A Free Thanksgiving Unit Study

A Free Thanksgiving Unit Study using a Charlotte Mason approach

Now I know, at this time of year, you can find these ALL over the internet. Chances are, you have already got at least one.  But when I went looking, the ones I found didn't quite satisfy me. You see, my sons are nine and twelve, both are 'demanding' (to say the least!) when it comes to educational materials and keeping them interested and excited requires not sticking with old and constantly rehashed materials.

So... here is what I have put together. If you find it useful, please let me know :) 

1) We begin by filling out this little KWL diagram... I am always surprised at what my children know. They seem to gather information out of the air...

2) Everyone begins studying Thanksgiving with the Indians and the Pilgrims but when did it actually become an 'American' holiday? --Though George Washington did proclaim November 26 'a day of public thanksgiving and prayer', this did not lead to a national holiday.  It was President Abraham Lincoln who established the holiday on the final Thursday of the month of November as an official holiday on October 3rd, 1863.(This was changed to the second to last Thursday in 1939 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt -- who caused quite an uproar when he did so. See Here for that story.)  Here is a link to the speech that he made. As we follow the Charlotte Mason method, my sons and I will be reading and learning this, then using it for recitation, dictation, and copywork. ( I have included copywork for both Lincoln's speech and the Giving Thanks prayer in this Dropbox folder collection.)

3) For Handicrafts I found the following SITE which has some wonderful videos including how to make wreaths, scarecrows, and cards. It also has Thanksgiving recipes if, like mine, your children plan to help cook Thanksgiving day dinner.

4) And speaking of Thanksgiving recipes -- HERE is the site where we are finding some of our favorites. The Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond has some lovely recipes and my sons are mad about cooking. Cooking is where we get a lot of our math done -- but it also a place to learn how to work cooperatively, as a team. We add Chemistry to our cooking by using the American Chemical Website's Thanksgiving Food and Chemistry

5) For grammar fun, I found the following SITE where kids can create a 'wacky Thanksgiving story' with the various parts of speech.

6) And for those of you with kids into the 'ick' factor -- HERE is a little science to spice up your Thanksgiving... A Buggy Thanksgiving. (Wink!)

7) Of course, history is incorporated throughout this study, but if you want to make this even more 'authentic' for your children, here is a SITE where they can learn the 'jargon' of the Pilgrims. Wouldn't it be fun to speak a little differently on Thanksgiving Day?

8) And, if you want to include truly beautiful Native American element in your Thanksgiving celebration, I recommend these two items:
s

Find the classroom guide that accompanies this truly amazing poem/prayer HERE

HERE is another lesson plan for the book from Reading Rainbow.

HERE is the prayer/poem if you cannot get ahold of the book.

HERE is a link to the Scholastic Video of the book.

HERE is a biography of the author along with some interesting information about his tribe. Chief Jake Swamp was a member of the Haudenosaunee Nations, known to most people as the Mohawk Indians. For more on this group of people, look HERE.

o

HERE is the author's website. Joseph Bruchac, a member of the Abenaki Tribe (Upper N.Y.), is one of the most prolific authors of Native American literature today.

HERE is a lesson plan related specifically to his 'Circle of Thanks'

HERE is a bibliography of materials on Native American Thanksgivings.

9) And finally, if you feel you need to cover the more traditional Thanksgiving materials, look HERE for information on the 1621 celebration, approached from the perspective of 'becoming an historian'.

So... with more than enough to fill the days between now and Thanksgiving day itself, I hope you have a wonderful time with your family and friends.