ELT ACTIVITIES - November

Adults
Welcome back to the ELT Newsletter, exclusive resources just for Oxford teachers!

Thanksgiving is a popular holiday celebrated in Canada and the United States in the
autumn. It is becoming very popular around the world, too, so this month we’re bringing you
some insight into the history and celebration of Thanksgiving with some activities to
incorporate into your November lesson plans!

Activity 1

Background:

Although turkey did not become part of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner until after 1800,
it is now the most common food, so much so that around 250 million turkeys are raised each
year for the celebration! In this activity, students will have to match facts and figures. If they
have any doubts, they can use their mathematical knowledge to help them fill the gaps.

You will need:

• one copy of worksheet 1 for each student and one copy for each group

• one copy of worksheet 2 for each group (optional)

Instructions:

1. Distribute Worksheet 1 to your students. Read through the facts with them to make
sure they understand them, then read the numbers with them to make sure they
know how to say them. Remind them about the use of the decimal point (for example,
4.5 four point five) and the comma to separate thousands (5,000 five thousand).

2. Give students time to work on the fact sheet individually. They must fill the gaps using
the numbers from the box at the bottom of the page (each number can only be used
once).

3. Distribute another copy of Worksheet 1 to each group of four students. Ask them to
compare their answers and to agree on an answer if they differ.

4. Discuss the answers at a whole-class level. Where they continue to differ or if you see
they are incorrect, give the groups a copy of Worksheet 2. If they do the maths, they
will find the correct answers for each fact.

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Answer key

1 - 3; 2- 6.8; 3 - 313; 4 - 39; 5 - 15,000,000; 6 - 88; 7 - 69; 8 - 24; 9 - 3; 10 -28

Optional extension activity:

When Squanto, the Wampanoag Indian, first saw the pilgrims, he already knew English. Ask
students to investigate his life and find out: How did he know their language?

Activity 2

Background:

Thanksgiving is a time when we give thanks for the good things in our life. During the
Thanksgiving meal, it is a tradition in many families to tell each other what they are thankful
for. You can do this in your class, too.

Instructions:

1. Ask students to do a web search to find out why people celebrate Thanksgiving.

2. Put students into groups to share what they found out.

3. Ask students why they think the holiday is called ‘Thanksgiving’.

4. If students feel comfortable doing this, ask them to say what they are thankful for.

Activity 3

You will need:

• One copy of Worksheet 4 per group

• Device with access to internet

Instructions:

1. Divide your class in groups and hand out one copy of Worksheet 3 per group.

2. Ask students to look through the suggested websites to find information to answer
the questions on the websites.

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Optional extension activity

You can assign a topic related to Thanksgiving to each group and have students look for
information relating to this topic on the websites provided. Then, students can prepare a
presentation and present it to their classmates.

Activity 4

This activity aims to start a conversation on perspectives regarding history and how the
facts are told.

You will need:

• A copy of Worksheet 4 per pair of students

• Devices with access to internet

Instructions

1. Divide the class in pairs. Then, ask students to read the information on Worksheet 4
and discuss the questions below the text with the whole class for a few minutes. Ask
students to take notes.

2. Give each pair of students 10 minutes to prepare a short roleplay of a meeting

between Native Americans and Pilgrims one year after the first Thanksgiving.

3. Ask students to go on the suggested websites and check the answers to the
questions.

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WORKSHEET 1

Thanksgiving Day Fact Sheet

24 39 88 313,000,000 3

69 6.8 3 15,000,000 28

1 The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted 2 The average weight of a turkey is ___________ kilos.
___________ days.

3 North Americans eat approximately 4 The heaviest turkey weighed ___________ kilos.
___________ kilos of Turkey at Thanksgiving.

5 In California, they raise ___________ for 6 ___________ % of North Americans eat turkey at
Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving.

7 ___________ % of North Americans buy 8___________ % of North Americans buy fresh turkeys.
frozen turkeys.

9 ___________ places in the United States are 10 ___________ places in the United States are named
named Turkey. Plymouth (The Pilgrims travelled from Plymouth in
England).

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WORKSHEET 2

Thanksgiving Day Fact Sheet

24 39 88 313,000,000 3

69 6.8 3 15,000,000 28

1 The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted (45 ÷ 2 The average weight of a turkey is (3.4 X 2 =)
15 =) ___________ days. ___________ kilos.

3 North Americans eat approximately (572 – 4 The heaviest turkey weighed (13 X 3=) ___________
259 =) ___________ kilos of Turkey at kilos.
Thanksgiving.

5 In California, they raise (5,000 X 3,000=) 6 (352 ÷ 4=) ___________ % of North Americans eat
___________ for Thanksgiving. turkey at Thanksgiving.

7 (100 – 31=) ___________ % of North 8 (6 X 4=) ___________ % of North Americans buy fresh
Americans buy frozen turkeys. turkeys.

9 (2,365 – 2,362=) ___________ places in the 10 (140 ÷ 5=) ___________ places in the United States
United States are named Turkey. are named Plymouth (The Pilgrims travelled from
Plymouth in England).

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WORKSHEET 3

THANKSGIVING WEBQUEST

Answer the questions below using information you find on the following websites:

• https://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/daily_life/index.html

• https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/first-thanksgiving-meal

• https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/first-thanksgiving

1. When was the first Thanksgiving?

2. What foods did they eat on the first Thanksgiving?
3. What was the name of the Native American tribe who shared the first Thanksgiving
with the pilgrims?
4. What’s a turducken?
5. When is Thanksgiving celebrated in the United States?
6. Who does the US president give a presidential pardon to every year at Thanksgiving?

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WORKSHEET 4

CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES
Read the text and discuss the questions below the text. Role play a meeting between them
one year after the first Thanksgiving. Then, go on the suggested websites and check your
answers to the questions using information you find.

The story of the first Thanksgiving is usually told from the perspective of the Pilgrims. The
Pilgrims were puritan Christians who left England for the ‘new world’. They wanted to find a
place where they had religious freedom. They landed in Plymouth Harbour in December 1620.
The first winter was hard for the Pilgrims. In the spring they planted food and hunted. In the
autumn of 1621, they had a harvest festival to celebrate. They invited the local Wampanoag
tribe to share their food.
What is the perspective of the Native American tribe who lived in the area? Imagine what they
thought when they saw a ship full of strangers settle in their summer village. The Wampanoag
tribe had seen English ships before. They thought the people were peaceful because there were
women and children in the village. One day in the autumn they heard a lot of gunshots, so the
Wampanoag warriors went to see if there was fighting. It was the Pilgrims hunting. The Pilgrims
invited the Wampanoag to the feast, but there wasn’t enough food, so the Wampanoag brought
five deer to share. The harvest festival lasted for three days.

What do you think the Pilgrims thought about the Wampanoag people? What did the
Wampanoag people think about the Pilgrims? How do you think Native Americans see
Thanksgiving nowadays?
Find out more about Thanksgiving in these websites:
• https://newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/archive/the-wampanoag-side-of-the-first-
thanksgiving-story-TmMLTgQs40aJT_n9T3RMIQ/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HcQ1jqieCE
• http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/first-thanksgiving-meal

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