Just before Covid my high school started giving us the week of Thanksgiving off. However, for about a decade I taught the three days before Thanksgiving. Three. Long. Days. You too? Do your middle school & high school students zone out those days right before Thanksgiving break? So to save your sanity and keep your Spanish students engaged in Spanish, check out this blog post for a great way to teach in the days before Thanksgiving break. They’ll practice speaking, reading, & writing in the target language! And bonus, all the activities are zero / low prep!
Day 1: Thanksgiving Vocabulary Introduction
Teach your Spanish students the key Thanksgiving vocabulary words they need to know to discuss el Día de Acción de Gracias in Spanish. Start by reviewing the Spanish words and pronunciation together as a class. Then get them practicing with the crossword puzzles and word search activities. Check out my post here for extra ways to use word search activities in class.
This is a simple low stress way to introduce them to new words.
Day 2: Input day!
The more your students hear the words in Spanish, the more they will acquire them, feel confident, and be able to use them. So kick off class with a fun guessing game. In this Thanksgiving activity you’ll describe one of the Thanksgiving tables and students guess which one you’re describing. This is a great opportunity for students to practice listening and speaking skills in the target language. Once they get the hang of it, put them in pairs and get them describing/guessing to practice their speaking skills. Then ask for one student to model and describe one of the tables for the entire class. It’s the perfect way to let your superstar students shine!
Finally give them some reading practice using Spanish Thanksgiving vocabulary. The short readings include descriptions of the tables and draw to demonstrate comprehension. Throw on some soft music in the background for this chill zero prep activity.
full of comprehensible input.
Day 3: Output day!
Now that your students have gotten lots of input with the Thanksgiving vocabulary, it’s their turn to shine with these comprehension activities! They describe their ideal Thanksgiving dinner in Spanish and then make a drawing to demonstrate what they wrote. This is a perfect example of meaningful Spanish class activities where students use the target language to express their creativity. Then hang up the pictures around the room and do a gallery walk. Ask them to track data like: what’s the most common food, what’s the least common food, are any 2 dinners the same, etc. Finally, take one of the nicest drawings, show it to the class, and describe it in Spanish. Make this a game by NOT showing them the picture, they draw what they hear, then reveal the picture for them to compare. This not only enhances their listening skills but also allows for peer interaction, a great opportunity for language practice AND gives them instant feedback!
These zero / low prep activities will keep your Spanish students engaged in the target language in the days leading up to Thanksgiving break! Only teach the Monday & Tuesday before Thanksgiving? Save the Day 3 activities for the Monday after Thanksgiving and thank yourself for having your lesson plans ready to go after Thanksgiving break! What an awesome way to ease back into Spanish classes after the holiday break!! Happy Thanksgiving!
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