Every November, Thanksgiving becomes one of the most meaningful and versatile themes to bring into English class. With its history, traditions, symbols, and message of gratitude, it’s perfect for lessons across all proficiency levels.
1. The Origins of Thanksgiving
The origins of Thanksgiving can be traced back to 1621. When the Pilgrims first arrived in North America, they faced harsh weather, food shortages, and difficult living conditions. Fortunately, the Wampanoag people helped them learn farming and survival skills.
To show gratitude for this support, both groups held a three-day feast, which later became known as the “first Thanksgiving.”
While modern perspectives continue to reexamine its historical and cultural context, the holiday’s core spirit remains: gratitude, sharing, and togetherness.
2. Common Symbols of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving has many iconic and visually rich symbols—perfect for picture-based teaching and speaking tasks:
🍗 Turkey
🥧 Pumpkin Pie
🌽 Harvest foods such as corn, pumpkins, cranberries
🍁 Autumn colors and fall leaves
👨👩👧👦 Family gatherings
🎈 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
All of these symbols can be easily extended into picture descriptions, reading practice, and small speaking tasks.
3. Thanksgiving Traditions & Modern Celebrations
Today, Thanksgiving is one of the most important family holidays in the U.S. People typically:
- Gather with family and share a large meal
- Say something they are thankful for before eating
- Watch the Macy’s Parade or NFL games
- Prepare traditional dishes like turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie
- Join community service or donate food
For many, Thanksgiving is not just about food—it’s a moment of reflection, gratitude, and reconnecting with others.
4. Classroom Activities for Thanksgiving
Below are practical, ready-to-use ideas for different proficiency levels.
⭐ A1 – A2: Picture Description
- Learning Goals: Build vocabulary, practice reading, and use simple sentences to describe images.
- Useful Sentence Patterns: This is… / I see… / They are…
- Examples:
- I see a turkey.
- This is a family.
- On Thanksgiving, families eat together. People eat turkey and pumpkin pie.
- This is a family having Thanksgiving dinner. They are sitting at the table.
⭐ B1 – B2: Holiday Comparison
- Learning Goals: Read short texts, answer picture-based questions, and share personal opinions.
- Useful Sentence Patterns: People celebrate by… / One reason is… / In my family…
- Discussion Examples:
- Which Taiwanese holiday is most similar to Thanksgiving?
- Does your family have any similar traditions?
⭐ C1 – C2: Critical Discussion
- Learning Goals: Analyze cultural topics, discuss complex ideas, and speak fluently using advanced structures.
- Useful Sentence Patterns: From a historical perspective… / This raises the question… / In my view…
- Discussion Examples:
- Should Indigenous perspectives be included when teaching Thanksgiving?
- Does Black Friday conflict with the spirit of gratitude?
- Should family traditions change as society evolves?
Sensay Thanksgiving Practice Pack
To help teachers introduce Thanksgiving into the classroom with ease, we created three leveled Thanksgiving Practice Packs:
🔹 A1–A2: Simple readings and picture descriptions for building basic vocabulary and speaking skills.
🔸 B1–B2: Intermediate readings and picture Q&A tasks to strengthen comprehension and fluency.
🔺 C1–C2: Advanced readings and critical discussion prompts to develop high-level speaking and analytical thinking.
Thanksgiving isn’t just an American holiday—it’s a valuable chance for students to learn language, understand culture, and express gratitude.
With leveled activities, students can progress from reading and picture description all the way to cultural discussion and critical thinking.
Paired with Sensay’s practice tools, every learner can record, reflect, and improve at their own pace.We hope this Thanksgiving teaching resource helps you create lessons that are both insightful and heartwarming.