Thanksgiving Listening Comprehension ESL worksheet by Aline!

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Sep 1, 2025 at 3:01 PM

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. Look on Pinterest for lots of ideas for all ages but one simple one that I to do is have students colour in a turkey outline. 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.

New Year Activities for Students New Year Resolution Lessons

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. If you want to have a quieter activity to do related to Thanksgiving, consider making your own puzzle. For example, this listening comprehension one seen below.

Listening Comprehension Task

This listening activity explores the rich history of Thanksgiving, offering a perfect blend of cultural knowledge and historical insight. See more worksheets by Aline! Live Worksheets Worksheets that listen.Worksheets that speak.Worksheets that motivate students.Worksheets that save paper, ink and time.

Thanksgiving ESL Lesson Plans

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. 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.

#12: ESL Conversation Lesson

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. Do you have any more suggestions for ESL Thanksgiving vocabulary?

These resources are ideal for ESL levels A1–B1 and can be used for lessons about family, food, and gratitude. 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? It really is that easy to have better English lessons.

What is the significance of the Thanksgiving turkey?

To teach ESL students for Thanksgiving, a nice lesson is on being thankful. There are a number of common questions that people have about teaching Thanksgiving for ESL students. Hide paper turkey feathers around the classroom, each with a vocabulary word or phrase related to Thanksgiving.

Speaking Activity: This or That (10 minutes)

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. By the 20th century, Thanksgiving included parades and football games, with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade starting in 1924.

  • When they’re done, they can bring their project home or post them around the classroom.
  • If you’re looking for a complete ESL Thanksgiving Lesson, then these games and activities probably aren’t what you need.
  • This question encourages students to share their own cultural traditions related to giving thanks or harvest celebrations.
  • They often eat turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie.
  • You’ll have to teach students the basic rules first and get your hands on a football but then get outside and have some fun.
  • By the 20th century, Thanksgiving included parades and football games, with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade starting in 1924.

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. 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 daman game download or something similar. In this case, you’d want to remove key Thanksgiving vocabulary.

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. Then, have a discussion about that holiday and what are the similarities and differences between North American style Thanksgiving.

#9 Thanksgiving ESL Game: Hot Potato

  • Maybe a family eating a turkey dinner or something similar.
  • It really is that easy to have better English lessons.
  • 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.
  • In a smaller class of fewer than 10 students, play all together.
  • 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.

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. 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.

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 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. Explore the activities below and make your Thanksgiving lesson warm, festive, and full of English learning!

These interactive games, listening tasks, and printable worksheets help young learners practice English vocabulary while exploring the spirit of gratitude and sharing. She loves to share her ESL games, activities, teaching tips, and more with other teachers throughout the world. A fun way to review new Thanksgiving vocabulary and also to find out about students’ experiences with holidays is to use a board game.

What is Thanksgiving ESL?

Create Thanksgiving-themed mad libs with missing words (nouns, verbs, adjectives) for students to fill in. A plastic turkey or odd-shaped object works just as well. 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.

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. It’s a random kind of game that students love. Either way, decorate the “ball” to look like a turkey and have some fun bowling!

Listen to the book while you exercise, or take it to your favourite coffee shop for lesson planning on the go. 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?

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