Thanksgiving Day – lesson ideas for younger learners (A1)
With its gloomy short days November is definitely not my favourite month. However, as this is the time of the year when I am able to focus more on work, I decided to prepare a new lesson about Thanksgiving. This time it is something more suitable for younger learners.
Step 1
Let’s start with having our students watch a short and somewhat funny video in which a group of kids try to explain the origins of the very first Thanksgiving. They answer a few questions and present some scenes depicting the history.
Split your students into small groups and give each team the set of cards: Thanksgiving – cards The students are supposed to watch the video (without quize mode) and put the cards in a chronological order.
| A group of English people decided to leave England and go to the New World. |
| In 1620 they got aboard a ship called Mayflower and went to America. |
| When they arrived they first set foot on a rock. They called it the Plymouth Rock. |
| The first winter was very hard for them. It was cold, snowy and they were out of food. Many Pilgrims died of cold and hunger. |
| The native Americans helped the Pilgrims. One of the native Americans, named Squanto, showed the Pilgrims how to plant corn (maize), grow crops and hunt. |
| The Pilgrims were very happy and they wanted to thank the native Americans, so they invited them to a special dinner. |
| At the first Thanksgiving dinner they had wild turkey, deer and some vegetables, but they didn’t eat a pumpkin pie. |
| Nowadays Thanksgiving Day is an important holiday in the USA. |
Step 2
While watching the video students do the online quiz.
Step 3
Thanksgiving Day is all about being grateful and saying ‘thank you’.
By using Wheel Decide you may encourge your students to answer some questions related to Thanksgiving.
Questions:
“What food are you most grateful for?”
“Who are you most grateful for?”
“Today I would say thanks to … .”
“What do you like most about autumn?”
“Today is a great day because … .”
Step 4
The final step is a TRUE/FALSE competition with flyswatters
All you need is a set of ‘True/False’ sentences (available below), a board and two flyswatters. Split your learners into two teams and ask each group to stand in a line. It should be two parallel lines in which the students stand facing the board one behind another. Give a flyswatter to the first person in each line. Write TRUE and FALSE on the board. Explain to students that you will read a question and expect the students with a flyswatter to answer it by using the tool and slapping the correct answer on the board (TRUE or FALSE). The first student to hit the correct answer wins a point for their team. Continue with other students until you run out of sentences.
TRUE/FALSE competition with flyswatters (printable)
Sentences:
- The people who left England in 1620 were called the Pilgrims.
- The Pilgrims sailed on a boat called Plymouth.
- The Pilgrims’ ship was called Mayflower.
- There were 102 passengers on Mayflower.
- The Pilgrims arrived in America in winter.
- The Pilgrims arrived in America in February.
- Soon after they arrived in America it was warm and sunny.
- During the first winter many people died of cold and hunger.
- In spring the Pilgrims met Squanto, a native American.
- The Pilgrims made friends with some native Americans.
- Squanto and his friends showed the Pilgrims how to build a new ship.
- Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to grow crops and hunt.
- The Pilgrims invited their new friends to a special dinner.
- Today Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.
You may also be interested in other posts:
Thanksgiving Day – the short history (A2/B1)
Christmas with a video by Rick Steves for B1
