🍁 Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Cyber Monday
In this lesson, we are going to learn about three important American dates that happen every year at the end of November: Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You will watch two videos, read short explanations and practise listening, vocabulary and reading comprehension.
🦃 1- THANKSGIVING
Watch this video that explains the history of Thanksgiving. It tells the traditional story and also what this day means today.
📺🦃UBI 2 VIDEO
📘 Mini Dictionary — Thanksgiving
- feast – big special meal (banquete).
- to give thanks – expresar gratitud.
- Pilgrims – first English settlers.
- Wampanoag – Indigenous people who lived there first.
- harvest – time to collect crops (cosecha).
- settlers – colonos.
- national holiday – fiesta oficial del país.
🧠 Comprehension Questions — Thanksgiving
- 1️⃣ Who helped the Pilgrims survive their first winter?
- 2️⃣ What did the Wampanoag people teach the settlers?
- 3️⃣ Why did both groups celebrate a feast together?
- 4️⃣ Who declared Thanksgiving a national holiday?
- 5️⃣ What does Thanksgiving mean for many Americans today?
✔️ Answer key
1 The Wampanoag people.
2 They taught them to fish and farm.
3 To celebrate a good harvest.
4 President Abraham Lincoln.
5 It is a day to be thankful and spend time with family.
📺🦃UBI 3 VIDEO
Now you are going to watch a detailed video about Thanksgiving. It explains the history of the holiday, the role of the Wampanoag people and how different communities in the US celebrate or remember this day today.
Watch the video for the general idea and then answer the questions.
📘 Mini Dictionary (from the video)
- encounter – to meet or find someone unexpectedly.
- settlers – people who go to live in a new land (colonos).
- the Mayflower – the ship the Pilgrims used to travel to North America.
- hardship – very big difficulties or suffering.
- diseases – illnesses.
- tribal nation – an Indigenous nation or people (nación indígena).
- defense – protection against an enemy.
- harsh winter – very cold and difficult winter.
- harvest – time when people collect the crops (cosecha).
- warriors – fighters or soldiers (guerreros).
- massacre – the killing of many people at the same time.
- gratitude – the feeling of being thankful.
- generosity – being kind and giving to others.
- religious / secular – connected to religion / not connected to religion.
- community – a group of people who live together or share something in common.
- food drive – a campaign to collect food for people in need.
- parade – a public celebration with people marching, music, etc. (desfile).
- pow wow – a Native American gathering with music, dance and celebrations.
🧠 Comprehension Questions
Answer in simple English sentences. You can watch the video more than once.
- Who were the Wampanoag, and what happened when they first met the Pilgrims?
- Why did the Wampanoag decide to help the settlers in 1621?
- What happened after the harvest in 1621?
- What are some modern Thanksgiving traditions mentioned in the video?
- What foods are commonly eaten on Thanksgiving?
✅ Answer Key
1. The Wampanoag were an Indigenous nation.
2. Because another tribal nation was threatening them.
3. They gave thanks together on that day.
4. People share a big meal, organise food drives, and watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or football games.
5. Turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and sweet potato pie.
🎧 Listening
Now you’re going to listen to a very short video about Thanksgiving. After watching it, answer the quiz questions below. You can listen as many times as you need — take your time and try to catch as many details as possible.
📝 Listening Quiz
- What day is Thanksgiving celebrated?
- What job does she need to do?
- What does she watch while she does her job?
- What do they make with the potatoes?
- What is her favourite dish?
- What is one food they do NOT have on Thanksgiving?
- What do they do before they eat?
- What happens to her uncles while they watch football?
✅ Answer Key
1. It is the fourth Thursday of November.
(Correct answer: A)
2. She needs to peel the potatoes.
(Correct answer: D)
3. She watches the Thanksgiving parade.
(Correct answer: A)
4. They make mashed potatoes.
(Correct answer: B)
5. Her favourite dish is pumpkin pie.
(Correct answer: D)
6. One food they do NOT have is chicken.
(Correct answer: B)
7. Before they eat, they say what they are thankful for.
(Correct answer: C)
8. Her uncles fall asleep while watching football.
(Correct answer: B)
🛍️ 2- BLACK FRIDAY
Now watch this video that explains the real origin of Black Friday. It talks about why the day is so important and how it became the biggest shopping day in the USA.
- bargain – good price (chollo).
- deal – oferta.
- rush out – salir corriendo a comprar.
- retail chain – cadena de tiendas.
- profit – beneficio económico.
- “in the black” – with profit.
- “in the red” – with debt.
🧠 Comprehension Questions — Black Friday
- 1️⃣ Which parade helped start the Christmas shopping season?
- 2️⃣ What does “in the black” mean?
- 3️⃣ Where did the expression “Black Friday” really start?
- 4️⃣ How many shoppers take part every year?
- 5️⃣ Why did police call it “Black Friday”?
✔️ Answer key
1 The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
2 It means a business is making profit.
3 In Philadelphia in the 1960s.
4 Around 225 million shoppers.
5 Because of the terrible traffic and crowded streets.
💻 3- CYBER MONDAY
Cyber Monday is the Monday after Black Friday. While Black Friday focuses on physical shops, Cyber Monday is famous for online discounts: electronics, clothes, phones, travel, computers… It started in 2005 and is now one of the biggest online shopping days in the world.
📝 WORKSHEET · What is Thanksgiving?
To continue practising Thanksgiving vocabulary and reading, here you have two pages from the worksheet “What is Thanksgiving?”.
Read this short text and answer the questions on the page. We will check the answers together. This page includes vocabulary and follow-up exercises about food, traditions and the meaning of Thanksgiving. Try to complete as much as you can — no pressure, just practice!
📝 GAME· What is Thanksgiving?
