Reading your blogs brought to mind a common occurrence in adult ESL classes and some immigrant communities -- new immigrants upset over the celebration of Halloween.
The ancient celebration of Halloween originates in the British Isles. You can read about it here -- http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/TLresources/units/Byrnes-celebrations/halloween.html
Many Christians from other countries, especially countries in Eastern Europe, find the images associated with Halloween to be anti-Christian, for example, witches, wizards, devils, skeletons, and goblins. They do not decorate their homes here, and they do not want their children to take part in Halloween celebrations. As a result, they may even keep their young children home from school on Halloween. if they send them, they may not allow them to wear costumes, especially
those with evil connotations.
As ESL teachers, we may explain the history of the holiday, but we should not get involved in trying to convince parents to allow their children to celebrate the holiday. It is important to respect the beliefs of our students and their parents and to avoid judging them.
Place:
Eastern Europe consists of many nations east of Germany and Austria, including Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Albania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and so on.
Vocabulary
occurrence-- (noun) happening (occur-- verb)
Halloween-- (noun) a holiday celebrated in the USA on October 31 (All Hallow's Eve is the full name, which means the evening before All Saints' Day, a Christian holiday celebrated on November 1st.)
decorate-- (verb) to make beautiful (decoration--noun)
originate--(verb) come from (origin-- noun meaning source; original --adjective meaning first)
connotation--(noun) meaning (connote -- verb)
respect-- (noun) honor
1. Cocoa _______________ in South America.
2. The attack on the World Trade Center on 9-11-01 was a terrible ____________.
3. On ______________ children dress in costumes and go "trick or treating."
4. The children _____________ their father.
5. At Christmas people _______________ their homes with Christmas trees and garland.
6. The word "power" has several _______________.
Grammar Point: To negate a verb in the present tense, you have to use the helping verb "do" and "not."
They do not celebrate Halloween.
Can you write three negative sentences using do?
6 comments:
I never really realized what other cultures thought about Halloween. This has made me what to make sure that I am aware of other holidays and what cultures feel about them.
I never realized that Halloween (one of my favorite holidays) could be offensive to ESL students. Is it alright to celebrate Halloween in your ESL classroom as long as students are given the option not to participate?
I thought this was very interesting. Thank you for bringing it to our attention. I always thought that all children loved Halloween. It is a great point for ESL teachers to be aware of all holidays and how different cultures view the holidays.
I knew that some cultures found it offensive because my parents thought it was not offensive, but did not understand it I guess. They have adapted to the holiday because I love decorate and because they have been here for so many years. Your post has definetely re-opened my eyes to being careful in the ESL classroom. I would also know if its alright to celebrate it in the classroom?
Years ago I was teaching 4th grade in the city and had a very diverse group of students. When Holloween came around I soon learned that over half of my students parents objected to us celebrating Halloween for various reasons. It was an eye opener for sure. We ended up having to rethink our whole approach to recognizing all holidays, schoolwide. Becoming aware of our students cultural differences is something that should be considered at the beginning of each school year.
This reminds me of a friend i had when i was younger. She was not allowed to dress up for Halloween and go trick-a-treating. On Halloween her family would not decorate or give the kids in the neighborhood any treats. I never understood. It is very important to know your students cultures and religion before you decide to celebrate Halloween.
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