Celebrating Thanksgiving in the Classroom

 

It's difficult to ignore the building level of excitement in your classroom as the holiday season approaches. Rather than ignoring the anticipation, or trying to squelch it, take advantage of learners’ engagement by having class discussions that center around Thanksgiving.

Sharing Family Traditions

Each year as the air gets crisp, and the leaves begin to fall, I am reminded of my childhood, and the Thanksgiving traditions that were a part of it. My class loves to hear about my family’s traditions and celebrations. They like to hear about their teacher’s parents, siblings, school days, etc. Take some time to share some experiences that are likely to be of interest to your class. Your stories should help them think of a few traditions that their families enjoy during the Thanksgiving season. Next, either divide the class into small groups, or have a class discussion where pupils share some of their favorite family Thanksgiving traditions. It’s also fun to share Thanksgiving memories; something that was particularly special or different about a certain year they celebrated. For instance, someone in the class might share about the year the turkey got burned while the family was playing football in the yard, so they ate the trimmings without the turkey. After some fun, lively sharing, move the class along to this project.

Overview of the Thanksgiving Project

The first year I had my students engage in this mini-project, it was with the intention of channeling their surplus energy in a productive manner, and giving them an opportunity to practice their research, writing, and presenting skills. The project only takes a few days, and allows students to share their holiday traditions, while learning about the traditions of others as well. 

The basic structure of the project:

• Research the history of Thanksgiving
• Interview a family member
• Create a dream menu
• Describe a favorite family recipe

I have found it works best to organize the project into sections using a bulletin board-sized chart. I let pupils decorate the chart before we begin adding research information. The entire project takes about three or four days to complete.

Researching the History of Thanksgiving 

The first day of the project, the class is divided into groups to research different aspects of the Thanksgiving tradition. Here are some ideas for research topics: the first official American Thanksgiving, the Wampanoag’s and pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving, and harvest festivals throughout history. Each group is given an article to read and summarize. Research findings are displayed on a story wheel or graphic timeline. Next, each group presents their wheel or timeline of information and posts it on the chart. At the conclusion of the presentations, scholars write about one new piece of information they encountered while doing their own research, or through listening to another group’s presentation. 

Family Traditions

On the second day, learners brainstorm and discuss their own family traditions and compare and contrast them to the information presented the previous day. After compiling a list of traditions, they write in their journals about their favorite tradition(s). They are then given an opportunity to share their entries with the class. Afterward, I ask them if they know who in their family started their specific traditions. Since most of them do not know who started the tradition, this serves as the introduction into the family interview portion of our project. I have students compose ten questions concerning the history of their families’ Thanksgiving traditions. The next day in class, they share their interviews and post their favorite response on the chart. Note: I have students conduct the interviews and record their answers on notebook paper, and then I provide them with cardstock and art supplies to write one answer for the chart.

Creating a Feast

The third day is perhaps the most fun. The liveliest conversation revolves around the Thanksgiving dinner menu. I start the dialogue by having individuals write in their journals about their favorite and least favorite Thanksgiving foods. I also ask them to describe what they would consider to be the “dream Thanksgiving meal”. From this discussion, they each create a dream Thanksgiving menu.

The assignment for the following day is to bring a recipe from home. I give them a recipe card template, which they use to post their menus and recipe cards on the chart. In years past, we’ve created charts on favorite Thanksgiving foods, including favorite side dishes and desserts, and ways to cook and eat turkey.  The project can lend itself to various opportunities to cover language arts skills. While the recipes and opinions may vary, the constant from year to year is student engagement in this project.

Integrating the holiday season into the classroom curriculum can be an enjoyable opportunity to learn and practice various literacy skills, as well as bask in the energy of this special time of year. The following are more lesson ideas to inspire learning focused on Thanksgiving festivities.

Thanksgiving Lesson Ideas:

Thanksgiving

Here is a resource that requires scholars to apply research skills in order to learn about the first Thanksgiving. They utilize timelines and KWL charts to share their knowledge. 

Putting Turkey on Table (or Graph)

This is a great Thanksgiving-inspired lesson for pupils to learn or review table and graphing skills. The subject of this creative project is statistical information focused on, of course, turkey. The lesson could be modified for different Thanksgiving-related themes.

National Turkey Off to Disneyland 

Here is a way for your scholars to share and learn about the Thanksgiving customs in America. The think-pair-share strategy utilized is an efficient one to use this time of year, when the energy level of everyone in the classroom is elevated.

The First Thanksgiving

This resource provides an opportunity for learners to utilize research and writing skills focusing on the first Thanksgiving. It offers a variety of activities to engage your pupils.