I prepared this speech to use in my 7th and 8th grade classes in Anqing, China. The kids who listen usually understand. The language is not complex and it conveys all the basic ideas about thanksgiving.
ver 0.3
Vocab Words on Board
# parade
## In China, on National Day thousands of people walk.
# mashed potatoes
## You boil potatoes, then stir them in a bowl to make them soft and fluffy.
Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated in America and Canada. In America it is celebrated every year on the 4th thursday in November. It is called Thanksgiving, because people say thank you or give thanks. You give thanks on thanksgiving for the food you have to eat and your family. In the morning people watch the Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City. Usually at lunch people have a party where they invite all of their friends and family: brothers, sisters, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents.
Some traditional foods for Thanksgiving are turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie for desert. After they eat, many people sleep or sit down and watch American football on TV. The day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday, and many shops have big sales with very cheap prices, so many people go shopping.
Notes about Delivering the Speech
# Ask more difficult questions for higher level classes.
# Don't ask the questions in sequential order. Ask the easy ones first to give lesser ability students a chance to answer.
# Where do they celebrate Thanksgiving?
## America & Canada.
# When is Thanksgiving in America?
## The 4th Thursday in November.
# Why is it called Thanksgiving?
## Because people give thanks.
# Who comes to the Thanksgiving party?
## Friends and family.
# What do people watch on Thanksgiving morning?
## The parade.
# What are three foods people usually eat on Thanksgiving?
## Turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.
# What do many people do after they finish eating on Thanksgiving?
## They sleep or watch American football on TV.
# What is the day after Thanksgiving called?
## Black Friday.
# What do people do on Black Friday?
## Go shopping.
I would like to thank all the 8th grade classes at Anqing Foreign Language School who had this lesson for their participation and feedback. I would also like to thank the Anqing Foreign Language School for allowing me to teach.
"Thanksgiving (United States)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Dec. 2006. Web. 23 Nov. 2009.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thanksgiving_%28United_States%29&oldid=327423191>.
I used this for background information about the festival.
26 Nov 2009
# Added "Anqing, China" to the introduction.
# Fixed a few typos in the speech.
# In the last version a revision of the "Acknowledgments" section had been mistakenly put under "Questions". I moved it to its correct spot.
# Added "Republished" section and links.
25 Nov 2009
# Added ver 0.3 of the speech and questions.
# Changed "Republished" to "Speech Blog Post".
# Added "Page Changelog".
# Changed "Older Versions" to "Speech Changelog".
Please email me at danoff.charles@gmail.com, leave a comment on my blog post about the Thanksgiving Speech, or edit it on one of the two wikis where it has been republished.
As the creator and copyright holder of this speech I, Charles Jeffrey Danoff, release it into the Public Domain.
Mr. Danoff's Teaching Laboratory