How to Turn Thanksgiving into a Critical Thinking Debate in Your Classroom
Every November, teachers face the same challenge — how to approach Thanksgiving in a way that goes beyond turkey crafts and pilgrim hats. For middle and high school students, this holiday offers an incredible opportunity to think critically about history, culture, and perspective. Instead of lecturing, why not let your students debate the legacy of Thanksgiving using real-world arguments and evidence?
Thanksgiving is more than a feel-good holiday — it’s also a chance to discuss how narratives are shaped and whose voices are amplified. This season, give your students the tools to analyze both sides of the story with argumentative writing and evidence-based reasoning.
Using “Debating the Legacy of Thanksgiving”, students read two short but powerful articles presenting opposing viewpoints:
The Case for Thanksgiving explores how the holiday fosters gratitude, unity, and cultural continuity.
The Case Against Thanksgiving gives a Native American perspective, challenging the myths and addressing historical inaccuracies and cultural appropriation.
Students then:
Analyze the arguments and evaluate evidence
Identify author’s purpose, tone, and word choice
Practice writing claims and counterclaims
Reflect personally on gratitude, culture, and empathy
By the end, your students won’t just know more about Thanksgiving — they’ll understand how to think about history critically and express their opinions thoughtfully.
Free Teaching Tip:
Before diving into the articles, start your lesson with a “4 Corners” discussion:
Label the corners of your classroom: Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree.
Read statements like “Thanksgiving should be celebrated as a national holiday” or “We should teach all sides of history, even if it challenges tradition.”
Have students move to the corner that matches their opinion and share why.
This simple activity sparks curiosity and primes them for evidence-based writing once they begin the debate activity.
If you’re ready to bring meaningful discussion and argumentative writing to your Thanksgiving lessons, grab “Debating the Legacy of Thanksgiving” from Green Avocado Learning. It’s a ready-to-use resource that turns a controversial topic into a powerful lesson on empathy, analysis, and perspective-taking.
Let’s move past surface-level celebrations — and help students learn how to debate with respect, evidence, and heart.