How to teach about a holiday

As an Anthropology major, I love teaching my culture (not just my language) to my students and friends in China. I never miss an opportunity (e.g. a holiday) to teach my students another aspect of my country, even though my class is mainly made up of students who can barely introduce themselves. So far I've taught them (in English) about Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Valentine's Day. They are, by no means, experts on these holidays, but they now, at least, understand the main vocabulary associated with these holidays so that their future teachers can build upon their vocabulary to solidify their understanding of these holidays. So, here is how I teach them about these holidays.

1) Flash Cards: Take 8x11 pieces of paper and draw a different vocabulary word on each piece of paper. make sure the pictures are clear and the lines are bold so that even the students in the back of the room can understand what is on the piece of paper. Hold up the flashcards and have the students repeat the words. Here are what I consider the essential vocabulary that a first grade EFL student should know for each of these American holiday:
- Halloween: Witch, Pumpkin, Jack-O-Lantern, Monster, Vampire, Trick-Or-Treat, Costume, Ghost, Candy
- Thanksgiving: Pilgrim, Indian, Boat (and then teach them that the boat's name is Mayflower), Turkey, friends, family
- Christmas: Christmas tree, Ornament, Star, Angel, Santa Claus, Reindeer, Gifts/Presents
- Valentine's Day: Heart, Angel (and then teach them that the angel's name is Cupid), Chocolate, Flowers/Roses, Arrow
- St. Patrick's Day: Clover, Leprechaun, Pot of Gold, Rainbow
- Easter: Eggs, Flowers, Easter Bunny, Basket
Each holiday I get out the vocabulary cards from previous holidays to review. I usually mix all the old holiday vocabulary together, write the different holidays on the chalkboard, have the students call out each word as I hold them up, and then ask them which holiday does it belong to. This helps them not only review the vocabulary, but also to reinforce their association to the holiday.

2) Comic Book Story: Using PowerPoint (since my classroom has a huge screen attached to a computer), I break down the stories of the holiday. This is very hard considering that my students' English is very simple. Here is what I did for Valentines Day:
- Slide 1: Title Page. I just simply put "Valentines Day".
- Slide 2: A picture of Cupid. It says, "What is this? This is an angel."
- Slide 3: Same picture of Cupid. It says, "What is his name? His name is Cupid."
- Slide 4: A picture of a boy. It says, "What is this? This is a boy."
- Slide 5: A picture of Cupid about to shoot a boy. It says, "Oh no, Cupid!"
- Slide 6: A picture of the boy shot with an arrow. (When I go through this with my kids, I make sound affects of the arrow hitting the boy.)
- Slide 7: A picture of the boy surrounded by hearts. It says, "What do I see? I see hearts!"
- Slide 8-11: Repeat Slide 5-7 but with a girl.
- Slide 12: A picture of the boy and girl together. The boy says, "I love you"
- Slide 13: A picture of the boy and girl together. The girl says, "I love you"
- Slide 14: It says, "Happy Valentine's Day"

As you can see, the story is simple and boils things down to the basics. The following year, their next English teacher can add a bit more to the story. It's a building process.

3) Coloring Book: Create a coloring book using the vocabulary associated with the holiday. Next to each pictures put the vocabulary word and then a line beneath the vocab word. The line beneath the word is for the students to practice writing out the word. You can also use the coloring book for them to practice identifying the words. Have them point to each word as you say it out loud. For Christmas, I put a blank picture of a Christmas tree and gave them instructions such as "Put an angel on the top of the tree" and so forth. It was a great way to practice following directions.

4) Sing Songs: Obviously Christmas means singing carols, but other holidays can have fun songs as well. I found for my level of students, the best place to go for songs is http://www.preschooleducation.com . They have all sorts of creative songs, crafts, and activities for each holiday. Sometimes it is a bit hard to navigate, but as long as you keep looking at the left hand side, you'll be able to find what you want. Take for instance this little song I got from their website for St. Patrick's day:
I'm a Little Leprechaun added 8-7-97 Original Author Unknown

Sung to: "I'm a little teapot"

I'm a little leprechaun
Dressed in green,
The tiniest man
That you ever seen.
If you ever catch me, it is told,
I'll give you my pot of gold!

http://www.preschooleducation.com/spatrick.shtml