Valentine: The Story Behind Valentine's Day | High School ELA Digital & Print

The tale of Saint Valentine is steeped in the mists of antiquity. In a remarkable turn of events in 1969, the Catholic Church officially excised Saint Valentine from its liturgical calendar. This decision stemmed mainly from scholarly uncertainty about Valentine's true identity — was he a singular historical figure, or were there multiple individuals behind the name? Intriguingly, evidence suggests the latter. This enigmatic saint, shrouded in mystery, sparks a natural curiosity among students eager to unravel the authentic narrative behind one of the most beloved and enigmatic holidays.

This Resource Includes the Following Features:

• Access to Print and Digital Versions (PDF, Google Workspace, & Easel)
• Three-Day Lesson Calendar (with Teacher's Notes)
• Key Characters and Places Anchor Chart
• Orient learners by identifying Valentine's context within the ancient Roman world of the third century.
• 2 Reading Cards —
• Saint Valentine: Lives of the Saints (1 card)
• Dictionary Entry on Saint Valentine (2 cards)
• Each card includes art and literature connections.
• 1 Note-taking template
• 16-count Question Bank
• The question bank is versatile and fits the needs of both teachers and students.
• 1 Exit Ticket
• Exit tickets are a way to get data about your students' understanding of the lesson right before the class is finished. Collect these exit tickets and quickly see what your students have learned.
• Pro Tip: Use the exit ticket as the basis for the research and writing assignment.
• Frayer Model Vocabulary Template (with one student sample)
• Frayer models are a way to get kids to think about vocabulary visually in a four-section square — A square for meaning, one for examples, another for non-examples, and a sketch. It is impressive to see the work they produce. A great way to decorate your classroom to showcase your kids' vocabulary-in-text understanding. The cards can contain terms, geography, challenging words (as well as contextual entries that fit the story).
• Research Paper Prompt: Unveiling the Historical Saint Valentine
• Students delve further into the life and legends of Valentine.
• The instructions are detailed, concise, and student-friendly.
• Students are instructed to work through various historical aspects of the Valentine story.
• 1 Further Reading List
• Don't disregard this further reading list if you think it is merely a bibliography. Share the list with your students or have them do projects based on the available research. Assign different sources to students and organize presentations where learning can go deeper into the story.
• Answer Key

I created this resource with middle and high school students in mind. It is designed to be part of Saint Valentine's Day's thematic English Language Arts and Humanities lesson! 

• Find love with these fantastic resources:
• Three Myths of Lovers
• Tales of Love and Discord
• Pygmalion and Galatea

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