Thanksgiving

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By Christina Millard Elizabeth Millard
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Rationale

• This unit plan is for a fourth or fifth grade
  class.
• Whether you choose to celebrate the arrival of
  Thanksgiving Day with prayers, family feasts,
  parades, or football games you will no doubt
  agree that the American celebration of this
  holiday began with a group of Pilgrims at
  Plymouth, Massachusetts in the year 1620.
  Therefore, it is important for students to
  understand the events and coming of the holiday
  we call Thanksgiving.

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Objectives

• The students will be able to identify and tell
  the significance of events that occurred, such as
  the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock.
• Students will be able to tell about the original
  Thanksgiving Meal.
• Students will be able to tell about the
  traditions of Thanksgiving today compared to
  three hundred years ago.

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American Heritage
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Activities

• Have the students read various poems about
  Thanksgiving and tell the meaning of each poem.
• Create a class scrapbook of Thanksgiving.
• Discuss events leading to the Pilgrimage.

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Activities (cont.)

• View a film, such as Pilgrims, which tells
  about the first years in America.
• Have the students read a book about Thanksgiving
  and why we celebrate it the way we do.

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Web Sites

• http//www.night.net/thanksgiving/
• http//www.2020tech.com/thanks/temp.html
• http//www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/thanks/index.htm
  l
• http//www.canturkey.ca/trivia.htm
• http//www.pbs.org/newshour/thanksgiving/

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People in Societies
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Activities

• Talk about Native Americans roles during the
  Thanksgiving celebration.
• Discuss who the Separatists were and why they
  are now known as another group.
• Have the students make Pilgrim and Indian
  centerpieces.

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Activities (cont.)

• Have the students write a story about Samoset and
  Squanto. How did they play an important role
  with the Pilgrims.
• Discuss George Washingtons and Abraham Lincolns
  contribution to Thanksgiving.

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Web Sites

• http//family.go.com/Categories/Activities/Feature
  s/family_0101_01/famf/famf010101_fffowl/
• http//www.aitech.ac.jp/iteslj/cw/1/af-thanks.htm
  l
• http//www.night.net/thanksgiving/games11.html-ssi
  
• http//4thanksgiving.4anything.com/
• http//www.geocities.com/perkinshome/thanksgiving
  .html

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World Interactions
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Activities

• View an exhibit of maps, pictures, and objects of
  the Pilgrims and the Mayflower.
• Read and discuss why the church of England pushed
  the Pilgrims to America.
• Have a class discussion of how the world today
  views Thanksgiving.

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Activities (cont.)

• Watch Charlie Browns Thanksgiving.
• Have the students write a report about how the
  ways of the Pilgrims have helped America and
  other parts of the world survive our land.

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Web Sites

• http//www.annieshomepage.com/thanksgiving.html
• http//www.entourages.com/barbs/thanksgiving.htm
• http//www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/7214/can
  ada.htm
• http//www.festivals.com/11-November/thanksgiving/
  
• http//www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ridge/5427/givi
  ngthanks.html

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Decision Making and Resources
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Activities

• Examine how England reacted to the Separatists
  leaving for America.
• Compare the Thanksgiving of today to the original
  Thanksgiving.
• Explain how the Pilgrims learned about new crops
  from the Native Americans who lived in
  Massachusetts.

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Activities

• Have the students make cornucopias.
• Talk about the significance of turkey on
  Thanksgiving and whether it was a necessary
  resource on the first Thanksgiving.

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Web Sites

• http//www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Haven/3646/than
  ks.html
• http//www.geocities.com/Heartland/Fields/3564/Tha
  nksgivingPage.htm
• http//skbeck.home.att.net/thanksgiving/
• http//www.geocities.com/Heartland/Fields/8616/Tha
  nksgiving/thanksgiving.html
• http//charlene.cyber-crew.com/holidays/thanks.htm
  l

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Democratic Processes
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Activities

• Explain how the Pilgrims were treated.
• Explain how the Indians were treated by the
  Pilgrims.
• Explain how the women were treated on the first
  Thanksgiving.

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Activities (cont.)

• Make a typical sand table or model of an early
  Pilgrim settlement.
• What was Lincolns intent on making Thanksgiving a
  national holiday? Have the students refer to the
  Civil War.

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Web Sites

• http//www.geocities.com/Heartland/2328/tkgiving.h
  tm
• http//www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/5892/Tha
  nks.html
• http//gonewengland.about.com/travel/gonewengland/
  library/blcornucopia.htm
• http//www.geocities.com/Heartland/Creek/5692/than
  ksgi.htm
• http//members.tripod.com/ThunderQueen/index.html
  

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Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities
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Activities

• Talk about the Church of England and is it right
  to make people worship one certain way.
• Compare and contrast the rights of Pilgrims verse
  todays Americans.
• What were the womens responsibilities of the
  first Thanksgiving.

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Activities (cont.)

• Draw a picture depicting the scene of the first
  Thanksgiving, including the roles of men and
  women.
• Explain the responsibilities of the Presidents
  involvements in Thanksgiving.

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Web Sites

• http//members.aol.com/calebj/thanksgiving.html
• http//www.holidays.net/thanksgiving/
• http//holidays.bfn.org/thanksgiving/
• http//www.wilstar.com/holidays/thanksgv.htm
• http//home.ican.net/marlatt/craig/thanksgiving.h
  tml

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Conclusion

• This unit will have helped the students to
  appreciate the Pilgrims as people. To conclude
  this unit on Thanksgiving the class could have a
  small Thanksgiving feast. During the feast the
  class could use the costumes of the forefathers.
  Also the class could dress up as Pilgrims and
  Indians.