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Listening activity
This listening activity is based on the famous song Be Thankful By Sarah Connor. It is ideal for intermediate students and includes interesting language points such as expressions of gratitude.
Let’s begin with some information about the song!
Be Thankful By Sarah Connor
“Be Thankful” is a song by German singer, songwriter, and television personality, Sarah Connor. This song, included in her Christmas album, provides a wonderful opportunity for students to explore expressions of gratitude while practicing their English language skills. The song features imperative sentences and conditional phrases, making it a great tool for language learning.
Song Information
- Title: Be Thankful
- Artist: Sarah Connor
- Album: Christmas in My Heart
- Release Date: 2005
- Genre: Soul, Pop
- Length: 3 minutes, 33 seconds
Interesting Facts about the Song
Be Thankful by Sarah Connor draws inspiration from the Thanksgiving holiday. Historically, the English colonists known as Pilgrims celebrated days of thanksgiving as part of their religious practice, which involved prayer rather than feasting. The first Thanksgiving was held to celebrate the colony’s first successful harvest, demonstrating gratitude for their bounty. Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States.
Official Music Video
Watch the official music video:
Full Lyrics
Interesting and Useful Words and Expressions from the Song
- Be thankful just for what you’ve got.
- Take care of it and let it shine.
- Leave all your pain and sorrow behind.
- If love’s your guide, got a lot.
While-Listening Acticity: Be thankful by Sarah Connor! Vocabulary Exercise
Quiz: Gap Fill Exercise
Fill in the blanks with the words or expressions from the list below:
- be thankful
- care
- leave
- love
- English colonists
- harvest
- thankful
- ______ just for what you’ve got.
- Take ______ of it and let it shine.
- ______ all your pain and sorrow behind.
- If ______ is your guide, you’ve got a lot.
- The ______ we call Pilgrims celebrated days of thanksgiving.
- Thanksgiving was held to celebrate the colony’s first successful ______.
- These early settlers wanted to show how ______ they are.
Post Listening Activity: I am thankful for…
It’s time to show how thankful you are. Draw a table like the following and show that you are thankful for the things you own, the people around you, and any other things.
| I am thankful for… | Things | People | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | house | father | freedom |
| 2. | |||
| 3. | |||
| 4. | |||
| 5. | |||
| 6. | |||
| 7. | |||
| 8. | |||
| 9. | |||
| 10. |
Related Materials
More Holiday Resources