Thanksgiving - Intermediate Level - Lesson Plan

Oct 1, 2026

Upload by nayy☆

Lesson plan for an intermediate-level English study unit on Thanksgiving. Covers global harvest and thanksgiving celebrations across ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Hebrews/Jewish families, Native Americans, Pilgrims, and later Canada and the United States. Explains key traditions and symbolism such as Demeter, Ceres, Min, moon cakes, Sukkoth, and the traditional Thanksgiving feast. Includes reading-focused comprehension sections with matching items and partner question practice about dates, honors, and reasons.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Thanksgiving Holidays

Lesson Plan

Reading Continued

Comprehension Questions

Practice Asking and Answering Questions

Thanksgiving Holidays Intermediate Level Thanksgiving Lesson Plan Copyright 2012, Red River Press Inc. For use [by members of ESL-library.com](by members of ESL-library.com) in accordance with membership terms. 1 Thanksgiving Holidays THANKSGIVING 1. Harvest festivals and thanksgiving celebrations have been held throughout the world for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks held a three-day festival every autumn to honor Demeter, their goddess of grain. The Romans also held a fall festival honoring their goddess of corn, Ceres. This celebration included music, games, parades and a thanksgiving feast. The ancient Egyptians honored their god of vegetation, Min, with a harvest festival as well. Like the Romans, the Egyptians partied with music, dancing, and sports. 2. The ancient Chinese celebrated a harvest festival called Chung Ch’ui. This holiday fell on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar. Still today, Chinese all over the world remember this special festival by baking round, yellow “moon” cakes to symbolize the beautiful, full moon. The autumn festival of Sukkoth, celebrated by the ancient Hebrew people, is still celebrated today by Jewish families around the world. Sukkoth is named for the huts or sukkahs that people lived in as they wandered through the desert. These small huts were built of branches and could be easily put together and taken apart. Today many Jewish families build symbolic huts and decorate them with fruit and vegetables and eat their evening meal under the stars, remembering their ancestors’harvest celebrations of long ago. 3. Thanksgiving ceremonies were held in North America by the Native American people long before the arrival of European settlers. Like other cultures around the world, the Natives showed thanks for their harvests by singing, dancing, and praying. The American Thanksgiving holiday that we know today began in the early days of the American colonies almost 400 years ago. In 1620, a group of about 100 people left England looking for religious freedom and a better life in America. This group of people, called the Pilgrims, had wanted to separate from the Church of England and start their own church in the New World. When they arrived, their first winter was very difficult, and many of them died from starvation and disease. Copyright 2012, Red River Press Inc. For use [by members of ESL-library.com](by members of ESL-library.com) in accordance with membership terms. 2 Thanksgiving Holidays READING Continued 4. The following year, a group of Native Americans began to teach the settlers many things about survival in their new land. They taught them how to grow corn and other crops in the unfamiliar soil, how to collect sap from the maple trees to make syrup, how to gather wild rice, and how to collect berries. They also taught them how to fish and hunt. In 1621, the Pilgrims had a very successful harvest and they were able to put away food for the long winter ahead. That year, the colonists had alot to be thankful for, so they planned a large feast and celebrated for three days. They invited the Natives to their celebration because they had taught them so much about how to live in America. In the following years, the colonists continued to celebrate their harvest with a feast of thanks. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving to be a national holiday. Although the original Thanksgiving feast occurred sometime in late October, now Americans celebrate the fourth Thursday in November as their official Thanksgiving Day. 5. Canadians share many thanksgiving traditions with their neighbors to the south. In fact, the first known North American celebration of thanksgiving by Europeans took place in Newfoundland, Canada. The English settlers, led by the explorer Martin Frobisher, held a traditional British harvest Copyright 2012, Red River Press Inc. For use [by members of ESL-library.com](by members of ESL-library.com) in acco

FAQs

What ancient civilizations held harvest festivals connected to thanksgiving celebrations?

The lesson explains that ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians held autumn harvest festivals honoring Demeter, Ceres, and Min, respectively.

How does the lesson describe the origins of the American Thanksgiving holiday?

It states that Native American ceremonies existed before European settlers, and that the American holiday began in the early days of the American colonies with the Pilgrims arriving in 1620.

What dates and foods are associated with Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada?

It notes that Americans celebrate the fourth Thursday in November, while Canadians celebrate on the second Monday in October, and traditional meals include turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie.

Oct 1, 2026

Upload by nayy☆