Readying Arkansas for a lifetime of literacy

Thanksgiving: A Cultural and Educational Opportunity

 

Thanksgiving is a time of gratitude, celebration, and connection, making it an ideal theme for engaging ESL students in learning activities. Thanksgiving offers a chance to teach language skills and cultural understanding, helping students feel more connected to their communities. Here’s how you can use Thanksgiving to create a rich and interactive learning experience for your students.

Why Focus on Thanksgiving in ESL Lessons?

 

Cultural Connections

  • Thanksgiving is a significant holiday in the United States, and understanding it can help students feel more included in cultural conversations and traditions. 

 

Relevant Vocabulary and Skills

  • Thanksgiving provides a context for teaching seasonal vocabulary, conversation skills, and writing exercises.

 

Opportunities for Storytelling and Sharing

  • The holiday’s themes of gratitude and togetherness encourage personal storytelling, which can help students practice speaking and listening skills.

 

Lesson Ideas for Thanksgiving

 

Build Thanksgiving Vocabulary

  • Thanksgiving is a feast for vocabulary building! There is plenty of new vocabulary for students at every learning level. 
  • Use pictures, flashcards, or videos to help students connect words with their meanings. Bring in shopping flyers promoting food items on sale for Thanksgiving dinner to connect vocabulary with real-world applications. 

 

Explore Thanksgiving Traditions

  • Discuss the history of Thanksgiving and how we celebrate it today. 
  • Share pictures or videos of Thanksgiving traditions. Show footage of the Macy’s Day Parade, your family traditions for Thanksgiving, recipes for traditional Thanksgiving foods, and what you do after Thanksgiving dinner, watching football, and Black Friday Shopping just to name a few!
  • Ask students to compare Thanksgiving to similar holidays in their home countries.

 

Practice Gratitude

  • Encourage students to write a short paragraph or list of things they are thankful for.
  • Use sentence starters like “I am thankful for…” or “I feel grateful because…” to help students organize their thoughts.

 

 Host a Thanksgiving Role-Play

  • Create a mock Thanksgiving dinner where students practice conversation skills.
  • Assign roles (host, guest, etc.) and provide prompts for typical mealtime discussions.
  • Have students sort vocabulary. For example, have students identify what vocabulary they need to make a shopping list for Thanksgiving dinner versus writing a gratitude letter. 

 

Cook Up Language Skills with Recipes

  • Use a simple Thanksgiving recipe to teach reading comprehension and sequencing and introduce traditional Thanksgiving foods like green bean casserole. 
  • Discuss cooking verbs (mix, bake, chop) and measurement vocabulary (cups, teaspoons)

 

Celebrate Storytelling

  • Ask students to share stories about their holiday traditions.
  • Create a writing or speaking activity where they describe their ideal Thanksgiving celebration.

 

Cultural Sensitivity in Thanksgiving Lessons

While Thanksgiving is a beloved tradition for many, it is important to acknowledge its complex history, including the perspectives of Native Americans. Consider presenting a balanced view of the holiday to foster deeper cultural understanding. There are links listed below under the Resources category from the National Museum of the American Indian to help guide students. 

Resources

New York Times 10 Prompts for Talking and Writing About Thanksgiving: An article listing some great writing prompts about Thanksgiving and includes some fantastic photos of people celebrating Thanksgiving. 

Thanksgiving Trivia Quiz: A fun 10-question quiz using Thanksgiving vocabulary. 

NatGeo Kids: While it may be NatGeo Kids it’s a great article with pictures discussing Thanksgiving traditions with pictures. 

National Museum of the American Indian: A robust resource for introducing students to the complex history of Thanksgiving and provides Native American perspectives on the holiday. This link provides resources including a teacher’s guide. 

Contact Info

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Little Rock, AR 72201

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