In this episode, I discuss different December holidays that are celebrated around the world and by many English Learners. Last year I started sharing cultural tidbits with my colleagues about different holidays our students celebrate and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. If you think about it, many people take the time to look up things like the etymology of words or dietary peculiarities or cultural traditions unless they are an ESL teacher. Teachers at my school found it very interesting and shared the articles I gave them with their students and their families.
All of this started with a staff email about how to know what foods are Kosher and Halal approved. This came up originally because we had a considerable population of Muslim students at my school who were going to have issues with certain foods that might be shared.
Since not all of my students celebrate Christmas, I decided to do some research about some other holidays that are celebrated around the world in December and share what I learned with my students and colleagues.
First up is Hanukkah, a Jewish festival of the lights. Next, St. Nicholas Eve, a European holiday that centers around children and gift giving. Children leave shoes filled with coffee and sugar cubes for Sinterklass and his horse. Then there is Bodhi, a Japanese celebration involving meditation and acts of kindness.
Yule is the winter festival that lasts on Winter Solstice and lasts 12 days. A lot of Yule traditions are part of christmas celebrations. Christmas, popular in the Christian world, is a religious festival that celebrates the birth of Jesus christ and is celebrated by lighting trees and giving gifts. I also share about Boxing day, Kwanza, and New Year’s Eve.
When thinking about what to incorporate in the holiday unit for your ESL students can be overwhelming. But there are many ways to practice all of the language domains in the context of December holidays. For example, invite students to talk about the holidays their families celebrate. Or practice listening by watching a video about holidays around the world and asking students to share about what stood out to them. Practice reading by reading an article about a December holiday. And you can never go wrong incorporating food. Since it’s a busy time of year. I have created a few ready made lesson plans that you can use.
What you will hear about teaching December Holidays:
- Why I started researching and sharing about December holidays around the world.
- A little about the different December holidays that your English Learners may celebrate.
- Some of the overlapping traditions that different December holidays share.
- Ideas for activities that you can use to teach the different language domains in the context of December holidays
Resources
As mentioned in the episode, I am linking some useful resources!
- The ESL Teaching Roadmap – membership community for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers. As a thank you for listening, use code ESLPODCAST for 10% off when you join.
- 25 Authentic Speaking Activities for Your ESL Classroom
- Simply Ieva ESL Teachers Pay Teachers Store
- Teachable Platform – Courses and Workshops
- Follow me on Instagram
- Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group
- Simply Ieva Youtube Channel
You may also be interested in:
- Article – Kosher, Halal, Pareve: Get to Know the Labels
- Article – Why Americans call turkey “turkey”
- Blog post – December Holidays Around the World
- Done-for-you lesson plans on Teachers Pay Teachers
