Thanksgiving is a harvest festival that is celebrated principally in the United States and Canada. In the United States it is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States, and is a federal holiday (in Canada it is held on the second Monday in October, coinciding with Columbus Day in the United States). Common activities associated with Thanksgiving include a break from work or school, a Thanksgiving dinner, parades, and American football games.
In the United States, Thanksgiving is very much associated with the survival of early English settlers in Plymouth, Massachusetts, with the help of the local Native American population. As result, the run-up to Thanksgiving provides a wonderful opportunity for students to learn about their history. Schools often organize events such as Thanksgiving plays, but individual teachers can also introduce Thanksgiving-activities into their classroom – why not a game of Thanksgiving bingo?
Thanksgiving bingo is played just like a normal game of bingo (with the teacher taking the part of the bingo caller), but, instead of using standard bingo cards, cards printed with words or phrases related to the Thanksgiving holiday are used instead. It can be a lot of fun, and can also help remind students of the history of Thanksgiving.
You might be wondering where you can obtain Thanksgiving bingo cards, but this is actually quite easy – you print them yourself using your computer! You can download ready-to-print cards from the Internet, or if you prefer, you can download bingo card maker software that allows you to print custom bingo cards on almost any topic you like.
By: Sunil Tanna
The 5th of May, known in Spanish as “Cinco de Mayo” (which literally means “5th of May”) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico, as well as (principally by Mexican people, and people of Mexican descent) in many parts of the United States of America, especially California (where the holiday has been celebrated every year since 1863). It should however be noted that in Mexico, that May 5th is not an obligatory federal holiday, and in fact the holiday is mainly celebrated in the state of Puebla, by the Mexican ex-patriate community in the United States.
Many Americans wrongly believe that Mexico, that May 5th marks Mexican Independence Day – but this is not the case. In fact, the holiday commemorates the victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín over invading French troops at the battle of Puebla, which took place on May 5th, 1862.
Today, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in a wide variety of different ways. In Mexico, typical activities include music and dancing, and of course eating many excellent foods. In the United States, these kind of events also take place, but the holiday has also become an opportunity to more generally display Mexican culture and Mexican symbols. Prominent people of Mexican descent often take part in the celebrations, many businesses provide Mexican-themed beverages and food on the holiday, and numerous school districts organize special events and celebrations of Mexican culture.
Many teachers also like to use the occasion to teacher their pupils a little about Mexican culture. One idea that is well-suited to the opportunity is to play Cinco de Mayo bingo. This is just like normal bingo, except that the bingo cards are printed with words or phrases relating to Mexico or Mexican culture, instead of the usual numbers. The teacher acts as bingo caller, the students each get their own bingo card, and then you’re ready to play! The game can be a wonderful opportunity to trigger class discussions about each of the items of the card, as they are called out.
By: Sunil Tanna
