| 1. Give them a Thanksgiving quiz- not for marks, but | | | | mime making the stuffing, or maybe even make it for |
| just to see how much they know about the holiday. | | | | real if you have access to a kitchen. |
| You can find Thanksgiving quizzes online - you may | | | | 5. Do a Thanksgiving craft - if the students won't feel |
| have to simplify them, or write your own. If you don't | | | | infantilized by it. (I could get away with this when my |
| think your students know enough about Thanksgiving | | | | students were all parents of small children - we were |
| to take a quiz without getting discouraged, start the | | | | doing it so they could teach their kids how.) Make it |
| class by brainstorming what they do know about it. | | | | something simple, like a cookie turkey, and, again, use |
| Either way, you'll know where to focus. | | | | the directions as a reading or listening exercise. |
| 2. Ask them about fall festivals in their cultures. You | | | | 6. Take time to teach them what they want to know. |
| and they may both be surprised how much their | | | | The students may know things about Thanksgiving |
| festivals have in common with Thanksgiving. Start by | | | | that you wouldn't expect - American culture is |
| asking about fall holidays, not harvest festivals | | | | far-reaching in our world. On the other hand, they may |
| specifically - modern urbanites may not be aware of | | | | have lived in their new country for years without |
| the agricultural origins of some holidays. How often do | | | | picking up what you'd consider the basics of |
| we remember that our kids get a long summer break | | | | Thanksgiving. Set aside some time just to answer their |
| so they can help us with the farming? | | | | questions, and be ready for anything. |
| 3. Show them what Thanksgiving looks like. Bring in | | | | 7. Tell them what to expect, and what's expected of |
| supermarket flyers, seasonal paper plates and napkins, | | | | them. Let them know, if they don't already, that |
| table decorations - anything that helps create a visual | | | | Thanksgiving Day is a stat holiday. It may be hard to |
| atmosphere. | | | | find an open store on the big day - and if they have to |
| 4. Give them hands-on experience. Bring in a package | | | | work then, they have a right to extra pay. Homestay |
| of instant stuffing and base a reading or listening | | | | students need to know that their host families expect |
| exercise on following the directions (see Zero Prep, by | | | | them for dinner, and are honoring them by including |
| Laurel Pollard and Natalie Hess, for a good one called | | | | them. |
| the acting-out dictacomp). You can have students | | | | |