Thanksgiiving day

[jeffreyrodrigue]

Hi, I'm very glad that you take the time to celebrate a very important holiday here in North America. There is so much information available on the internet that I really don't see it to be problem that you find information on the subject. Nonetheless, here are a few sites that might help you organize your activity.

http://www.mes-english.com/flashcards/thanksgiving.php

http://www.teachchildrenesl.com/filez89 ... hcards.pdf

On these sites you will find some very interesting stuff, mainly flash cards, handouts and games.

Thank you and happy thanksgiving!

[samantha]

Thanksgiving is an important holiday in the USA and in Canada. Although it is not celebrated in the same month. In the states they actually get a whole week off of school for this holiday. Here in Canada we get a few days.
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and be thankful for everything we have. Since we live in such a fast-paced society, we tend to take things for granted. It’s important for us to spend some quality time with our family and the people we love most. I think that it’s a great reminder for us to get our priorities straight. It reminds us of the important things in life and it reminds us to be thankful and to give back to others in our community.

[karineculture]

Hello !
I am from Quebec and honestly, I know nothing about Thanksgiving day or "Action de Grâce" since we don't celebrate it. The only thing good about it is that we don't work or go to school on Thanksgiving day ;)
Consequently, I think that as a future English teacher, it could be a good idea to create an activity for this occasion in order to teach students things about this day. It would be good for them, and for me, to know WHY they don't go to school on that day. I looked on the Internet for some activities and I found this interesting website where you can find games, recipes, printables, etc.: http://familyfun.go.com/thanksgiving/

This one has printable books, coloring worksheets, etc. : http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/thanksgiving/

I would like to know how Thanksgiving is celebrated in other countries. What do English people do on that day?

[rebra]

Hello, I think that thanksgiving has lost some of its importance in Canada, especially in Quebec. I am from Eastern Canada, and on Thanksgiving Day it is a public holiday where families come together around a turkey dinner. However, I do think that it is part of Canadian culture and it should be brought up to students. I think it is a great idea to make a small celebration in the classroom to make students aware of what thanksgiving implies. Even in a multicultural classroom, the subject should be discussed. The teacher could take advantage of the situation and ask students from other cultures to talk about their tradition. Another celebration of another tradition could be celebrated in a coming week, for example.

[ania]

Thanksgiving Day is a one of the most known family festival celebrated in the USA, Canada, Great Bratain and several other, mostly English speaking countries. As far I remember, Thanksgiving Day commemorates the feast held by the Pilgrim colonists and members of the Wampanoag people at Plymouth in 1621. On this day people use to expressed gratitude to God for his blessings and give thanks to their loved ones for their love, care and support. Feasting with family is an integral and most delightful part of Thanksgiving Day celebrations. I think it is important to introduce this holiday in each ESL classroom since it is a part of culture of English speaking countries. It is essential for L2 students learn to acquire not only the language but all the cultural aspects. This facilitates a better understanding of the target language and opens a student to different customs, habits and traditions.

[nicolasbrunette]

I first got to assume that i'm not so much into religious or any annual celebrations. According to this, it was obvious that I did not know much about Thanksgiving day. I've read in the previous posts that it was a celebration of everything we are thankful for. In that case, I see no reason why I shouldn't celebrate it in my classroom. You can't be against love and friendship, if you see what I mean. I believe that a part of our teacher's role is to share good values with the students. I think there are tons of activities that can be done which would be relating to thanksgiving day. Even if it isn not part of my culture, it is important for me to be aware of other's customs. Lead by example they say.

[abbaabbacdcd]

Does American and Canadian Thanksgiving share the same origins? How did the holiday begin?

[buniac]

Thanksgiving day is one of the most important celebration in the United States. To be honest, this day is an important family reunion to be thankful about everything that God has gave us during the last year. Parties are often organized with a meal that includes turkey. There are public celebrations all around the United States to be thankful of their past. Sports events are held in all major sports in activities during this day. Patriotism is felt all around the country.

In Canada, it is a bit different. Thanksgiving day is celebrated in October unlike the United States who celebrate it in November. It is a day that does not have much signification here. Patriotism is not as important in Canada. Samuel's video is a good representation of what you should focus on during your presentation.

[MikeV]

I could add that most often, families get together and take it as an occasion to have a special supper with the whole family if possible (grand parents, uncles, aunts, etc.). As samuel pointed out, this holiday is there to celebrate for things you're thankful of. Here, in Quebec, this holiday is not as popular as in the English provinces in Canada or in United States. We still however take it as a "family holiday" even if we don't celebrate like our neighbours from South in United States and from West in Canada. I am pretty sure you can find a way to link this holiday to a unit on family with your students. Good luck!

[NatGagnonULAVAL]

I believe that Thanksgiving is an unpopular holiday in Canada. People do not quite know the meaning and history of the celebration, other than the fact that Americans eat turkey and have a long weekend. Unlike the United States, Canada does not celebrate Thanksgiving on the same date: in the US it is celebrated on the last Thursday of November, while in Canada it is celebrated on the second Monday of October. This difference is due to the cause of the celebration which is different in both neighbouring countries. In Canada, they simply celebrate the end of the harvest year; in the US, they celebrate the New World and the Pilgrims just as the tale was told.