The First Thanksgiving Activities for Kids
This Thanksgiving Activities Pack is something to be thankful for! Your students will love learning all about the history of the first Thanksgiving! This unit is a TOP 100 BEST SELLER and newly updated in 2016 now with even more activities in this pack!
This unit includes many interactive activities and learning opportunities for students such as reading passages about the Pilgrim's Journey to the New World, the First Thanksgiving, and holiday traditions.
Students will meet several characters who will share what life was like back then in this pack including:
✔Meet Tom Turkey
✔Meet Squanto
✔Meet Elizabeth, a pilgrim girl
✔Meet John, a pilgrim boy
✔Meet John Carver, the first Governor of New Plymouth
There are lots of hands-on activities for students to show what they know:
✔Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunts (2)
✔Biography Organizers for four of the characters
✔I am Thankful for...
✔Writing Activity
✔Plus a 6-page Thanksgiving Flip Book
✔Vocabulary Posters
✔Vocabulary Flip Flaps
SEE IT ON TPT
There are three main activities:
Vocabulary:
Introduce the six vocabulary words with the real-life photo posters included. You could post these posters around the classroom and have students travel around to match up and define the words in their flip flaps or use as a center activity. These posters are excellent for a bulletin board display too.
Reading:
Next, have students read the passages about the first Thanksgiving and character studies where they will meet Squanto, Governor Carver (1st Governor of New Plymouth), John a pilgrim boy, Elizabeth, a pilgrim girl, and Tom Turkey. After reading the passages, have students answer the scavenger hunt pages (2). These work well in centers, learning stations, and as partner work.
Activities:
There are many activities for students to complete to show what they know:
✔Scavenger Hunt Pages (2)
✔Biography Organizers (4)
✔I am Thankful for…
✔My Favorite Tradition Writing Activity
✔Fact or Fiction Activity
✔An Attitude for Gratitude
✔Plus a Thanksgiving 6-page Flip Book.
I usually have them do one page of the flip book at each center or station. They can use the articles as a reference source to help them complete the pages of the booklet. Lastly, they cut, color, and assemble the booklet. Flip up books can be glued or stapled inside their interactive notebooks, file folder, or a 12x18 piece of construction paper folded like a book cover.
Happy Thanksgiving!
There are 3 main activities in this creative resource:
Thanksgiving Vocabulary:
Introduce the 6 vocabulary words with the real-life photo posters included. You could post these posters around the classroom and have students travel around to match up and define the words in their flip flaps or use as a center activity. These posters are excellent for a bulletin board display too.
Informational articles
Next, have students read the informational articles and character studies where they will meet Squanto, Governor Carver (1st Governor of New Plymouth), John a pilgrim boy, Elizabeth, a pilgrim girl, and Tom Turkey. There’s also a mini-booklet about the first Thanksgiving. You could have students work with a partner or in small groups or even as a center/station activity.
Thanksgiving Activities:
Have students complete the Thanksgiving Mystery Flaps and the 6 page Thanksgiving Flip Up Booklet. I usually have them do one page at each center or station. They can use the articles as a reference source to help them complete the pages of the booklet. Lastly, they cut, color, and assemble the booklet. Flip up books can be glued or stapled inside their interactive notebooks, file folder, or a 12 x 18 piece of construction paper folded like a book cover.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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LEGAL DETAILS:
- These specific files are ©2018 Heart 2 Heart Teaching, LLC. All rights reserved.
• For personal use, classroom use, and non-commercial use only. It is unlawful to distribute any part of this file for any reason (whether they are free or for purchase). - Clipart, graphics, photographs, found inside this product are copyrighted. They may not be extracted from this file without written permission from the original artist(s).
- We'd love to see how you use these activities in your classroom--- Tag @heart2heartteaching on Instagram!
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