Celebrating St George's Day in the classroom

2019-04-17

St George’s Day presents a wonderful opportunity to discover English customs and traditions for both a primary teacher and a secondary teacher.


Marked annually on 23 April, it is held on the day that is traditionally accepted as the Saint’s death, and although St George’s Day is no longer celebrated like it once was, it still has a role to play in education.


Looking back at history 

The legend of St George says that the Saint rescued a maiden by slaying a fire-breathing dragon, and it’s one that leaves plenty to the imagination.


It’s also a tale that can be used in both the primary and secondary classroom to discover periods of medieval history, including the Hundred Years War and the Crusades when English knights fought below the red-cross banner of St George.


Those campaigns provide an opportunity to assess the issues that were affecting England at the time and to embrace periods of history that don’t always get as much coverage as others.


Classroom activities

English teachers may want to look at the life and time of the world’s most famous Bard William Shakespeare, who was born and died on 23 April.


At the same time, history teachers may want to encourage debate around societal values, patriotism and what youngsters view as being important or not.


Support tools can be found online to assist those in both primary and secondary school teaching jobs with planning for St Georges Day.