St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the early life of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
Key learning points
- St. Patrick was born in Britain when it was controlled by a group of people called the Romans.
- He grew up in a Christian family but did not believe in God as a child.
- Aged 16, he was captured by Irish raiders and taken as an enslaved person to Ireland for 6 years.
- During his captivity, he worked as a shepherd and during this time his belief in God got stronger.
- One day, he had a dream telling him that he would soon go home, so he fled to the coast and sailed back to Britain.
Keywords
Christian - someone who follows the Christian religion, believing in God and Jesus, is described as a Christian
Romans - the Romans were a group of people from Italy that took over lots of land across Europe, Africa and the Middle East
Raider - a raider is someone who attacks people or places by surprise, often to steal from them
Shepherd - someone who herds and looks after sheep is called a shepherd
Common misconception
That St. Patrick was Irish.
Explain to children that St. Patrick was born in Britain. As a teenager, he was captured by raiders and taken to Ireland.
Teacher tip
Children could create their own stained glass images of St. Patrick using coloured tissue paper, a plastic pocket and black card.
Equipment
coloured tissue paper, craft glue, round-edged scissors, black card, plastic pockets
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Risk assessment required - equipment
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these times are in the past?
Q2.What does the past mean?
Q3.Which 3 of these countries are part of Britain?
Q4.Which of the statements below about Ireland are correct?
Q5.Put the dates in the order that they happened.
Q6.Which of the following statements about stories is correct?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What animals does a shepherd look after?
Q2.Which country is St. Patrick the patron saint of?
Q3.Who is the patron saint of Ireland?
Q4.Put the events in order to retell the story of St. Patrick's early life.
Q5.What job did St. Patrick do in Ireland?
Q6.Match the keyword to the correct meaning
a group people from Italy that took over lots of land
people who follow the Christian religion and beleive in God and Jesus
people who attack places and people by surprise to steal from them
people who look after sheep
To help you plan your 1 history lesson on: St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 1 history lesson on: St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 1 history lessons from the England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.