ThoughtCo (Advanced, and there are also ESL Thanksgiving activities for adults here) Do you want a simple Thanksgiving story that’s suitable for ESL students? They often eat turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. Are you looking for some Thanksgiving ESL worksheets that you can use with your students? Encourage students to provide a brief explanation of Thanksgiving and its cultural significance.
What is some Thanksgiving Vocabulary for English Learners?
I love to pretend that I don’t know anything about Thanksgiving and then have my students explain it to me! In this case, you could set up a scenario where they have to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner but turkeys and chicken were in short supply and unavailable. The way it works is that students have to think of ingredients for another group who then has to prepare a 3-course dinner. Have a look and you’re sure to find something that’ll work for you. Even if you’re not musical (like me), there are lots of great songs and chants on YouTube so not to worry!
Give students a blank bingo grid, and they can make their games. Plus, your students will certainly encounter some new vocabulary words that they’re never seen before (Gobble, gobble!). Keep on reading for all of my favourite ESL Thanksgiving activities and games. When you teach a language, you’re teaching a lot of vocabulary and grammar. These tasks help students practice listening comprehension, vocabulary, and pronunciation while celebrating Thanksgiving.
Do you want to know more about this style of teaching and maybe try it out for your ESL Thanksgiving lessons? In the end, students could make a video, lead a class discussion, give a presentation or do something else to share what they’ve learned. Or, you could have each group choose one specific holiday that’s celebrated around the world and do some research on that. If you think about it, task-based learning lends itself extremely well to holidays. Then, have a discussion about that holiday and what are the similarities and differences between North American style Thanksgiving.
Basically, everyone loves a good Bingo game. Of course, to some, it’s just a time to watch football and eat too much! And of course, even if this isn’t explicitly expected, language is intertwined with culture and it’s hard to separate the two. Foreign English teachers, especially those teaching abroad are often expected to be a kind of cultural ambassador as well. Vocabulary is the words we use and grammar is how we organize them in a way so that people understand what we’re saying.
In 1621, Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts, shared a feast with the Wampanoag tribe, featuring dishes like roast goose, corn, codfish, and lobster—different from today’s turkey tradition. Here is a listening material about the history of the celebration. Germany is a country rich in history, culture, and natural beauty, but many visitors tend to stick to the well-known cities like Berlin and Munich. I also try to find the offer on another website but it seems that these people only post them on ImmoScout.
#30: Thanksgiving Mad Libs
- Then, have a discussion about that holiday and what are the similarities and differences between North American style Thanksgiving.
- They often eat turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie.
- She holds an MA degree, along with the Celta and Delta English teaching certifications.
- Foreign English teachers, especially those teaching abroad are often expected to be a kind of cultural ambassador as well.
She holds an MA degree, along with the Celta and Delta English teaching certifications. She’s taught all ages, levels and kinds of TEFL classes. It’ll help other busy teachers, like yourself find this useful teaching resource. Did you try out one of the activities on this list, or do you have another go-to source? It really is that easy to have better English lessons. Listen to the book while you exercise, or take it to your favourite coffee shop for lesson planning on the go.
- Have you ever noticed that students often mindlessly read this without really paying attention to what’s in it?
- It’s easier than you might think to plan an ESL conversation lesson for just about anything, including this holiday.
- It’s a random kind of game that students love.
- The way it works is that students pass a “potato” around the class, and when the timer goes off, the person holding it has to do something.
- What they have in common is that they’re interactive, and engaging and cover a range of skills in a single activity.
The History Of Thanksgiving
A fun way to review new Thanksgiving vocabulary and also to find out about students’ experiences with holidays is to use a board game. However, there are some Thanksgiving stories, games, activities, videos and more that you can daman game login use to explain this popular North American holiday to language learners. A fun activity that some families like to do for this holiday is turkey bowling. If you’re teaching in a country that celebrates Thanksgiving, then you could talk about the actual holiday itself and what students’ plans are.
#16: Chain Spelling for Thanksgiving Vocabulary
One of the best ways to teach new vocabulary to kids is through songs. If you teach more advanced learners, you could have a small group discussion (for a larger class) or a class discussion about Thanksgiving. Maybe a family eating a turkey dinner or something similar. In this case, you’d want to remove key Thanksgiving vocabulary. I don’t blame my students because I’ve usually given them no reason to pay attention.
ESL Thanksgiving Activities, Games, Lesson Plans & Worksheets
Either way, decorate the “ball” to look like a turkey and have some fun bowling! Of course, besides colouring, students can design their own turkey from construction paper or other materials and do a very similar thing. When they’re done, they can bring their project home or post them around the classroom.
#11: Thanksgiving Themed Picture Prompt
This listening activity explores the rich history of Thanksgiving, offering a perfect blend of cultural knowledge and historical insight. How and when did this holiday start? Do you have a day of thanksgiving in your country? This Thanksgiving ESL listening task is ideal for lessons, English clubs, or online learning. 🦃 Discover the story behind one of America’s most beloved holidays with this Thanksgiving History and Traditions Listening Quiz. Jackie Bolen has been teaching English for more than 20 years to students in South Korea and Canada.
If your students know a decent amount of Thanksgiving vocabulary, you could consider playing charades with them. You can make up a Thanksgiving-themed one for your students, but you may have to pre-teach them some vocabulary. But, it can be an interesting class to have students think about their lives and what they have.
Speaking Activity: This or That (10 minutes)
Have you ever noticed that students often mindlessly read this without really paying attention to what’s in it? Total beginners would just have to name the picture, while higher-level students could make a complete sentence that includes the word. If you haven’t tried out some of this kind of teaching, Thanksgiving may be the best place to start! If you’re looking for some new ideas for ESL Thanksgiving Activities, then you’ll want to consider task-based learning seriously.
Her efforts succeeded when President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day in 1863. The concept of a national Thanksgiving emerged in 1777 when the Continental Congress marked a day to celebrate their victory over the British at Saratoga. Thanksgiving’s history shows its evolution from a modest harvest celebration. Read the following statements and decide if they are true or false based on the text about the history of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, which has been celebrated in the United States for centuries, is a time for giving thanks to God but also a time for families and loved ones to gather and have a big meal with a turkey as the main part of it.
Then, teach the history and culture of Thanksgiving and explore if they have a similar holiday in their country. Thanksgiving for ESL learners can be tough to explain to people who’ve maybe never heard of this holiday. There are a number of common questions that people have about teaching Thanksgiving for ESL students.