Following an online activity, scholars listen to a read-aloud of If You Were at the First Thanksgiving by Anne Kamma. Pupils discuss their family traditions and complete a T-chart comparing the holiday then and now. Collages are made to...

Two primary sources, a speech, and an article provide tweens and teens with different perspectives of the American Thanksgiving holiday. After analyzing Wamsutta James' suppressed speech and Jacqueline Keeler's article, class members use...

Spark some lively conversation about American holiday traditions and debunk accepted notions about the first Thanksgiving at the same time. After reviewing the mainstream version of the Thanksgiving story with your class, offer some...

Class members use the Internet to research the history of Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada, as well as the traditions surrounding the Thanksgiving-style celebrations of the Hebrews, the Chinese, and in Ancient Greece and Rome.

Thanksgiving—is it a national celebration or the National Day of Mourning? That depends on the point of view. Young historians analyze a speech written by Wamsutta James that presents a Native American view of Thanksgiving. The lesson...

Everyone celebrates traditions in different ways. Young writers share the ways their families celebrate Thanksgiving with a journal writing prompt and discussion activity.

Students explain the origins of Thanksgiving. As a class, they list all the meanings, stories, and images that come into their minds when they hear the word "Thanksgiving." After reading about Thanksgiving, pairs of students create 4...

Young scholars explore why Thanksgiving is celebrated. In this cross-curriculum instructional activity, students listen to the book Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes, and complete the sentence frame "I am thankful for ____." Young...

Students examine different perspectives about Thanksgiving that include those of the European Settlers and the Native Americans. They read and discuss an article about Plymouth being "America's Hometown." They develop a landmark for...

After completing an online activity about the Mayflower, scholars draw a picture about what they know of the Thanksgiving holiday, including a one-sentence summary. A reading of If You Were at the First Thanksgiving by Anne Kamma is...

A lesson looks at the Pilgrims and Wampanoag tribe during the first Thanksgiving. Scholars compare and contrast information presented by an online activity then discuss their findings. Learners examine the two group's daily routines and...

Third graders see the differences between the first Thanksgiving and the present day Thanksgiving. They create a menu for a Thanksgiving dinner after listening to a short article and helping the teacher create a Venn diagram. Students...

Students plan a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. In this Thanksgiving lesson, students compare and contrast the first Thanksgiving to Thanksgiving celebrations today. Students plan a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and research the costs...

Students create a Venn diagram to compare the Pilgrim's "First Thanksgiving" with today's Thanksgiving celebration. They use one type of graphic organizer, a Venn diagram, talk and read about the Thanksgiving celebration of 1621 at...

Students explore the First Thanksgiving. In this U.S. history lesson, students read about the Pilgrims and Native Americans and discuss how they obtained and prepared food. Students develop a possible first Thanksgiving menu and draw a...

First graders explore American culture by participating in arts and crafts activities. In this Thanksgiving lesson, 1st graders listen to music based upon the Thanksgiving tradition and examine images of the first Thanksgiving. Students...

Students are introduced to the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving. The lesson plan can be adapted to all ages and levels of English production ability. They recognize and define words associated with Thanksgiving.

Students use yarn to create a timeline of the first Thanksgiving. After a class discussion, they view pictures of artifacts and Native Americans to identify the tools and items present during the first Thanksgiving. In groups, they...

First graders examine the history of the first Thanksgiving and compare the first Thanksgiving with how we celebrate it today. They listen to and discuss the book "The Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving," answer discussion questions about the...

Second graders examine the development of the first Thanksgiving. They develop a list of the resources and technologies both the Pilgrims and the Indians shared with each other, listen to the book "The First Thanksgiving," and...

Students create a mural of the history of Thanksgiving. In this holiday lesson plan, students recall the history of Thanksgiving and create a mural of the holiday using large paper and crayons.

Second graders complete a scavenger hunt on the World Wide Web in which they locate facts about Thanksgiving using a Power Point presentation. Once they are done answering the questions of the hunt, they take turns typing their answers...

Twelfth graders investigate how to analyze, question and debate the validity of the information given to them from teachers, text books, the media and their peers. The purpose of this instructional activity is to foster a true...

Learners work together to find and spell Thanksgiving. On a obstacle course, they follow the cones to search for the letters. If they acquire an incorrect letter, they are required to do either push-ups or sit-ups. To end the lesson,...