Thanksgiving History

LESSON PLAN

Name: Genevieve Banning Date: Lesson Start and End Time:

Academic Area: Social Grade Level: K Co-op initials with date:

Studies
Pre-Instruction Planning
Topic The First Thanksgiving
PA Anchor/Standard or 8.3.K.A. Identify American people related to national holidays.
Eligible Content

Lesson Objectives 1. Students will be able to explain what caused us to have

the First Thanksgiving.
Materials Teacher:
• “Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story” by
Alexis Bunten, Anthony Perry, and Danielle Greendeer.
• Sticky note of vocabulary words marked in book to
review with the class.
• Small paper cups
• Corn-shaped paper, white (2)
• Q-tips
• Orange, yellow, brown paint
• Corn husk string
• Small square paper
• Marker
Student:
• Small paper cups
• Q-tips
• Orange, yellow, brown paint
• Corn-shaped paper, white (2)

Planning for Learners Differentiation: Students will be allowed to use whatever colors
they want out of the three given.
Accommodation for student with visual disability: Place a
tactile surface underneath the corn-shaped paper to allow student
to feel the parameters of where they are painting.
Modification for student with fine motor difficulties: Allow
student to finger paint their corn.
Lesson Presentation
Introduction Discuss with the class what Thanksgiving is.
• The people living in England wanted to leave because
their beliefs were not accepted by the King. These
people, the First Peoples, were also known as Pilgrims.
• Living in America was very hard, especially during the
first winter. A lot of the first people got sick and did not
know how to grow food to eat because they were not
used to the land.
• There were already people living in America when the
Pilgrims arrived. They were Native Americans from the
Wampanoag tribe. They helped the Pilgrims to grow
food to eat and showed them how to honor and treat the
land properly.

Sequence of activities Read "Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story" by

including assessments Alexis Bunten, Anthony Perry, and Danielle Greendeer.
Discuss difficult concepts and vocabulary from the text as you
read or before you read.
• Thanksgiving was a meal of celebration for the
Pilgrims as they finally mastered growing food and
surviving in their new home.
• One of the most important plants Native Americans
taught the New People to grow was corn.
• Without the help of the Wampanoag tribe, we would
never have been able to live in America.
Have children complete a multicolored corn craft
(https://www.fantasticfunandlearning.com/indian-corn-craft-
and-five-kernels-of-corn-legend.html).
• Have small paper cups with orange, yellow, and brown
paint.
• Give each student 3 q-tips.
• Instruct students to dot corn shaped paper with the
colors.
When each child is done, have the child dictate one thing they
learned about Thanksgiving from the story (Assessment 1).
Have students complete the sentence: "We celebrate
Thanksgiving because..."; write their dictation on a small square
of paper and attach this to their corn craft.
Tie the pieces of corn together with husk.
Lesson Wrap-up • Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?
 • We should remember to be thankful on Thanksgiving.
When the first Thanksgiving happened, we were thankful
to the Native Americans for helping us.
• What are some things you are thankful for? Have
students share some answers.
Self-Evaluation