Thanksgiving and Black Friday lessons for adult ESL students (A1–B1)

In 2026, Thanksgiving is on Thursday, November 26, and Black Friday is the next day. Here is what to teach adult students about both, with words, questions by level and a 60-minute lesson.

November 6, 2026 · 8 min read

Most adult students outside the US know Black Friday from online stores, but few know much about Thanksgiving. Late November is a good time to teach both: the facts are simple, the words are useful all year, and every student has a holiday or a sale day of their own to compare.

Thanksgiving: the facts to teach

  • When: the fourth Thursday in November. In 2026, that's Thursday, November 26. Canada has its own Thanksgiving, on the second Monday in October.
  • What it is: a national holiday in the US. Schools, banks and most offices are closed, and many people take Friday off too, so it's a long weekend. It's one of the busiest times of the year for travel, because people go home to see their families.
  • The meal: the center of the day. Many families have roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. But menus change from family to family. Some families add dishes from their own background, and some don't eat turkey at all.
  • Other traditions: In New York City, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, with its giant balloons, is on TV in the morning. Many people watch American football in the afternoon. Some families go around the table and each person says what they're thankful for. Every year, the president "pardons" a turkey at the White House, so it isn't eaten.
  • The history: In the fall of 1621, English settlers at Plymouth, in what is now Massachusetts, held a harvest feast. About 90 Wampanoag men and their leader, Massasoit, joined them, and the celebration lasted three days. The records mention deer and wild birds; nobody knows for sure if there was turkey. Abraham Lincoln declared a national day of thanksgiving in 1863, and a 1941 law fixed the date as the fourth Thursday in November.
  • Another view: For many Native Americans, the day is a reminder of the land and lives their people lost after the settlers came. Since 1970, some have gathered in Plymouth on Thanksgiving for a National Day of Mourning.

With A1 students, the date, the meal and family are enough. Save the history for A2 and up.

Black Friday: the facts to teach

  • When: the day after Thanksgiving. In 2026, that's Friday, November 27.
  • What it is: a day of big sales. It isn't an official holiday, but many people have the day off. It has long been the start of the holiday shopping season before Christmas.
  • The name: Police in Philadelphia were using it by the early 1960s for the crowds and traffic that filled the city that day. The story that it's the day stores go "into the black" (start making a profit for the year) came later.
  • Today: Many sales start earlier in the week and run online. Some stores open early with "doorbusters," a few very cheap items for the first shoppers.
  • The days after: Small Business Saturday (November 28 in 2026), Cyber Monday for online deals (November 30), and Giving Tuesday, a day for giving to charity (December 1). Buy Nothing Day, a protest against shopping too much, falls on Black Friday in North America.
  • Around the world: Many countries now have Black Friday sales. In China, the big sale day is Singles' Day, on November 11.

Useful words

Thanksgiving, A1–A2: holiday, family, dinner, turkey, pie, potatoes, parade, football, thankful, day off, travel, cook

Thanksgiving, A2–B1: harvest, feast, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, leftovers, side dish, host, guest, carve the turkey, get together, be grateful for, Friendsgiving (a Thanksgiving meal with friends)

Black Friday, A1–A2: sale, price, cheap, expensive, store, online, buy, line, crowded, $20 off

Black Friday, A2–B1: deal, discount, bargain, doorbuster, sold out, checkout, receipt, return, refund, impulse buy, budget, worth it

Phrases to teach as whole chunks:

  • What are you doing for Thanksgiving? We're going to my aunt's.
  • Happy Thanksgiving.
  • I'm thankful for my family.
  • It's 30% off. Is it worth it?
  • I got it on sale. It was a good deal.

The holiday is a good chance to practice th: Thanksgiving, thankful, Thursday, three, thirty. Point out the stress, too: thanks-GIV-ing.

Discussion questions by level

A1

  • What is a big holiday in your country?
  • Who do you eat with on that day?
  • What food do you eat? Do you like turkey?
  • Do you like shopping? Do you shop in stores or online?
  • How much is a good winter coat in your country?

A2

  • What did you do on your last big holiday? Who did you see?
  • What's your favorite holiday meal? Who cooks it?
  • What are three things you're thankful for this year?
  • Have you ever waited in line for a sale?
  • Have you ever bought something on sale that you didn't need?

B1

  • Is there a harvest festival or a family holiday in your country like Thanksgiving? How is it different?
  • Should stores be open on Thanksgiving Day, or should workers have the day off?
  • Do big sales help people save money, or do they make people buy things they don't need?
  • How have holidays in your family changed since you were a child?
  • If you had $500 to spend on Black Friday, what would you buy? Or would you stay home?

A 60-minute lesson (A2)

Aim: The student can describe a holiday in their country, compare it with Thanksgiving, and talk about prices and deals.

1. Warm-up (5 minutes). Show a photo of a Thanksgiving table. Ask "What can you see? What holiday is it?" Then: "What's a big family holiday in your country?"

2. Words (10 minutes). The student matches ten food and holiday words to pictures. Drill the th words.

3. Reading (10 minutes). Show this short text and ask the questions below it.

Thanksgiving is a holiday in the United States. It is on the fourth Thursday in November. Most people don't work that day. Families and friends get together and eat a big meal in the afternoon or evening. Many people eat turkey, potatoes and pumpkin pie. Some families watch a parade on TV in the morning and football in the afternoon. A lot of people travel to see their families, so airports and roads are very busy. The next day is Black Friday. Stores have big sales, and some people go shopping very early in the morning.

  1. When is Thanksgiving? (On the fourth Thursday in November.)
  2. Do most people work on Thanksgiving? (No.)
  3. What do many people eat? (Turkey, potatoes and pumpkin pie.)
  4. Why are airports busy? (Because a lot of people travel to see their families.)
  5. What happens on Black Friday? (Stores have big sales.)

4. Compare (10 minutes). The student describes a holiday in their country: when it is, who they see, what they eat, what they do after the meal. Draw two overlapping circles on the whiteboard, one for Thanksgiving and one for their holiday, and fill them in together.

5. Black Friday role-play (15 minutes). Show six deals. The student has $150 to buy gifts for three people and asks you, the clerk, about each one: "How much is the coat? Is it on sale?" Then swap roles.

  • Headphones: $79 (were $129)
  • Winter coat: $60 (was $100)
  • Four coffee mugs: $12 (were $20)
  • Coffee maker: $35 (was $50)
  • Running shoes: $45 (were $90)
  • Board game: $18 (was $24)

The student also says how much each one saves, which practices numbers.

6. Feedback and homework (10 minutes). Write two of the student's sentences with mistakes and fix them together. For homework, ask for a one-minute voice message about a holiday in their country.

For A1, keep the reading to the first five sentences and use the deals with How much is it? only. For B1, add the history and the Native American view, and end with a short debate: "Black Friday does more harm than good."

When your student doesn't celebrate

Most adult students online don't celebrate Thanksgiving, and they don't need to. The lesson is about language and culture, not joining in.

  • Teach it as culture. Say "Many Americans do this," not "We all do this."
  • Give half the lesson to their holidays. Many cultures have a harvest or family festival, such as Chuseok in Korea, the Mid-Autumn Festival in China and Vietnam, Pongal in South India, and the Jewish festival of Sukkot. Students usually have more to say about their own.
  • Make "thankful" questions optional. Someone going through a hard time may not want to list what they're grateful for. Offer "something good this year" instead, or skip it.
  • Don't ask students to judge the history. From B1, discuss it if the student wants to.
  • Use Black Friday on its own if the student has no interest in the holiday. Shopping and prices work for everyone.
  • For business students, the week matters at work: US offices close on Thursday, many close on Friday, and replies slow down. A useful sentence for emails: "Our US team is out on Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving."

Ready-made lessons in the library

These lessons from the SnappySchool library are ready to teach, and each downloads as a PDF:

Questions

When is Thanksgiving in 2026?

Thursday, November 26. It's always the fourth Thursday in November. Black Friday is the next day, November 27, and Cyber Monday is November 30.

Is Black Friday a holiday?

No. It isn't an official holiday, but many people have the day off because it comes right after Thanksgiving.

Is Thanksgiving a religious holiday?

No. It's a national holiday, and people of all religions, and none, celebrate it. Some families say a prayer before the meal, and many don't.

What if my student doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving?

Teach it as a culture lesson and compare it with a holiday the student does celebrate. Or teach Black Friday on its own, since shopping and prices work for any student.

Build a lesson on any topic in about a minute, then teach it live.

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