Teaching Cultural Holidays (Gr 6: Ln 4.2 When is your Birthday?)

I  run-through of the months and the special holidays that they're known for. I explain each holiday and tried to tie in Korean ones just to help them relate to the months in a more personal way. They do know
of certain American holidays like Halloween or Valentine's Day even if they don't observe it, so its fun to tell them what and how U.S. kids celebrate.

While cycling through the months, I ask the class to raise their hands if the month is their
birthday. Some students know their birthday months in English, while the lower level ones may not .

Kids love when you tell them personal stories about yourself or other kids.

From my mom (a retired 4th grade teacher) and fantastic storyteller, who would tell her students funny stories about me as a little girl. The students would actually remember the stories. This is entertaining to kids and is something they can relate to; it also stimulates imagination.

So, I tie in my own birthday (July) and tell them about my own relation with the month and how I felt about it when I was their age. This actually tied into the Listen & Repeat section of our textbook/CD-Rom, as I felt like Minsu, who had his birthday on Children's Day. For him this meant only ONE gift-present. July is summer-- there is no school, no friends to wish me happy birthday or give me presents. They understood and laughed.

Months of the Year Powerpoint Intro (I forgot to add the numbers of the months, so you may want to either add them in or make note to mention them.)

One of the YouTube videos I've been using for a warmer is "12 Months (are in a year) Song". The reprise has got a catchy tune.