Five practical ways to make classroom connections, holiday conversations, and school breaks more inclusive.
In November, classroom conversations often turn toward Thanksgiving, gratitude, and family traditions. For educators welcoming newcomer multilingual learners, this is an opportunity to pause and ask: How can we make these conversations welcoming without assuming everyone shares the same experiences?
Some students may be familiar with Thanksgiving. Others may be learning about it for the first time. Some families may celebrate, but others may not, leaving English learners feeling left out when those stories don’t reflect life in their own homes.
The goal isn’t to make every student celebrate in the same way. It’s to make room for different perspectives while helping students understand what’s happening at school and participate on their own terms.
Here are five ways to put that approach into practice.
- Open the conversation without assuming a shared tradition
Instead of beginning with “What does your family do for Thanksgiving?” try a broader invitation:
- What is something you enjoy doing with people you care about?
- Is there a food, activity, or tradition you would like to share?
- What is one way people can make someone feel welcome?
These questions leave room for students who celebrate Thanksgiving, students who observe other traditions, and students who prefer to talk about everyday experiences.
Keep sharing optional. A student can contribute a personal example, discuss a character from a book, or simply listen.
If you teach about Thanksgiving, choose materials thoughtfully. Include Native perspectives and avoid presenting one family’s celebration—or one simplified account of the holiday—as everyone’s story.
- Offer language support—and choices about how to participate
A thoughtful question still needs an accessible way to answer it.
For a conversation about connection or community, try pairing a few useful words with visuals: welcome, together, help, share, and belong. Then model a response with a sentence frame:
- I feel welcome when …
- One thing I enjoy is …
- We can help someone by …
Invite students to draw, label a picture, write, or rehearse with a partner before sharing. Make room for home languages, too and invite contributions through words, pictures, gestures, and other forms of expression.
For a simple classroom activity, create a “Ways We Welcome” display. Students can contribute a word, drawing, or sentence showing how classmates can help one another feel included.
Keep the focus on what your classroom community can do together—not on how much personal information students are willing to share.
- Make space for feelings beyond gratitude
Gratitude can be a meaningful topic. It doesn’t have to be a required feeling.
Rather than asking every student to explain what they are thankful for, offer several prompts:
- Something I appreciate …
- Something I enjoy …
- Something that helps me …
- Something I’m looking forward to …
Let students respond privately or pass. Avoid prompts that require them to discuss family circumstances, migration experiences, or separation from people they care about.
- Make the upcoming break easy to understand
Belonging is also practical. It includes knowing when school is closed, when to return, and where to find help.
Before Thanksgiving break—and again before later holiday breaks—review key information with students and families:
- The last day of school before the break.
- The date classes resume.
- Any early dismissals or schedule changes.
- Where school updates will appear.
- Whom to contact with questions.
Use a simple visual calendar with students, and follow your school’s procedures for providing translated information or qualified interpretation for families. Consider communicating essential schedule, closure, and safety information in families’ home languages rather than assuming school procedures are already familiar for them.
- Plan the welcome back before students leave
Before the break, let students know what to expect when they return. A familiar opening activity, a visible schedule, or a brief reminder of classroom routines can provide a clear starting point.
Consider a low-pressure return prompt such as:
- Today I’m feeling …
- One thing I’m ready to do is …
- One question I have is …
There’s no need to require a “What I did over break” presentation. Students can reconnect without describing travel, celebrations, or family experiences.
Keep belonging bigger than the holiday
Thanksgiving can open a conversation about community. The everyday follow-through matters just as much: making room for students’ languages, explaining unfamiliar routines, offering choices, and respecting what students prefer to keep private.
Choose one step to take this week. Broaden a discussion prompt. Add a visual to your break calendar. Offer a different way to participate.
The message can be simple: You don’t have to share the same traditions to be part of this classroom.
Also read:
Coming Together: Family and Community Involvement Are Key to School Success
Beyond “How Was School?”: Questions That Get Kids Talking
