Interviews

“Thanksgiving Day”

Level

High-intermediate

Pre-Listening Question

Do you have a holiday in your country to remember and celebrate feelings of thankfulness and gratitude? If so, what is it called, and how is this day celebrated?

Vocabulary and Expressions

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the video:

stuff your face (expression): eat a lot
– My brother stuffed his face with five pieces of pumpkin pie.

stuffing (noun): a mixture of chopped vegetables, seasonings, and breadcrumbs that is often prepared and served along with turkey at Thanksgiving
– I really enjoyed the flavor of the stuffing this year. Who made it?

disgusting (adjective): extremely unpleasant
– Someone forgot to put the turkey in the refrigerator, and it sat out for three days. The smell was disgusting.

extended family (noun): a family beyond parents and children, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives
– We invited members of the extended family to join us for dinner.

Listening Comprehension Questions

Now, watch the interview and answer the comprehension questions. You can also turn on the automatically-generated captions for the video once you start it.


Transcript

Randall: In this video, Aubrey, let us talk about Thanksgiving Day, which is observed on the fourth Thursday of November. Can you think about what people do? What is the general purpose of this particular day and so forth?

Aubrey: Yeah, I think it’s important to note, though, before we go any further, that that observance day is for the United States. In Canada, it is observed in October. Okay.

Randall: So let’s talk about Thanksgiving Day. Just generally, what is its purpose and how do people celebrate it? What do they eat? What do they do?

Aubrey: Yeah. So Thanksgiving Day is a day to stuff your face with food and watch football. That’s that’s my understanding of this holiday. And I guess you can also be thankful for things as well and be grateful for good things. But yes, food and football seem to be the thing.

Randall: And when I go back, if we talk about the historical significance, there’s a lot regarding it. And I would encourage people to take a look online. They can find more information, but it’s really goes back hundreds of years is a day to remember the things for which we are thankful. You mentioned about food and when we talk about food, what are some of the, well, I don’t know if you could say traditional foods because I think there are regional varieties, uh, regional foods that people eat. But what would be perhaps some typical ones?

Aubrey: Yeah. So Turkey is obviously the big one. You have a roast turkey,

Randall: Okay.

Aubrey: Um, with stuffing, which may or may not be made actually in the turkey. Mashed potatoes. That’s a pretty normal one. Some places have yams, green bean casserole, which is disgusting. Uh, rolls. And then you’ve got your good old American pumpkin pie.

Randall: Right.

Aubrey: I, I mean, it’s a it’s a really weird concept. You’re going to take this squash thing. And then make it sweet and put it in a pie. Like that seems dumb, but it’s delicious.

Randall: And who usually gets together for Thanksgiving? At least in our family, depending on the year, of course.

Aubrey: So, yeah, like you said, it’s usually a family gathering, you know, a gathering of friends over Thanksgiving time. It’s called a friendsgiving. Yeah. We have like our extended family. Uh, with us it’s usually mom’s family because a lot of your family lives out of state. But yeah, friends, family, hang out. Uh, we never really watched football, but that’s a thing.

Randall: It is a real big thing, not only for people to watch football, but often when you go out I know I’ve gone out running in the afternoon. A lot of people are playing football with their family members at a park or in a big field. Certainly a day to relax and enjoy, and as you said, stuff your face.

Aubrey: Now, to be clear, people outside of the United States, when we say football, we don’t mean that game that’s played with your feet. We mean the game where you run around and tackle people kind of like rugby, except with armor.

Randall: Well, thank you, Aubrey, for sharing your thoughts on Thanksgiving Day.

Conversation Questions

Easy:

  1. When is Thanksgiving Day observed in the United States?
  2. What are some of the typical foods people eat on Thanksgiving Day?

Intermediate:

  1. Besides food and football, what is another important aspect of Thanksgiving Day?
  2. Thanksgiving Day is a time when families and friends get together and share their feelings of gratitude and thankfulness. What are you most grateful for in your life, and how do you show this gratitude toward others?
  3. Use the Internet to research the historical significance of Thanksgiving Day and its origins in the United States. Discuss your findings. Is there a similar day of gratitude in your own culture? If so, how is this day observed?

Advanced:

  1. Analyze the cultural significance of Thanksgiving Day in the United States, including its impact on family gatherings, national identity, and expressions of gratitude.

  2. Compare and contrast the celebration of Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada, exploring the similarities and differences in traditions, dates, and cultural contexts.

Related Language Activities on Randall’s Web Site

The following activities deal with related topics to give you additional language practice.

Try More Free Listening at Dailyesl.com