Free Birds, Pieces of April & The Ice Storm: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is not a popular holiday in Brazil, so it is always profitable to insert cultural perspectives into the lessons. My students learned a lot about this holiday and had fun doing it.

GAME: Here you will find some information about Thanksgiving. In groups, decide if the statements are True or False. The group who scores most points is the winner.


1. ( ) Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada.


2. ( ) Thanksgiving is celebrated on the same day in both the US and Canada.


3. ( ) Thanksgiving Day is also celebrated in Leiden, the Netherlands.


4. ( ) Thanksgiving in the United States has been celebrated on various different dates throughout history.


5. ( ) In the West African country of Liberia, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the first Thursday of November.


6. ( ) Thanksgiving day originated in America.


7. ( ) It is traditional for families and groups of friends to get together for a large breakfast.


8. ( ) Traditional food often consists of a turkey, stuffing, different types of potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy,
other seasonal vegetables.


9. ( ) Pumpkin pie is a traditional Thanksgiving dish.


10. ( ) Thanksgiving Day parades are held in some cities and towns on or around Thanksgiving Day


11. ( ) Many football games are played and watching them is a popular activity on this holiday.


12. ( ) Many families and groups of friends get together for Thanksgiving, so it is one of the busiest periods for travel.


13. ( ) Some states, such as Maine and West Virginia (among others), have an extra week for the Thanksgiving holiday


14. ( ) Native Americans celebrate Thanksgiving as the most important holiday of the year.


15. ( ) 95 percent of Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving.


16. ( ) Thanksgiving is about asking for blessing for the following year.



Answer key:

1. T
2. F (in the United States, Thanksgiving Day falls on the fourth Thursday of November In Canada it is celebrated on the second Monday in October)
3. T
4. T
5. T
6. T
7. F (a large meal, usually dinner or lunch)
8. T
9. T
10. T
11. T
12. T
13. F (an extra day)
14. F (Not everyone sees Thanksgiving Day as a cause for celebration. The European settlers had a massive destructive effect on the Native American peoples and their culture. They have protest marches against it)
15. T
16. F (Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for the people and blessings of the past year)

II. Watch the segment from the movie Free Birds ad answer the questions:

1. What Thanksgiving symbols did you see in the segment?

2. What is the turkey's point of view about Thanksgiving food?

3. What does the segment say about the Thanksgiving tradition?

4. How do vegetarians celebrate Thanksgiving in your country?



III. Watch the segment from the great movie Pieces of April and discuss the questions:





1. Describe the scene.


2. Who do you think is hosting the dinner party?


3. What is being served?


4. What are some of the characteristics in exercise I did you manage to see in the segment?


5. How would you describe the mood of the guests during dinner?


6. Do you celebrate Thanksgiving? How do you do it? How similar do you think it is to your Christmas dinner?


7. Is it a good idea to celebrate Thanksgiving? Why (not)?



IV. Now watch the scene from the movie The Ice Storm and discuss the questions.




1. Describe the scene.


2. Who do you think is hosting the dinner party?


3. What is being served?


4. What are some of the characteristics in exercise I did you manage to see in the segment?


5. How would you describe the mood of the guests during dinner?


6. How would you compare both scenes?


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - FREE BIRDS

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD -  PIECES OF APRIL

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD -  THE ICE STORM