«Thanksgiving Day»
Out-of-classroom activity
Drama
Thanksgiving Day
Class: 8, 9
Time: 50 min.
Objectives:
- to promote pupils’ cultural understanding of national American holidays;
- to develop communicative, cooperative, creative, and acting skills of pupils;
- to promote pupils’ motivation towards English language learning;
- to develop pupils’ awareness of themselves as learners;
- to train such pupils’ abilities as imagination, concentration, and observation;
- to improve pupils’ pronunciation, listening and speaking skills;
- to engage a Peace Corps Volunteer as a native speaker and a source of American culture to participate in drama.
Part I
The setting: The USA
Main heroes:
Two Ukrainian girls (exchange students in the USA)
Two American girls
Granny
The Indian
Turkey day.
Uk1: Hi, girls! What is this turkey for & where are you going?
Am1: Don't you know what holiday it's today?
Am2: It’s Thanksgiving!
Uk1: Thanksgiving? I haven’t heard anything about Thanksgiving in Ukraine.
Am1: But it is a very important holiday for all Americans. It is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November to recall the goodness of God in blessing the Pilgrims with their good harvest. Besides, today people thank God for good things that they have.
Am2: Yes, today is Thanksgiving & we thank God for everything he has done for us. It is a family holiday. Families come together from near & far. Religious services are held in the morning.
Am1: Then comes the traditional feast. Turkey with stuffing is the main dish. It is served with sweet potatoes, squash, cranberry sauce, & pumpkin pie. Today family members go to the house of their older relatives to visit them. So, if you want to know more about this tradition let’s go to visit our Granny, she’ll tell us a story about the origin of this holiday.
Uk2: It sounds great. Besides, when in Ukraine we’ll be able to tell about this interesting American tradition to our Ukrainian classmates & friends.
Am1: When people come to their grandparents’ houses on Thanksgiving Day, they traditionally sing a song “Over the River & through the woods”. Let’s sing it together!
Over the river & through the woods to grandma’s house we go;
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh
Through the white & drifted snow.
Over the river & through the wood
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes & bites the nose,
As over the ground we go.
Over the river & through the woods to have a first-rate play.
Hear the bells ring, ting-a ting-ting!
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!
Over the river & through the wood, trot fast, my dapple gray!
Spring over the ground like a hunting hound,
For this is Thanksgiving Day!
Over the river & through the wood now Grandma’s cap I spy!
Hurrah for fun! Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!
( At the Granny’s place.)
Am1: Hello, Granny! Happy Thanksgiving Day!
Gr: Oh, my dears! Happy Turkey Day!
Am2: We brought you a turkey.
Gr: Oh, and I’ve certainly cooked your favorite pumpkin pie.
Am2: Wow, it smells nice. I enjoy Granny’s pies. They are so delicious.
Am1: Granny, meet our friends from Ukraine. They are exchange students & they don’t know much about Thanksgiving. Will you tell us your fascinating story about the beginning of this American custom?
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Gr: Sure, I will. I am ready to begin. Where is Ann? Come here, my child & sit on this stool at my feet & listen to your old grandmother’s story about Thanksgiving in Pilgrims days. It was a long time ago, my children, that first Thanksgiving was held. I want a sweet memory of it to go down in our family through you to your grandchildren. I’ll tell you about our voyage from our native town Plymouth in England to this beautiful but severe country. Your grandfather & I were little children like you at that time. ( The cassette with the recording of sea waves’ sound is switched. Pilgrims are boarding.) |
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We had a very long voyage, people suffered & died from illness, lack of water & food. We had sailed to land in Virginia, where there were many English settlers before us. But the storm brought us here to a rocky, cold, empty land where there was no one to welcome us.
Am1: Granny, tell us, please about your first year in America. What was it like?
Gr: The first winter was terrible, for nearly half of the people had died of starvation & illnesses. But we survived. We had built our settlements & found our new home.
Am2: And what about the Native Americans? As far as I know they were the Indians. Were you afraid of them?
Gr: When spring came, it brought warmer weather & hope. We survived due to the help of friendly Indians. One day a young Indian came to our settlement. I can clearly remember it as if it happened some days ago.
(A student in the costume of an Indian comes onto the stage with corn-cobs in his hands).
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The Indian: My name is Squanto. I’m your friend. Take this corn. You’ll have to enrich the soil & the harvest will be better. We’ll teach you how to tap maple trees for sap. We’ll show which one has medical power. We’ll teach you how to plant, to fish, to hunt & how to survive in America.
Am2: Did you have a good harvest?
Gr: Yes, about ninety Indians came, they brought five deer, as a gift for the feast. It was a great festivity. Truly, the food melted away that day. Later on our guests came & we wrestled, ran races, sang, danced, and played games.
The Indian: Nowadays we, Indians, celebrate Thanksgiving along with the rest of America, maybe in different ways & for the different reasons. Despite everything that’s happened to us since we helped the Pilgrims, we still have our language, our culture, our distinct social system. Even in nuclear age we still have tribal people.
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Part II
(devoted to a Peace Corps volunteer Jess Horner who is involved in drama too)
We know that Thanksgiving is a day of family reunions & big dinners. There are some people, however, who are separated from their families by many miles. This story is dedicated to these people. It is a simple play about the lonely ones, & how they find a way to make Thanksgiving their holiday, too.
The cast
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Joe-A night’s watchman |
Young Man-Student |
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Bill-a policeman |
Agnes-a waitress |
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Debbie-a nurse |
Rose-Joe’s wife |
The set: the street, outside a building under construction.
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Joe: I won’t let him go! Ask him why He’s been hanging around the building all night! Young man: Here is my I.D. card, Officer. I am at collage. First year. Bill: Don’t they have Thanksgiving dinner at the school? Young man: Big. They spread it out. I just didn’t feel like it. Sorry, I caused all this trouble. Joe: No trouble. Maybe I’m like a little too jumpy. Young man: It’s that kind of night, I guess. Bill: A little lonely? Young man: (grins) I guess so. Thanksgiving is a big back home with the whole family fighting for the drumsticks. It’s my first year away from home.
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Debbie: You’ll get used to it.
Young man: I suppose so.
Debbie: But you don’t need to be alone, you know. You could find someone to have dinner with. I’d ask you myself, except…
Young man: Oh no, thank you.
Bill: What’s the matter with you? Debbie doesn’t invite everybody to home-cooked meal.
Debbie: No, no, boys. (To young man) Go find yourself a nice girl & have yourself a nice Thanksgiving dinner. This overworked nurse is going home.
Agnes: (entering with a package) What’s this, a strange meeting?
Debbie: Agnes! You haven’t closed up a restaurant, have you?
Agnes: Closed! Shut! Boy, did I serve turkey today! You wouldn’t believe it! Where’s Rose, Joe? I brought you something for Thanksgiving. Don’t ask me what it is! Turkey! I could have drought more, if I knew I was going to meet a crowd. Who is this young fellow?
Debbie: He’s up at the college.
Young man: And I think I had better be getting back there.
Agnes: One of the homesick ones! Give him some of that drumstick, Joe. He looks hungry, too.
Joe: Sure. Sure.
Young man: No, thank you.
Joe: (shoving the package into the Young Man’s hands). Here. Hold it. There’ll be more, when my Rose comes.
Agnes: Not enough for all of us. One, two, three, four, five and Rose- that’s six. I’ve got an idea. (To Young man, as she takes the package from his hand and gives it to Debbie). Come with me, young man. (To all, as they exist). We’ll be right back!
Rose: (entering with a large lunch-pail). Oh! What a big company. How nice to see you.
Joe: (pointing to the pail) And that’s all you bring for the company? This is Thanksgiving.
Rose: I brought a little extra. I thought maybe Bill would be around.
Joe: How about Debbie?
Rose: So we’ll eat a little less.
Joe: And Agnes, and that young college man?
Rose: Which college man? Where’s Agnes? I don’t see Agnes.
Agnes: (entering with Young man, carrying a huge pot of food, a tablecloth and silverware). Here’s Agnes! How are you, Rose? Go find a big board, Joe. (To Young man, as they set down the pot of food). Go help him bring out a couple of boxes! We need something to sit down on, don’t we?
Bill: (As all men exit) I’ll give them a hand.
Rose: What are you doing Agnes?
Agnes: This is Thanksgiving, isn’t it? (As Joe returns with a large board) Here! Give me a hand with this table.
Rose: (As men bring out boxes for seats, and the table is spread). It’s nice! It’s nice to have Thanksgiving dinner with a lot of people.
Debbie: Even if it isn’t your own family.
Rose: So we make another family. This is a nice family, isn’t it?
Debbie: It’s a nice family, Rose.
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Agnes: (viewing the set table). There! It couldn’t be prettier at the Waldorf-Astoria! Sit down, everybody! (Everybody sits) Agnes: Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s eat! Rose: Somebody will have to say grace. Agnes: Sure. You say it, Joe. Joe: Let the college boy do it. He must know some good words. Young man: All words are good at times like these. Joe: There! Didn’t tell you! These college boys can talk. (To young man) All right. Now say grace. We’re hungry. All together: For health and strength and daily food we praise thy name, oh Lord! |
Thanksgiving Day » Out - of - classroom activity
Spring over the ground like a hunting hound,
The Indian : My name is Squanto
Agnes: ( entering with a package )
© ООО «Знанио»
С вами с 2009 года.
