TeachersFirst's Thanksgiving Resources
Other TeachersFirst Special Topics Collections
Take a look at these rich resources, sure to make you thankful! This collection includes Thanksgiving resources for all grades in a variety of subjects. Teach your students about the "true" Thanksgiving story; use this time as an opportunity to help your students learn about Native Americans; take your students on a virtual trip to Plimouth Plantation; or try many other seasonal resources and activities.
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Americans - Smithsonian Institution
Grades
6 to 12
tag(s): battles (18), native americans (92), thanksgiving (24), westward expansion (38)
In the Classroom
Replace some of your current written Native America resources with the genuine artifacts and stories available for viewing on this site. Introduce the site to students on your interactive whiteboard to demonstrate the different features available and how to find them. After students have time to explore, create groups to do in-depth research within the four different featured areas. Create a Padlet, reviewed here, with four columns for students to share web and video resources found during their research. Instead of written or oral presentations, ask student groups to create quizzes for their classmates using a quiz-creation tool like Baamboozle, reviewed here. Baamboozle is a quick and easy resource for creating and sharing quizzes for teams of two. As a final project, transform student learning by using Book Creator, reviewed here, to create class books sharing information about Native Americans. Book Creator is a digital book creation site offering the ability to add images, text, video, and more. Be sure to share student-created books on your class website or blog after publication.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Celebrating the Holidays with a Kid's Heart - Roxie Carroll - A Kids Heart
Grades
K to 4This site includes advertising.
tag(s): christmas (36), earth day (60), fall festival (6), hanukkah (12), holidays (172), july 4th (12), martin luther king (41), new years (5), preK (261), rosh hashanah (9), st patricks day (11), thanksgiving (24), valentines day (12), yom kippur (9)
In the Classroom
Need to find quick activities for a special holiday in your class? Find ready-made activities to use during center time, class celebrations, or special reward time on your interactive whiteboard. After school programs can easily use activities for all different interests during holiday times.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Year We Had Two Thanksgivings - Marist College
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): primary sources (118), roosevelt (12), thanksgiving (24)
In the Classroom
Use information from the article and documents as part of any lesson about Thanksgiving. Share the documents as part of a unit on primary resources. Print and share documents with students and challenge them to present an opposing point of view or write a reply from President Roosevelt. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare and contrast different points of view. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook "as" President Roosevelt or one of the writers of letters to the president.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The History of Thanksgiving and its Celebrations - Holidays on the Net
Grades
K to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): blogs (64), crafts (53), thanksgiving (24)
In the Classroom
Lead your students to this site filled with information. Research can determine the many myths and true information about Thanksgiving. Allow students to plan and make parts of their Thanksgiving feast. Find fun activities, crafts, decorations to make your celebration perfect with your students and families. Add at a center for timely fun information and research time. Link this to your class website or wiki for parent information and extensions at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Plimoth Plantation - Plimoth Plantation
Grades
3 to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): colonial america (93), pilgrims (12), thanksgiving (24)
In the Classroom
Change the commercial traditions of tradition and bring on a study of history. Fascinating worlds of primary resources are at your computer! Virtual field trips, historical sleuthing, genealogy, and so much more. Challenge your students to take a closer look and decide for themselves. Debate information lines the pages of this website. Have students keep a virtual journal about what they are learning (that is new to them) from Plimoth Plantation. Use an easy virtual journaling tool such as Penzu, reviewed here. With Penzu you can add images or your own artwork as illustrations. Study history not false information. Share this and other sections of the TeachersFirst Colonial America tour as part of your study of the colonies so students can see what these historic locations look like today.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Legends and Stories to Share for Thanksgiving - Apples 4 the Teacher
Grades
K to 6This site includes advertising.
tag(s): crafts (53), holidays (172), native americans (92), poetry (190), puzzles (143), reading lists (77), thanksgiving (24)
In the Classroom
Be prepared for the Thanksgiving holiday with the ones you are thankful for, your students! Enjoy the academic content and party ideas to make it the best Thanksgiving yet!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Plimoth Patuxet Museums Digital Resources - Plimoth.org
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): colonial america (93), native americans (92), pilgrims (12)
In the Classroom
Share this and other sections of the TeachersFirst Colonial America tour as part of your study of the colonies so students can see what these historic locations look like today.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Vocab-u-lous! - Education World
Grades
7 to 12Be aware: this site has several advertisements, some pop-up.
tag(s): sound (73), sounds (42), vocabulary (237)
In the Classroom
Just try to take the dictionaries away from your students when you project a Vocab-u-lous activity sheet on your whiteboard (or projector) or hand them the printable version of the worksheet. These are useful for SAT preparation and other tests that assess vocabulary, as well as building a strong vocabulary necessary for better reading comprehension and oral and written communication. When using this activity with a class set of computers, provide a link from your class web page to a reputable online dictionary. For additional practice, provide this link on your class website for students to access at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Thanksgiving Story - Wilstar
Grades
3 to 6Note - there is a link to a YouTube video midway through the information on the page, students may need to be cautioned that it isn't part of the activity.
tag(s): holidays (172), pilgrims (12), thanksgiving (24)
In the Classroom
Create a quiz for the information on this site using, Slido, reviewed here, and give it to your students before studying Thanksgiving to assess prior knowledge. Use the story page on an interactive whiteboard (or projector) for students to highlight key words and write a main idea sentence or do practice comprehension or notetaking skills during Thanksgiving season. Older students can read the site on their own at a classroom center and complete the quiz at the end of their session. After reading the story, ask students to write their own story from the perspective of one of the first Thanksgiving participants. Create a class book using their stories using a site such as Bookemon, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Thanksgiving Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): holidays (172), thanksgiving (24)
In the Classroom
Use these resources to connect Thanksgiving to your curriculum in almost any subject or select one or two ideas to highlight along with your regular lessons.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mayflower History - Caleb Johnson
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): genealogy (8), pilgrims (12), primary sources (118), thanksgiving (24)
In the Classroom
Only a visit to a far away museum could get any better than having the full-text primary sources which are available with a click on the left menu. Enhance student learning and bring the Mayflower experience to life with Fakebook, reviewed here. Have students set up fictitious Fakebook page and become one of the voyagers. Perhaps students could adopt a Mayflower 'ancestor' and write how they are alike or unlike by setting up two Fakebook pages. Around Thanksgiving, teachers may want to try some of the original recipes for an authentic Mayflower 'flavor' to their lesson plans.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Who Were The Pilgrims - Plimoth Plantation
Grades
1 to 6On the right side of the website, there is a list of other relevant topics (Thanksgiving, Growing Food, What to Wear, Playing and Learning, What's for Dinner, and several others).
tag(s): colonial america (93), pilgrims (12), thanksgiving (24)
In the Classroom
A teacher could use this website for research projects. Incorporate this website into your lessons on pilgrims, the Mayflower, and Thanksgiving. Use this site to help prepare for Colonial Days at your school.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Thanksgiving Day Vocabulary - Myvocabulary.com
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): thanksgiving (24), vocabulary (237)
In the Classroom
Share the puzzles on your interactive whiteboard or projector or make them available as links on your teacher public page. Have students (or groups) create their own illustrated dictionaries of terms using a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here. As you add more vocabulary lists during the year, have them select their favorite 6-10 terms from each list to add to their "book."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Facts for Features: Thanksgiving Day 2017 - U.S. Census Bureau
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): thanksgiving (24)
In the Classroom
Choose a statistic your students can estimate then use this site to help develop estimation and number sense--all in a holiday spirit. Gobble, Gobble! Perhaps create an infographic to display your favorite data. An interesting question to ask: what other data would you like to learn from the U.S. census the next time they do one?Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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You are the Historian Investigating the First Thanksgiving - Plimouth Plantation
Grades
2 to 6tag(s): pilgrims (12), thanksgiving (24)
In the Classroom
A complete teachers guide gives you ideas for using this resource in the classroom. Use a projector or interactive whiteboard to introduce the site, then assign students to complete the investigation in small groups or with a partner. You can spread the activity over several days at a computer cluster in your classroom or do it all at once in a lab.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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History of Thanksgiving - History Channel
Grades
3 to 6tag(s): holidays (172), pilgrims (12), thanksgiving (24)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a way to introduce the Thanksgiving holidays in a way that is both educational and fun for students. Share the site with students on the interactive whiteboard or projector. Examine the interesting facts for little known information, or bring up the document entitled "a Thanksgiving proclamation," found here. Use Read Ahead, reviewed here, with the document to help students understand the meaning in this text. Have students read the document aloud, in turns or by volunteers. The document will help students understand the actual v. the myth of Thanksgiving. The site can also be saved as a favorite on classroom computers to be used as a learning center if that method is more appropriate for your classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Activities for ESL Students - International TESL Journal
Grades
1 to 12In the Classroom
This site is excellent for ESL teachers looking for new ideas and activities to use in their classroom. During down-time, have students complete the grammar quizzes, at their respective levels, helping them practice English in a fun way.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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