A Corny-copia of bad jokes – President Obama’s 2016 Turkey Pardon
I’ve used this task every year since 2016 with my C1 and C2 students and year after year it’s proved to be immense fun. Obama’s final (2016) turkey pardon offers a cornucopia of Thanksgiving puns you can use to teach a few common idioms and Thanksgiving-related vocabulary.
How to go about it?
You’ll need a video of the pardon, available on this website, and this handout.
To start with, elicit turkey pardon and dad joke. With stronger groups you can first play the video, have students fish for the Thanksgiving puns and see who finds the most. Then students listen again and complete the gaps. With less advanced learners, start with the handout right away.
After students complete the gaps, check answers in open class. Then have them work in pairs or small groups and explain the puns. Monitor and guide as necessary.
Extension
Use this Quizlet set to consolidate and extend the vocabulary. You can play Quizlet Live to revise it in the following class.
If you’re looking for more holidays-related content, check out this Halloween lesson.
