Thanksgiving Lesson Plan (+ Simple Past / Used to)

Materials:
1. Blackboard and chalk
2. Handouts with Thanksgiving-related sentences
3. Pictures related to Thanksgiving
4. Small cards with verbs for a game

Warm-up (10 minutes):

Begin the class with a brief presentation of Thanksgiving. Ask students if they celebrate Thanksgiving and if
they have any special traditions or foods during this holiday.
(We can change this and have the kids ask you about what you did back in the States for Thanksgiving)

Activity 1 – Option A
Thanksgiving Timeline (15 minutes):
1. Prepare a timeline of Thanksgiving traditions and events. Include key moments like the first Thanksgiving,
the origins of certain traditions, etc.
2. Have students work in pairs or small groups. Give each group a set of events related to Thanksgiving but
jumbled up.
3. Instruct students to arrange the events in chronological order on their own timeline. Encourage them to
discuss and justify their choices.

We could use the sentences you created for the timeline (they were great), keeping the gaps to fill in with the
given info plus the verbs in brackets for them to write the correct form.

Activity 1 – Option B
Thanksgiving Sentence Construction (15 minutes):
Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Provide each group with a set of handouts containing scrambled
Thanksgiving-related sentences. The sentences should include both past simple and used to structures. Students
need to unscramble the sentences and write them correctly on the whiteboard.

Example Sentences:
1. We always used to have a big family dinner on Thanksgiving.
2. Last year, my family traveled to visit relatives during Thanksgiving.
3. When I was a child, we used to play football after Thanksgiving dinner.
4. I cooked my first Thanksgiving turkey last week.

After they unscramble the sentences, discuss the correct order as a class, focusing on the use of past simple
and used to.

Activity 2 - Thanksgiving Verb Game (15 minutes):

Introduce relevant vocabulary such as turkey, pumpkin pie, family gathering, etc. Prepare small cards with
different verbs related to Thanksgiving. For example: cook, eat, visit, play, travel, celebrate, etc. Distribute the
cards to students. Have a set of corresponding pictures related to Thanksgiving displayed on the board. Students
must match the verb on their card with the correct picture and create a sentence using past simple or used to.
Encourage students to be creative and use the vocabulary from the warm-up discussion.
For example: "Last Thanksgiving, my family and I cooked a delicious turkey."
Activity 3 – Option A
Thanksgiving Storytelling (10 minutes):
In pairs or small groups, have students create a short Thanksgiving story using past simple and used to. They
can use the vocabulary from the previous activities and include details about their own traditions or fictional
elements. Each group can then share their story with the class.

Activity 3 – Option B
Sentence Completion Worksheet (10 minutes):**
1. Distribute a worksheet with sentences related to Thanksgiving, leaving gaps for past simple or used to.
For example, "Every Thanksgiving, my family _______ (eat) turkey," or "When I was a child, we _______
(used to) play games after dinner."
2. Have students work individually to complete the sentences with the correct verb forms.
3. Review the answers as a class, discussing any common mistakes or questions.

Cool Down (5 minutes):

Wrap up the lesson by reviewing key points about past simple and used to. Ask students to share one
interesting thing they learned about Thanksgiving from their peers' stories.