Thanksgiving Friends By Elyse Fuchs

OVERVIEW

We will be discussing the first Thanksgiving, what it means to be thankful, and the meaning behind the Thanksgiving holiday.

We will also talk about what it means to be thankful, focusing on things like family and friends, and not materials goods.

Questions to consider

What did they eat at the first Thanksgiving? How is it different from what we eat?

What does it mean to be thankful? What is the meaning behind the

Thanksgiving holiday? How are the lives of the pilgrims and

Indians different from our lives? What are you thankful for?

Connection with Indiana Social Studies Standards

▪ K.1.1 -Compare children and families of today with those in the past.▪ K.1.2 -Identify celebrations and holidays as a way of remembering and honoring people, events and America's ethnic heritage.

The First Thanksgiving

“In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast which is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies.“

“This harvest meal has become a symbol of cooperation and interaction between English colonists and Native Americans.”

Kathleen Curtin. (2008). The First Thanksgiving. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/content/thanksgiving/the-first-thanksgiving

What did they eat?

THEIR MENU

Venison Wild fowl More meat, less

vegetables (vegetables were out of season)

No sweets or pies Used spoons and

knives (no forks)

OUR MENU

Turkey Pumpkin pie Mashed potatoes Stuffing Corn Green beans Sweet potatoes Gravy

What does it mean to be thankful ?

To be happy with what you have

To appreciate Feeling or expressing

gratitude; appreciative

Dictionary.com, L.L.C. (2009). Thankful. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/thankful

What is the meaning behind the Thanksgiving holiday?

It was when the pilgrims gave thanks for a bountiful harvest

The pilgrims and indians became friends

Giving thanks for the gifts of life, love, and joy

Compare and contrast our lives to the lives of the pilgrims and Indians of the first thanksgiving

US More food

available to us Buy our food at

the grocery store No electricity to

cook with Share with friends

and family

PILGRIMS and INDIANS

Grew and hunted for their food

Cooked by fire Share with friends

and family

What are you thankful for? The students will be

keeping a thankfulness journal throughout the month of November

Each day they will write about the things that they are thankful for in their lives. This will keep them

thinking positive and help them to get out their daily frustrations

Thanksgiving Placemat

After writing in their journal throughout the course of the month, the children will make a Thanksgiving placemat.

The students will write what they are thankful for on fall leaf cutouts and glue them to a paper placemat. The placemat will be laminated for safe keeping.

REFERENCES

Kathleen Curtin. (2008). The First Thanksgiving. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/content/thanksgiving/the-first-thanksgiving

Anna Daub. (2009). Thanksgiving Lesson Plans and Activities – Placemat. Retrieved from http://www.theteacherscorner.net/seasonal/thanksgiving/placemat.htm

Dictionary.com, L.L.C. (2009). Thankful. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/thankful

Debbie Ghate. (November 15, 2007). An American Holiday: The Moral Meaning Behind Thanksgiving. Retrieved from http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=5057

Trish, Hoskins. (March 26,2009). Being Thankful: How to Feel Appreciative for all your Life’s Blessings. Retrieved from http://self-awareness.suite101.com/article.cfm/being_in_a_state_of_thankfulness

Catherine Millard. (1999). Why do Americans celebrate Thanksgiving? Retrieved from http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/ednkc002.html

Stacey Schifferdecker. (2007). Teaching Children The Meaning of Thanksgiving. Retreived from http://www.more4kids.info/553/teaching-children-the-meaning-of-thanksgiving/