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Thanksgiving Curriculum

A loved US holiday and arguably one of the most-well known American celebrations around the world, there’s lots to learn about Thanksgiving.

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A loved US holiday and arguably one of the most-well known American celebrations around the world, there’s lots to learn about Thanksgiving. But when was the last time you stopped to really think about the holiday and, more importantly, considered how it’s being taught to school children? In this curriculum pack, we’ll not just list all the worksheet packs related to Thanksgiving, but also provide useful insight to making how you teach Thanksgiving the most impactful!

See the fact file below for more information on the Thanksgiving or alternatively, you can download our 9-page Thanksgiving Curriculum worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Before we start:

  • It’s not uncommon for Thanksgiving to be taught very simplistically.
  • In teaching the full and inclusive history behind Thanksgiving, you’re not devaluing the holiday or the customs of prayer and gratitude.
  • This version of events has a fairytale-like quality to it that does not tell the full story, so it’s important to delve deeper into the history of the holiday and to include more dynamism to the roles played and experiences of the Native Americans.
  • The best way to teach Thanksgiving inclusively is to start from the ground up and not not sugar-coat history into the narrative we outlined above.
  • If you’re concerned about upsetting your students with dark aspects of history during a time of what is supposed to be shared happiness and gratitude, we have a useful blog that will help you navigate teaching an impartial recount of the facts.
  • Next up, it’s important for students to understand that the US was by no means the first to have a customary holiday focused on gratitude and prayer. Although it was the first to name the occasion “Thanksgiving”, similar celebrations go all the way back to the Ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks, while the Jewish observance of Sukkot is very similar to today’s Thanksgiving.
  • When teaching about Thanksgiving, you can choose a number of approaches. This can include the historic background that culminated in the First Thanksgiving; or you can choose to start with the contemporary Thanksgiving observance and what it means to you and your students before working backwards to its origins.
  • As you progress, it’s an ideal opportunity to add dimension to the simplistic narrative of Thanksgiving by addressing certain questions, like why did the pilgrims come to America? Did they consider themselves pilgrims? Why did they not know how to grow crops or hunt for food? Why were some Native American tribes hostile to settlers? Why were the Wampanoag friendly? How did Squanto know how to speak English?
  • Then, as you discover more about the History of Thanksgiving, it’s a great time to realise the power of the holiday as a tool for unity, especially during the Civil War.
  • Of course, don’t forget what lies at the heart of modern-day Thanksgiving, which is gratitude. This holiday is a perfect mental reset to pull out minds out of the year that has been, with all its ups and downs, and to reflect on what individuals, families, communities and nations truly value.
  • Let’s not forget that it’s a holiday for fun too – after all, it kicks off the festive season. Once the more serious aspects of Thanksgiving history have been addressed, have some fun exploring Thanksgiving dishes through the ages, make art related to fall and Thanksgiving, and explore the lighter fun, such as the Presidential Turkey Pardon, Thanksgiving parades, and the Turkey wishbone tradition.
  • On a rather unconventional note, Thanksgiving has garnered a reputation for being a holiday of extreme excess, with an average American consuming up to 4,500 calories in one sitting. Furthermore, it’s estimated that 46 million turkeys are consumed for Thanksgiving. If you’re looking to do something different this year, what about involving your students in coming up with ideas to celebrate without the excess? Or, how about devising a plant-based feast?
  • Similarly, Thanksgiving can also be a time of stress and social anxiety for some, especially when family members get into disagreements with each other. In the spirit of helping develop well-rounded individuals, it may be a good opportunity to preface Thanksgiving lessons with conflict management skills, how to respectfully disagree with someone, and how be more self-reflective and aware of one’s feelings.
  • With that said, let’s get down to learning about and enjoying this wonderful and peaceful holiday!
  • If you’re interested to learn more from an educator’s perspective, check out our blog!

Thanksgiving Curriculum Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Thanksgiving Curriculum across 9 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Thanksgiving Curriculum worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Thanksgiving. In this curriculum pack, we’ll not just list all the worksheet packs related to Thanksgiving, but also provide useful insight to making how you teach Thanksgiving the most impactful!

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Teaching Thanksgiving
  • Lesson Plan Template
  • Suggested Worksheets

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Link will appear as Thanksgiving Curriculum: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, October 27, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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