Thanksgiving Day (День Благодарения)

Цель занятия:

1. Развитие навыков чтения текста с общим пониманием, умений поискового чтения.

Воспитательные задачи:

1. Расширение культурно-страноведческой компетенции учащихся.

2. Воспитание готовности сотрудничать при выполнении конкретных задач.

Развивающие задачи:

1. Развитие умений сопоставлять и анализировать.

2. Развитие внимания к деталям.

Познавательные задачи:

1. Воспитание интереса и уважения к истории и традициям страны изучаемого языка и своей страны.

2. Воспитание толерантности, усидчивости.

Оснащение урока: репродукции и фотографии с изображением праздничного обеда в честь Дня Благодарения.

Ход урока:

Warming-up.

Pupils repeat the poem after their teacher:

Thanksgiving Grace:

Yes ma'm, no ma'm,
Thank you ma'm, please.
Open up the turkey's butt
And fork out the peas.  

Pre-reading.

Work with a partner.

Which of the following holidays are celebrated both in the USA and Russia and which are celebrated only in the USA or only in Russia?

Christmas
Thanks giving
Easter
New Year
Fool’s Day
Knowledge Day
Victory Day

Work with a group.

Look at the pictures of “Thanksgiving Then” “рис.1” and “Thanksgiving Now” “рис.2”. Talk about what is happening in the pictures. Write down new words that you need.

Answer the questions after looking at the pictures.

Is Thanksgiving a new holiday?
Is it a family day?
What do people eat on that day?
What season is Thanksgiving in?

The title of the text is “Thanksgiving”. What do you think it is about?

Old and new ways of celebrating Thanksgiving.
The history of the holiday.
Reasons why Americans celebrate Thanksgiving.

Reading.

Read the text ”Thanksgiving”.

Read each question. Then look at the text to find the answers:

When did the Pilgrims leave England?
When do modern Americans celebrate Thanksgiving?
Who do Americans remember on this day?
What was the name of their ship?
What did they name the place where they landed?
What vegetables did they plant?
When was the first Thanksgiving?
What did they eat for dessert?
Work with a partner.

The title of the text is ” Thanksgiving ”. Read the titles below. Find four more which are also good, give reasons for your choice.

Pilgrims, Pumpkins and Parade.
The First Thanksgiving.
The Thanksgiving Table.
An Old American Holiday.
Thanksgiving: Why and How We Celebrate?
The Story of the Pilgrims.
Indians and Pilgrims.
A Trip to America.
The Fourth Thursday in November.
Work with a partner.

True or false? Decide if the statements are true or false. Write the sentence from the story to support your answer.

The Pilgrims voyage was short and easy.
The pilgrims didn’t eat beans, corn, and pumpkins in England.
The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in November.
The Pilgrims didn’t eat beans, corn and pumpkins at the party.
The Pilgrim women cooked enough food for the party.
Thanksgiving today is the family celebration.

Read each sentence and choose the right word.

Thanksgiving is (always, usually) the last Thursday in November.
The king of England (liked, didn’t like) the Pilgrims way of religion.
The Pilgrims (enjoyed, didn’t enjoy) their voyage to America.
Massachusetts was (warmer, colder) than the pilgrims had expected.
The Indians near Plymouth (were, weren’t) afraid of the Pilgrims.
Modern Americans eat (a lot, very little) on Thanksgiving.
Work with a partner.

Write your partner’s answers to the questions.

Holidays.

What country are you from?
What is your favorite national holiday?
When is it?
What is the reason for this holiday?
Who are you usually with on this day.
What do you usually do?
Is there traditional food for this day? What are they?
How did you spend this day last year?

Tell the class something interesting that you learned from your friend’s story.

Homework.

Write about your favorite holiday.

Приложение 1.

Thanksgiving

Almost in every culture in the world there is a celebration of thanks for rich harvest. The American Thanksgiving began as a feast of thanksgiving almost four hundred years ago.

In 1620, a religious community called Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in the New World. They settled in what is now known as the state of Massachusettes. Their first winter in America was difficult. They arrived too late to grow a rich harvest. Moreover, half the colony died from disease. The following spring the Iroquois Indians taught them how to grow corn. Indians showed them also how to grow other crops and how to hunt and fish.

In the autumn of 1621 they got a beautiful harvest of corn, barley, beans and pumpkins. The colonists had much to be thankful for, so they planned a feast. Local Indian chief and ninety Indians were present. The colonists learned from Indians how to cook cranberries and dishes of corn and pumpkins.

In following years many of the colonists celebrated the harvest with a feast of thanks. After the United States gained independence, Congress recommended one yearly day of thanksgiving for the whole country. Later George Washington suggested the date November 26 as Thanksgiving Day. Than, after the civil war, Abraham Lincoln suggested the last Thursday in November to be the day of thanksgiving.

On Thanksgiving Day, family members gather at the house of an older relative, even if they far away. All give thanks for everything good they have. Charitable organizations offer traditional meal to homeless.

Foods, eaten at the first thanksgiving, have become traditional. The traditional thanksgiving meal consists of roast turkey stuffed with herb-flavored bread, cranberry jelly, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie. Other dishes may vary as to region: ham, sweet potatoes, creamed corn.