Collection
Teaching About the First Thanksgiving
Help students gain a clearer understanding of what we commemorate each November
- Grades: PreK–K, 1–2, 3–5, 6–8
Discover the many meanings of Thanksgiving by exploring life in 17th-century America and the experiences of the Pilgrims and Wampanoags. This rich collection of ready-to-go lessons and activities are the perfect tools to help you enrich your First Thanksgiving unit.
Included Here:
- Articles (2)
- Student Activities (1)
- Lesson Plans (6)
- Books (3)
Articles
Colonial Customs
Students explore the customs of 17th century Pilgrims and Wampanoag people with these four learning activities.
A Feast of Thanksgiving Ideas and Crafts
Go beyond Pilgrim hats and hand turkeys with these 22 fun activities that teach gratitude, charity, friendship, and community.
Student Activities
The First Thanksgiving
These interactive activities, lesson plans, and virtual field trips to Plimoth Plantation help bring the history of Thanksgiving to life.
Lesson Plans
Tracing Our Own Family Pilgrimages
Students track their ancestors' voyages to America in this Thanksgiving lesson plan focused on diverse cultural heritages.
Make an "I'm Thankful For..." Placemat
Teach students the meaning of Thanksgiving through poetry by helping them make placemats adorned with their pictures and lines from a poem.
Make a Mini Mayflower
Teach students about appreciation as they make a miniature model of the Mayflower and write a letter of thanks.
Thanksgiving Lessons for Grades PreK-2
Give younger students an in-depth look into the First Thanksgiving with this lesson that helps them understand the experiences of the Pilgrims on their voyage to the New World, how two very different groups of people in the New World lived, and the aspects of Plimoth's first harvest feast.
Thanksgiving Lessons for Grades 3-5
Take a closer look at the historical significance of the Pilgrims' voyage, settlement, and first harvest celebration.
Thanksgiving Lessons for Grades 6-8
Focus on the relationships between the Pilgrims and Wampanoags that First Thanksgiving, and explore their experiences, actions, and decisions as they relate to the settlement of Plimoth colony.
Books
Guests
Moss and Trouble, an Algonquin boy and girl, struggle with the problems of growing up in the Massachusetts area during the time of the first Thanksgiving.
The Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving
Full-color illustrations bring to life this historically accurate account of how the children of Plymouth Colony helped make the first Thanksgiving possible.
Giving Thanks
Filled with color photographs, this unique interpretation of the first Thanksgiving tells the story through two points of view a Pilgrim boy and a Wampanoag Indian boy. From the award-winning creators of Sarah Morton's Day.
- Subjects:Thanksgiving
