Thanksgiving Lessons

This approach to creating curriculum enables the educator to raise the level of student understanding and provides the student with a broad foundation of learning which can be applied across the board in present and future schooling, and in life in general.

I have listed three Big Ideas for the unit and the corresponding Enduring Outcomes, Essential Questions, and Classroom Lessons below. Scan to the apple to find twelve Thanksgiving classroom lessons that correlate directly with the Big Idea, Enduring Outcomes and Essential Questions.

Useful Definitions:

Big Idea = The main goal and focus of the lesson; what students retain and carry with them through life.

Enduring Outcome = What students need to recall, know or do to demonstrate understanding of the Big Idea.

If you have not already done so, please take a moment to look at the Main Page of the Thanksgiving Unit

Thanksgiving Unit: Uncovering Truths

By Marcie Ciampi

Big Idea One:

Enduring Outcomes For Big Idea One

2.Compare and contrast a history textbook with other historical sources.

3. Retell in pictures a historical event from the perspective of a person from another culture.

Big Idea Two:

Enduring Outcomes for Big Idea Two

2. Examine and recognize replicas of primary source documents.

3. Create a visual illustrating how multiple historical sources can provide a detailed depiction of historical data when compared to one source.

Big Idea Three:

Enduring Outcomes for Big Idea Three:

2. Analyze and evaluate facts and myths about a specific culture of people.

3. Design and create displays that diffuse the stereotypical representation of historical people.

Evidence to Support the Enduring Outcomes:

1. Able to site examples of incomplete, inaccurate or misleading historical accounts in American history. Task: Participate in a class discussion about the ‘composite’ view of history and with cooperative group provide example.

2. Analyze and compare a Thanksgiving textbook story with another historical source. Task: Read with a partner a 4 page excerpt from the social studies textbook and then read the article A Plymouth Thanksgiving. Write facts on post-its from each story that will later be shared on class Venn diagram.

3. Design illustrations that display a cultural perspective of the pilgrim and Wampanoag. Task: Draw pictures and symbols on poster depicting pilgrim point of view of Thanksgiving on one side and Wampanoag on other side of paper.

(Big Idea/Enduring Outcome Two)

1. Understand how oppressed cultures like the Wampanoag may not have the opportunity to create primary sources. Task: Read sentence strip facts about Wampanoag including: plague, slavery, language barriers, and then discuss how these factors affect the recording of history.

2. Provide a detailed explanation of primary source documents about Thanksgiving. Task: Read The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth and The Proclamation of Together as a class and provide access to replicas of other primary source documents.

3. Demonstrate an accurate depiction of the first authentic Thanksgiving meal and a modern Thanksgiving meal. Task: Using multiple resources such as Wampanoag recipe and Partakers of Plenty cut and glue pictures of and draw food to represent an authentic Thanksgiving meal. Depict a traditional Thanksgiving in the same way using one source (a student’s written account of Thanksgiving).

(Big Idea/Enduring Outcome Three)

1. Understand how disease, broken promises, cultural conflicts, dispute over land and other events affected the Wampanoag. Task: Visit Wanapoe Website or review literature printed from site about the peoples’ history and time-line of events. Review findings as a whole class.

2. Retell myths about Thanksgiving. Task: Participate in a game called Thanksgiving Facts and Fallacies where students go to one side of the room or the other based on whether they think an answer is true or false.

3. Create stereotypical images and authentic images of pilgrim and Wampanoag. Task: After drawing stereotypical images on board and than studying authentic illustrations, design and dress cardboard figures of an authentically dressed pilgrim and Wampanoag.

Essential Questions to Support Big Idea & Enduring Outcomes:

Do Textbooks Lie?

What factors affect the accuracies of historical accounts?

What life experiences might lead others to record history with a stereotypical lens?

Can improving textbooks improve our present day lives?

Day One: Uncovering Truths

1. Teacher instructs student to stand on a long strip of masking tape on the floor and reads one fact or fallacy about Thanksgiving.

Note: Use the facts/fallacies found on the link below and add more to the list prior to the lesson. Facts and Fallacies
2. Each student moves to the ‘fact’ side of the tape or the ‘fallacy’ side of the tape based on his or her guess if the teacher’s statement was true or false.

3. Students examine how many people are on each side of the tape while teacher tapes a pre-made sentence strip of the statement on the ‘fact’ or ‘fallacy’ side of the white board, based on students’ majority opinion.

4. Teacher and students repeat the process for 10 more statements.

5. The teacher reveals the correct answers and students vote by a show of hands which fact or fallacy was the most surprising.

Assessments that match objectives:

1. When giving a fact or fallacy statement, each student will respond by moving to the left or right of the line.

2. Each student will write in a history response journal two facts and two fallacies about Thanksgiving.

Day Two: Stereotypical Lens

1. Students sketch a stereotypical drawing of a pilgrim and Native American during Thanksgiving.

2. Teacher shows examples of stereotypical images of pilgrims and Native Americans using samples gathered from movies, costumes, and students’ sketches.

3. Students examine illustrations of typical Plymouth colony clothing and Wampanoag clothing, and then design and create authentic-style clothing for a cut out shape person, using paper, markers, material, paint and glue. Wampanoag attire
Wampanoag

Assessments that match objectives:

1. Students sketch a stereotypical drawing of a pilgrim and Native American in history response journal.

2. Students create an authentically-dressed pilgrim or Wampanoag cardboard doll and display the figure in class.

Day Three: Post-It Venn Diagram

1. Students take turns reading aloud a two page account of Thanksgiving from a textbook.

2. Students, in cooperative groups, skim the chapter and write down facts provided in the reading on post-it notes.

3. Groups read aloud a fact that has not been shared and then one representative from the group places the post-it on the left side (labeled ‘Textbook Information’) of a large Venn diagram at the front of the class.

4. Teacher explains ‘Composite View.’ 1. Students will write in their history response journal five facts found in the textbook about Thanksgiving.

Assessments that match objectives:

1. Students will write in their history response journal five facts found in the textbook about Thanksgiving.

Modification: Student illustrates five facts.

Extension: Provide different variety of textbooks.

Day Four: Teaching About Thanksgiving:

2. Students review a study guide page and then read together as a whole class The Plymouth Thanksgiving Story (same link)

3. While reading together, when students find an answer to one of the study guide questions, they highlight the passage.

4. Students take turns rephrasing the highlighted words in the story to form answers to the study guide questions, while the teacher writes their answers on the whiteboard.

Assessments that match objectives:

1. Students record five facts they found interesting in history response journal.

2. Students select their favorite fact and circle it in red crayon.

Modification: Student copies one sentence from the board.Extension: Write a journal response imagining you were a Wampanoag and you just say a pilgrim for the first time.

Day Five: Facts in Motion

1. Students participate in discussion about what new facts to add to the right side of the Venn Diagram labeled ‘Other Sources.’ Any overlapping facts go in the center.

2. Students work in groups of three. Groups are assigned one or two Thanksgiving Fact Cards.
Fact Cards


3. After reading and practicing the fact card, one student reads the fact card while two students act out the information in front of the class, using hand motions, body motions, props, and other creative ideas.

4. Teacher asks if these facts seem to be written from a Separatist/Pilgrim perspective or a Native American perspective, and leads class discussion about point of view.

5. Teacher refers back to the Venn Diagram and asks each triad to come up and add one more fact to the ‘Other Sources’ side. Any overlapping facts go in the center.

Assessments that match objectives:

1. Students will work cooperatively to demonstrate Thanksgiving facts through movement.

2. Students will participate in a discussion about point of view.

Day Six: Thanks-giving Word Strips

1. Teacher passes out the following words on strips of paper randomly to students: disease, broken promises, cultural conflicts, dispute over land, language/writing barriers, spirituality, familiarity

2. Students read each strip aloud one at a time, while the teacher writes the word on the whiteboard.

3. Class discusses how the words relate to the Wampanoag and Pilgrim encounter.

4. Students revisit the textbook account of Thanksgiving and look for shortcomings, half-truths, mistruths, inaccuracies, etc. based on the other sources studied in class.

Assessments that match objectives:

1. Students answer the history response journal question: Do Textbooks Lie? Why or why not?(Teacher notes there is no wrong or right answer)

Modification: Student explains to another helper student a response and the helper records the answer.Extension: Discuss other historical encounters that involved the words listed on the board.

Day Seven: Primary Source

(a) ‘Proclamation of Thanksgiving’ by President Lincoln.

Speech

(b) Franklin D Roosevelt Presidential Library Sources, including: “The Year We Had Two Thanksgivings.”

FDR Library

(c) “Primary Sources for ‘The First Thanksgiving’ At Plymouth.
First Thanksgiving

3. Students suggest and write new facts to the ‘Other Sources’ side of the Venn diagram.

Assessments that match objectives:

1. Students examine primary source documents, participate in a discussion about primary sources, and write examples of primary sources in response journals.

2. Cooperative groups will work together to write a primary source document of what happened at lunch time (or another event during the week). The group decides what type of primary source it will be e.g., newspaper, journal entry, etc.

Day Eight: Oppression

1. Teacher asks students to define oppression and then provides a definition.

2. Class listens to the C.D. ‘Story of the World’ Volume 3, chapters 11-12.

Story of the World Volume Three (for sale)

3. Students record in response journals reasons why they think the Wampanoag were oppressed and volunteer to read responses.

4. Students add facts to the Venn diagram.

Assessments that match objectives:

1. Students will complete a page of their response journal about oppression.

Modification: Student illustrates pictures about oppression.Extension: Read the book Story of the World as a class together.

Day Nine: Where’s the Pumpkin Pie?

1. Students discuss what they have experienced or seen people eat at Thanksgiving in modern times.

2. The teacher and class write a paragraph about present day Thanksgiving and use the story as a ‘primary source’ from this time.

3. Students review recipes and foods found at:
(a)Teaching Tolerance
(b)Plimoth Plantation Site:
(c) Foods Listed on Pilgrim Fact Card #8 from lesson 5 ‘Facts in Motion.’

(d) Food suggestions from lesson 4 ‘Teaching About Thanksgiving.’

4. Students cut and paste or draw pictures of food that represents what they have learned about an authentic Thanksgiving meal.

5. If some sources contradict each other about what was authentic food and what was not, teacher leads a discussion about how and why sources can be inaccurate.

6. Add authentic foods to Venn diagram.

Assessments that match objectives:

1. Students list in response journals ten foods found at an authentic Thanksgiving meal and list common foods found at modern time Thanksgiving meals.

2. Students complete a poster of an authentic Thanksgiving Meal including at least ten items.

Day Ten: Cultural Perspective

3. Students will create an artistic representation demonstrating the Thanksgiving experience through the pilgrims’ and Wampanoag’s view point. One side of a poster board will show one view and the other side the other view.

4. Students will prepare a description of their project on an index card and record time worked on the project in their history response journal.

5. Projects will be on display around the room and students will look at the creations.

6. Students will write in their history response journal two projects they liked. Responses will be read by the teacher only and not shared.

Assessments that match objectives:

1. Students will record in their response journal the time they work on their project.

2. Students will turn in a completed project on time with a description written on an index card.

3. Students will record five facts learned at the Mashpee Wampanoag website in their response journal.Extension: Study the timeline on the website and research other events listed on the timeline.

Day Eleven: Final Evaluation

1. In preparation for a unit evaluation, Students will review the Venn diagram, the Thanksgiving meal posters hanging up in class, and other information in the classroom and in individual response journals.

2. Students will review the grading rubric for the upcoming evaluation.

3. Students will work in small groups to answer questions on the study guide and then share out the responses with the entire class.

Assessments that match objectives:

1. Students will work to complete a study guide during class time and complete unfinished work at home.Modification: Student participates in study guide group discussion but is not required to complete the study guide sheet.

Day Twelve: Final Evaluation

1. Teacher will be allot time to answer any concerns and questions regarding study guide sheet and rubric.

2. Students will independently complete a written evaluation.

3. Students will celebrate the end of the unit by sharing in authentic Thanksgiving food.

Assessments that match objectives:

1. Students will independently complete evaluation.

Modifications: Students may use response journal during evaluation and study guide. Teacher may assign only a portion of the evaluation.

Additional Resources:

1621: A New Look At Thanksgiving by Grace, Catherine O’Neil

Tapenum’s Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy in Pilgrim Times 500 Nations National Geographic CD