and legends of Saint Patrick's Day with this A2 level English worksheet.

Activities

Vocabulary

Items:

Label: kidnapped
Answer: v1
Label: missionary
Answer: v2
Label: legend
Answer: v3
Label: shamrock
Answer: v4
Label: immigrants
Answer: v5

Definitions:

Text: taken away by force and kept as a prisoner
Text: a person sent to a place to teach people about a religion
Text: a traditional story that may not be completely true
Text: a small green plant with three leaves on one stem
Text: people who come to live permanently in a foreign country

Fill In The Blanks:

Before: When Patrick was a teenager, raiders
After: him from his home.
Answer: kidnapped
Before: He worked as a
After: to help people learn about Christianity.
Answer: missionary
Before: The story about snakes in Ireland is a popular
After: .
Answer: legend
Before: People often wear a
After: on their clothes on March 17th.
Answer: shamrock
Before: In the 1800s, many Irish
After: moved to the United States.
Answer: immigrants

Comprehension

Questions:

Text: Saint Patrick was born in Ireland.
Answer: false
Text: Patrick spent six years in captivity as a young man.
Answer: true
Text: Ireland used to have many snakes until Patrick arrived.
Answer: false
Text: The first Saint Patrick’s Day parades took place in America.
Answer: true
Text: Wearing green is a tradition that started in the 18th century.
Answer: true

Scrambled:

Text: actually Irish not was Saint Patrick
Answer: Saint Patrick was not actually Irish
Text: snakes out of drove he the Ireland
Answer: He drove the snakes out of Ireland
Text: wear people green celebrate to today
Answer: Today people wear green to celebrate
Text: parades began first the in America
Answer: The first parades began in America
Text: culture is March global a 17th celebration
Answer: March 17th is a global celebration

Written Expression

Questions:

Text: How do people in your country celebrate their history or important people?
Text: If you could visit any country for a festival, where would you go and why?

Examples:

Example: In my country, we have a big festival in the summer. People wear traditional clothes and dance in the streets. I like it because the food is delicious and everyone is happy.

Critical Thinking

Title: Deep Dive into History and Heritage

Instructions:

Why do you think legends like the 'snakes of Ireland' become so popular even if they are not strictly true?
How do traditions change when people move from one country to another, like the Irish immigrants in America?