Thanksgiiving day

[JEEPY]

Hi Samuel, I can see your a pretty active blogger and that's awesome! I really like your concern about this holiday. However, I think is might be hard o pull out in some contexts, esp. here in Québec. With all the "accomodements raisonables" people are getting easily offended when teachers "impose that kind of holiday on the students with different cultural backgrounds. Also, we already celebrate it so there is not much we can say that hasn't been said already. Maybe a good way to do an activity with it would be to ask students who celebrates it and who doesn't. Why do they celebrate it, what do they do with their family and stuff... but besides that kind of 1-class activity, I wouldn't overextend myself in that topic and I'd rather show them a good Adam Sandlers' movie ;).

[mgrima]

Thanksgiving Day
Here is an activity you could do for thanksgiving:
Start off explaining that thanksgiving is a day spent with family and it is a holiday where people think about what they are thankful for. Explain things that you can be thankful for ex: your family, your health, your friends, having food on the table everyday. Then ask students to brainstorm what they are thankful for. After they have brainstormed ask students if they think people from other countries would be thankful for the same things. More specifically, students in poorer countries. Have students reflect as to why they are lucky to have so many things to be thankful for. You can also revolve this activity around a donation bank that the students could organize and collect food and supplies to give to charity. Student with whom I have done this activity have really enjoyed it.

[melgaut]

Thanksgiving day is a great opportunity to say how we appreciate people and things around us. It is also a moment where the family should be all together to celebrate. Turkey is also served. In Canada, students are also used to celebrate it in school. There are thematic activities during the week. However, this day doesn't mean lot for Quebeckers. Before travelling around Canada, I didn't even know what Thanksgiving was about. I experienced a kind of 'culture shock' in my own country when I celebrated my firt Thansgiving! I don’t know why we give that little importance to this day. It is such a nice day and a good opportunity to thankful to everybody and everything around us. We shouldn’t neglect it and we should talk about it in our English class as part of cultural background that the students have to acquire.

[cathjean]

Hello !
Here in Canada Thanksgiving is an important day. It is most likely in family that you celebrate this special day.
It would probably easier for me to help you if you asked me direct questions if you have any more.
Because I think Samuel told you the basic of what and when is Thankgiving !
My mother used to have us do some thanks giving activities. Here is a web site she showed me that I think you could use to find some ideas for your students. This website is also very good for special celebration celebrated here in Canada and United states.

http://holidays.kaboose.com/thanksgiving/

Here is another site explaning where does this holiday comes from and what it is supposed to mean for Americans and Canadians.There's also an activity part. This second website may be more useful for your classroom.
http://thanksgiving-party.com/
Have a nice day !!
Catherine

[EmaHan]

I find that celebrating Thanksgiving in a place where this holiday is not really known is a great idea. It helps the students to understand better the English culture as it teaches them various types of holidays. I don't know much about Thanksgiving since I'm not from Canada or the U.S.A. However, all I know is that Thanksgiving day is very popular in the United States and English Canada. People take a day off and celebrate with their family what they have and the tradition they come from. In Quebec, it is quite different because Thanksgiving is not celebrated although no one works or go to school that day. Nevertheless, I know some people in Quebec that still take this opportunity to meet their family and spend some time together even though they do not celebrate Thanksgiving.

[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.

[eigonosekai]

Thanksgiving is all about family. It is widely celebrated in the U.S.. Americans call this holiday ''a practice for Christmas'' because everyone gathers to one place from all over the country to celebrate and eat turkey. There is a lot a great activities you can do with your students depending on their age of course. You can ask them to do a cooking show in teams. You can ask them to write an invitation letter to the members of their families for Thanksgiving. You gan also prepare a listening activity in which they have to listen to a conversation of two people buying plane tickets to go visit their relatives and, fill in a question sheet. Another idea (if your school allows you do to it) is to do a ''Thanksgiving meal activity'' with your class during lunchtime.