New
New
Year 1

St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland

I can describe the early life of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

New
New
Year 1

St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland

I can describe the early life of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. St. Patrick was born in Britain when it was controlled by a group of people called the Romans.
  2. He grew up in a Christian family but did not believe in God as a child.
  3. Aged 16, he was captured by Irish raiders and taken as an enslaved person to Ireland for 6 years.
  4. During his captivity, he worked as a shepherd and during this time his belief in God got stronger.
  5. 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.

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.

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

Children could create their own stained glass images of St. Patrick using coloured tissue paper, a plastic pocket and black card.
Teacher tip

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

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these times are in the past?
next year
this year
Correct answer: last year
Q2.
What does the past mean?
something that is about to happen
something that is happening now
Correct answer: something that has already happened
Q3.
Which 3 of these countries are part of Britain?
Correct answer: England
France
Correct answer: Scotland
Spain
Correct answer: Wales
Q4.
Which of the statements below about Ireland are correct?
Ireland is very far away from Britain.
Correct answer: Ireland is very close to Britain.
Correct answer: There is a sea between Britain and Ireland.
Ireland shares a border with England and Scotland.
Q5.
Put the dates in the order that they happened.
1 - last year
2 - last week
3 - yesterday
Q6.
Which of the following statements about stories is correct?
A story is always true.
A story is always made up.
Correct answer: A story can be made up or true.

6 Questions

Q1.
What animals does a shepherd look after?
cows
horses
Correct answer: sheep
Q2.
Which country is St. Patrick the patron saint of?
England
Correct answer: Ireland
Scotland
Wales
Q3.
Who is the patron saint of Ireland?
St. Andrew
St. David
St. George
Correct answer: St. Patrick
Q4.
Put the events in order to retell the story of St. Patrick's early life.
1 - St. Patrick was born in Britain.
2 - St Patrick was taken to Ireland when he was 16 years old.
3 - St. Patrick became a shepherd.
4 - St. Patrick escaped and travelled home by boat.
Q5.
What job did St. Patrick do in Ireland?
Correct answer: He was a shepherd.
He was a cook.
He was a policeman.
Q6.
Match the keyword to the correct meaning
Correct Answer:Romans,a group people from Italy that took over lots of land

a group people from Italy that took over lots of land

Correct Answer:Christians,people who follow the Christian religion and beleive in God and Jesus

people who follow the Christian religion and beleive in God and Jesus

Correct Answer:raiders,people who attack places and people by surprise to steal from them

people who attack places and people by surprise to steal from them

Correct Answer:shepherds,people who look after sheep

people who look after sheep

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