One of my FAVORITE things to do is help kids compare, contrast and analyze things that are relevant to them. I used to get overwhelmed by everyone’s different cultures but then I realized that when we let kids speak, and share from our own cultures, everyone is honored and everyone walks away enriched. 
One idea is to start with this Day of the Dead Kahoot.
Games lower stress and are an easy place to do some choral reading and tracking print while I read aloud. They can spark conversation, build community, and they often have us forgetting that we are learning a language (Dr. Stephen Krashen tells us that this is the fastest way to acquire language – being so engaged that you forget you’re doing it!).
You can play this Kahoot (created by Kahoot) “blind” as an anticipation guide and then play it again to see what your students remember. (This is usually when I help newcomers cheat. Hey, it’s just for fun and to practice oral language.)
So in my room, we are doing this for language acquisition and I am telling students that we are practicing choral reading with Kahoot.
If that is new to you, check out this video for an example:
As we play the Day of the Dead Kahoot with choral reading, we are also getting a peek into a cultural celebration. This sets the stage for students sharing about their favorite holidays with Kahoot. (Remember that we will take all of this into content later and it is VERY high on Blooms for students to create assessments…this is a great start!)
After the Kahoot, we play a youtube clip of The Great Pumpkin and talk about these two different holidays. They are completely new for some of my students.
Then it’s time for a QSSSA to get students talking! “One key difference between Day of the Dead and Halloween is…” “One similarity is…”
And from there we do a shared writing! A refresher on that is here.
I recommend ESL teachers do as much shared writing and choral reading as possible. Soon your walls are dripping with print everyone can read. Check out this post on what to have on your walls if you’re perplexed on how newcomers will engage in this.
AND WOO HOO, Larry Ferlazzo just posted more Day of the Dead and Halloween resources!
The Best Websites For Learning About Halloween & Day Of The Dead
For more ideas on using Kahoot for ESL students, check out this page.
Have fun, friends!
Carol
PS: Check out the upcoming events page for more places we can connect IRL!