By Nicole Arsenault, Engaged Learning
Organized collaboratively by educational consultants from two school service centres— Pier-Luc Ouellet (Centre de services scolaire des Phares) and Charles Fortier (Centre de services scolaire de Kamouraska-Rivière-du-Loup)—this special event brought together 42 live participants from across 12 schools, with 20 schools in total having registered.
This marks the second year that the event was held, and it continues to grow in enthusiasm and impact. Held on the symbolic date of April 23rd—the birthday and date of death of William Shakespeare—the event was a lively celebration of the English language as a powerful tool for global connection and learning.
Hosted on Zoom, the event welcomed entire classes who joined the live session from their classrooms. The energy was palpable as students appeared on screen, waving and smiling, eager to dive into the activities. Right from the opening question—“Where are you joining us from?”—participants used interactive tools like Wooclap to share their locations. A dynamic word cloud filled the screen with feelings of “happy,” “excited,” and “curious,” setting the tone for a joyful and engaging experience.
Pier-Luc and Charles led the session with enthusiasm and humour, guiding students through a variety of creative and educational activities. The goal was clear: to celebrate English not just as a subject to be studied, but as a vibrant language that opens doors to communication, discovery, and cultural understanding.
The theme of the day—curiosity and discovery—was echoed through every part of the program. Using Wooclap, students were invited to play a quiz with questions tailored for grades 5 and 6 (primary 3rd cycle). They identified Shakespeare from a series of images, matched national animals to their countries, solved riddles about famous literary characters, and placed Canadian inventions in chronological order. They also identified this year’s theme song Upside Down and its singer. These games sparked discussion, with students eagerly raising hands, discussing answers, and celebrating correct guesses.
The event also featured a special thank you to L’École branchée for its collaboration. In honour of International English Language Day, two SCOOP! activity guides were made freely available to participants. These resources offered teachers additional ideas to continue exploring the English language in their classrooms beyond the day’s event.
Check out the guides and activities here.
What made this celebration so meaningful was the shared energy and participation of students and teachers alike. A special mention also goes to Cycle 1 and 2 students, who also took part in motivating and engaging activities: Rally around the school, conversations with other teachers in English and more.
Watching entire classes light up with enthusiasm—from big cities to rural schools—showed just how much joy can come from learning together, even across distance. Whether identifying Shakespeare or discussing Canadian inventions, students were actively engaged, smiling, and truly celebrating what English offers as a global language.
This event reaffirmed that English Language Day isn’t just about acknowledging a date or studying grammar—it’s about honouring a language that connects people across cultures, time zones, and generations.
Plans are already brewing for next year’s celebration. With such strong participation and positive feedback, the organizing team is excited to see this initiative continue to grow and inspire.
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