Teaching ESL abroad is about more than English; it's a foreign teacher's opportunity to share information about other cultures with their students. The following ideas are intended to use the topic of Thanksgiving to introduce new vocabulary and concepts to students with crafts, games, lesson plans, and more.
ESL Lesson: Thanksgivings Around the World
This lesson is ideal because it can be tailored to fit students of any age, from kindergarten through adult. Students might have a hard time understanding the concept of Thanksgiving if the teacher just explains it in English. The best way to help them is by drawing on their own knowledge.
Most countries have their own Thanksgiving or harvest-related holiday. To prepare for this lesson, teachers should research five or more countries and their holidays, including the home country of their students. Also, make a list of common traits these holidays share, along with contrasts. A few examples include:
United States: Thanksgiving
- When: Fourth Thursday of November
- Why: Give thanks for harvest, blessings
- Food: Turkey, potatoes, stuffing
- Activities: Visit family, football games, parades
Korea: Chuseok
- When: 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar
- Why: Celebration of a good harvest
- Food: Songpyeon (rice cakes steamed on pine needles), japchae, bulgogi
- Activities: Visit tombs of ancestors
China: Zhong Qiu Jie (Harvest Moon)
- When: 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar
- Why: The full moon is a sign of good harvest
- Food: Lobster, salmon, fruit, nuts, "moon cakes"
- Activities: Family reunions, children stay up late, stay outside and moon-gaze
Japan: Tsukimi (Moon Viewing)
- When: 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar
- Why: Celebrate moon, rice harvest
- Food: Dumplings made from rice
- Activities: Parties, festivals
Israel: Succoth
- When: Late September to late October
- Why: Give thanks for crops and harvest
- Food: Traditional food (chicken, soup, potatoes)
- Activities: Families build sukkot (open living space) for meals and sleep during the seven days
India: Pongal
- When: January 14th
- Why: Celebrate a successful harvest
- Food: Sweet rice dish known as "pongal"
- Activities: Family gatherings
Teachers can ask students to discuss what they do for their country's harvest holiday, and speculate on how they think other countries celebrate. This lesson can be expanded to cover the entire week of Thanksgiving, with each day focusing on one country's holiday.
ESL Thanksgiving Crafts
For younger classes, there are several free printable activities available online. DLTK-Kids offers a fantastic selection of printable Thanksgiving crafts, most of which only require crayons and scissors. Because crafts have no language barrier, they are a great way to give students a visual, hands-on understanding of the topic.
ESL Thanksgiving Games
Nearly any regular classroom game can be adjusted to focus on Thanksgiving vocabulary and topics! Again, check out DLTK-Kids for a selection of free printable Thanksgiving games. A few examples include:
- Bingo
- Hangman
- Jigsaw Puzzle
- Memory
- Word Search
More ESL Activities
For more ideas and activities for ESL teachers, visit ESL Classroom Activity Resources.
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