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. If you teach more advanced learners, you could have a small group discussion (for a larger class) or a class discussion about Thanksgiving. It’s easier than you might think to plan an ESL conversation lesson for just about anything, including this holiday. This helps students to activate any prior knowledge they may have about Thanksgiving vocabulary. If you’re doing an ESL Thanksgiving lesson, it probably has a dialogue of some sort in it. In this case, you’d want to show students a flashcard with Thanksgiving vocabulary on it.
Thanksgiving Listening exercises online
🦃 Celebrate Thanksgiving with a collection of fun, educational activities for kids! Improve your skills through exercises, quizzes, and games. She holds an MA degree, along with the Celta and Delta English teaching certifications. It’ll help other busy teachers, like yourself find this useful teaching resource.
However, there are some Thanksgiving stories, games, activities, videos and more that you can 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. It can be an interesting class for daman game app the students to do some ESL Thanksgiving activities to share a little bit of what this holiday means to them. When you teach a language, you’re teaching a lot of vocabulary and grammar. These Thanksgiving listening tasks are designed for A1–B1 ESL learners and can be used as part of holiday lessons, warm-ups, or digital assignments. These tasks help students practice listening comprehension, vocabulary, and pronunciation while celebrating Thanksgiving.
By the 20th century, Thanksgiving included parades and football games, with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade starting in 1924. This listening activity explores the rich history of Thanksgiving, offering a perfect blend of cultural knowledge and historical insight. The captain called all hands and swore 6、The captain ordered passengers included and crew to abandon ship about an hour later. 5、The airline captain announced that the flight would be delayed due to bad weather. 4、The ship’s captain is responsible for the safety of the crew and passengers.
Vocabulary (10 minutes)
They often eat turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. Encourage students to provide a brief explanation of Thanksgiving and its cultural significance. This question encourages students to share their own cultural traditions related to giving thanks or harvest celebrations. Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when many stores offer significant discounts, marking the start of the holiday shopping season. Thanksgiving for ESL learners can be tough to explain to people who’ve maybe never heard of this holiday.
#8: ESL Thanksgiving Task-Based Learning Activities
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! Or, you could have each group choose one specific holiday that’s celebrated around the world and do some research on that.
- If you teach more advanced learners, you could have a small group discussion (for a larger class) or a class discussion about Thanksgiving.
- As the name implies, Thanksgiving is a time when most people reflect on what they’re thankful for.
- Then, have a discussion about that holiday and what are the similarities and differences between North American style Thanksgiving.
- Sarah Josepha Hale, a determined magazine editor, campaigned for a unified national holiday.
#20: I’m an Alien Warmer Activity
English Listening activities for Thanksgiving. Sarah Josepha Hale, a determined magazine editor, campaigned for a unified national holiday. 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.
What is Black Friday, and why is it associated with Thanksgiving?
However, if you teach in Asia for example, talking about what’s going on for your student on Thanksgiving Day could be a total flop! 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. 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.
Christmas Idioms Popular Holiday Phrases and Words in English
Then, teach the history and culture of Thanksgiving and explore if they have a similar holiday in their country. Each clue leads students to the next location, building vocabulary and problem-solving skills. Engage students in making Thanksgiving crafts like paper pumpkins, cornucopias, or handprint turkeys, all while using English to describe their creations. If you’re able to take your students outside, then consider playing some flag football.
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. Instead, you could find out what their local holiday is for giving thanks or the fall harvest. After all, to them, it’s just a normal work or school day.
In this case, they’d use a frozen turkey, but this isn’t necessary. Then, on each part of the wing, they can write something that they’re thankful for. Perhaps it’s someone talking about their upcoming plans. It’s super easy to plan an entire lesson based on a reading passage about Thanksgiving. It’s easy to make your own game in just a few minutes. Fill the board with either hints about words or questions about holiday experiences.
- After all, to them, it’s just a normal work or school day.
- If you’re able to take your students outside, then consider playing some flag football.
- Plus, your students will certainly encounter some new vocabulary words that they’re never seen before (Gobble, gobble!).
- Then, students have to work together to dictate the conversation and once they’re done, they have to put the conversation into the correct order.
- These Thanksgiving listening tasks are designed for A1–B1 ESL learners and can be used as part of holiday lessons, warm-ups, or digital assignments.
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. If you haven’t tried out some of this kind of teaching, Thanksgiving may be the best place to start! If they make a mistake, they sit down and they’re out of the game. Or, in a bigger class, you can divide students up into small groups.
In a smaller class of fewer than 10 students, play all together. If your students know a decent amount of Thanksgiving vocabulary, you could consider playing charades with them. But, it can be an interesting class to have students think about their lives and what they have. Foreign English teachers, especially those teaching abroad are often expected to be a kind of cultural ambassador as well. Join thousands of English learners and teachers who get free tips, lesson ideas, and language insights straight into their inboxes.
These resources are ideal for ESL levels A1–B1 and can be used for lessons about family, food, and gratitude. Students will have fun learning English while feeling the cozy Thanksgiving spirit. She’s taught all ages, levels and kinds of TEFL classes. Did you try out one of the activities on this list, or do you have another go-to source?
You can make up a Thanksgiving-themed one for your students, but you may have to pre-teach them some vocabulary. Plus, your students will certainly encounter some new vocabulary words that they’re never seen before (Gobble, gobble!). Not just teaching a language, but showing students what life is like in their countries. Keep on reading for all of my favourite ESL Thanksgiving activities and games. Explore the activities below and make your Thanksgiving lesson warm, festive, and full of English learning!