Thanksgiving Lesson Plans
Thanksgiving is a holiday that provides many learning opportunities in a variety of areas of the curriculum. For lesson plans and activities, check out the links on the right.
Fast Facts
- Thanksgiving originated in both Canada and the United States1
- Celebrate in America on the fourth Thursday in November1
- Canadian Thanksgiving falls on the second Monday of October1
- Thanksgiving 2008: November 272
- Great resources for public, private and home school classrooms
Thanksgiving Lesson Plan Ideas
Explore the origins of what is often noted as the First Thanksgiving between the Plimoth settlers and the neighboring Wampanoag Tribe.3
Help establish Thanksgiving vocabulary words with word scrambles, word searches and fill-in-the-blank worksheets
Involve students in the learning process hands on. Have younger children make arts and crafts centered around the pilgrims and Native Americans. Older children can explore early colonial lifestyles and history by building dioramas of settlements or encampments.4
History of the First Thanksgiving
Students are often taught about one of the earliest recorded Thanksgiving celebrations, which took place at the Plimoth settlement in the year 1621. After suffering many hardships, the pilgrim settlers were blessed with a bountiful harvest. They gave thanks and celebrated with the neighboring Wampanoag Indian tribe. With the help of Squanto, the Wampanoag had taught the settlers how to cultivate the land. The dinner they enjoyed was slightly different from what we know today. Their feast consisted of dishes like venison, wild turkey, cheese pie, pumpkin custard and corn bread.5 6
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