Are there any short and easy-to-do Thanksgiving activities we could use with our learners (young learners and adolescents) and which would not require too much preparation?

Answer: This is something we are asked quite often. Many colleagues would like to celebrate Thanksgiving with their  learners. The activity we describe below can be used with learners from A Senior+. 

"Thanks for. . . "Thanksgiving Celebration


Materials needed: Colored A4 paper.

1. In class, a day or two before you do the activity, ask learners to bring a photo of theirs. One they like best. 

2. On the day of the activity, ask learners to tell you what they are thankful for. Give them one-two examples, e.g., “I’m thankful for my friends.” (lower Levels), or “I’m thankful for my family because we listen to each other and we love each other.” (B1+). 

3. On the Board, write the following topics and/or ask your learners to suggest some others, if they wish. The latter should be asked of learners who are at least 12 years old and B1 Level:  
*Family
*Friends
*School
*Country

4. Now, elicit some examples from your learners, then ask them to write down one-two sentences as regards these topics: "I'm thankful for. . " (N.B.:  Young learners can just write, “Thanks for. . .” , and older learners, i.e.,  12 years old and higher, can write, “I’m thankful for. . .” and continue the sentence with because ).  

5. Have learners design a thanksgiving card, by folding a colored A4 paper and glue their photo on the front page. Inside,  they can write what they are thankful for to their parents. 

6. On Thanksgiving day (or, depending on when your class meets, one or two days earlier), invite the parents of the younger learners to come 10 minutes earlier and ask them to come into your classroom. Say a few words about Thanksgiving (keep it very simple) and then, ask the learners to give their Thanksgiving cards to their parents, telling them what they are thankful for. 

In many ways, activities like this one help learners develop their “social awareness and identity”, and parents see their children’s progress as well as their children’s holistic development. 

Happy Thanksgiving.
        We’re thankful for your interest and for your contribution to FL teaching, 
Suzanne and Lilika    






espa