Thanksgiving
3rd Grade
SS Unit
By: Alison McCartan
Table of Contents
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Connecting the Standards
History
History Activities
People in Societies
People in Societies Activities
Geography
Geography Activities
Economics
Economic Activities
Government
Government Activities
Citizenship Rights & Responsibilities
Citizenship Rights & Responsibilities Activities
Social Study Skills & Methods
Social Study Skills & Method Activities
Online Resources (student centered)
Online Resources (teacher)
Intervention
Reflection
How to Connect the Standards
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This lesson takes all the third grade content
standards and applies them with the various
lessons involved. The unit is on Thanksgiving
which can be applies in history, geography and
many more.
History
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Students use materials drawn from the
diversity of human experience to analyze and
interpret significant events, patterns and
themes in the history of Ohio, the United
States and the world.
History Activities
1. Discuss what the meaning of Thanksgiving is and where it
came from.
2. Draw what Thanksgiving, pilgrims and traditions mean to you.
3. Describe Thanksgiving, pilgrims and traditions using 5
adjectives
4. Use a time line to understand the time period that
Thanksgiving began
5. In a small group, compare the daily life of today to the time
Thanksgiving began. What are the changes?
6. Read a book to relate the lives of people from diverse
backgrounds. How did the Pilgrims contribute to the heritage
of the United States?
People in Societies
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Students use knowledge of perspectives,
practices and products of cultural, ethnic and
social groups to analyze the impact of their
commonality and diversity within local,
national, regional and global settings.
People in Societies Activities
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Read book on what the pilgrims used as tools
compared to today's equipment.
Discuss the result of the decision the Pilgrims
made to have a Thanksgiving.
How have people shaped our culture?
Using the internet look up the types of food
used in the first Thanksgiving.
Write two paragraphs explaining the cultural
practices of the Pilgrims.
Geography
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Students use knowledge of geographic
locations, patterns and processes to show the
interrelationship between the physical
environment and human activity.
Geography Activities
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Discuss and research where pilgrims use to live and
where they come from.
Learn the names and locations of pilgrims.
Create a map with the given worksheet, Blocks and
Lots Map- 4 pages
Use given map to show and explain where the
Pilgrims lived compared to where we do. (cardinal
direction, grid system)
Use the 3 aerial maps to give a presentation to the
class on the type of land where the Pilgrims lived.
Economics
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Students use economic reasoning skills and
knowledge of major economic concepts, issues
and systems in order to make informed choices
as producers, consumers, savers, investors,
workers and citizens in an interdependent
world.
Economics Activities
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How were things paid for back then? (internet)
Do lesson on “How we affect the earth”
Read the book River Ran Wild
Ask follow up questions - What happened to the
Nashua River? What were the causes of the
pollution? What effect did these events have on the
river? How did the river change throughout time?
Work as a whole class to determine the different types
of bodies of water and land forms.
Government
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Students use knowledge of the purposes,
structures and processes of political systems at
the local, state, national and international
levels to understand that people create systems
of government as structures of power and
authority to provide order, maintain stability
and promote the general welfare.
Government Activities
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Investigate using the internet and given books if the
Pilgrims had a government system.
Use SMARTboard with whole class to show their
findings.
Ask questions and have them write out one paragraph
each, how did their form of government affect their
life?
Read book on American Communities in History
What type of community was around for the first
Thanksgiving?
Citizenship Rights and
Responsibilities
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Students use knowledge of the rights and
responsibilities of citizenship in order to
examine and evaluate civic ideals and to
participate in community life and the American
democratic system.
Citizenship Rights and
Responsibilities Cont.
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Make a constitution for your classroom as a class.
Take a virtual tour of the world to investigate the
variety of communities.
Have students begin to construct a book on the
community they live in.
Using the internet, have students learn the levels of
the American government.
Have class discussion on how what they do affects
the environment.
Social Studies Skills and Methods
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Students collect, organize, evaluate and
synthesize information from multiple sources
to draw logical conclusions. Communicate this
information using appropriate terminology in
oral, written or multimedia form.
Social Studies Skills and Methods
Activities
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Students will develop an oral presentation on how the
environments and communities change over time.
Review and study the people that emerge into
societies through the years.
Use maps to analyze the physical features of land.
Use prediction practices to see how our activities
influence area.
Begin lesson plan on maps and globes.
Online Resources (student)
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Should You Really Celebrate Thanksgiving?
Fun craft ideas
Yahoo! Pictures- Thanksgiving
Online Resources (teacher)
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http://www.southerncenter.org/world_in_transi
tion.html
http://cybersleuthkids.com/sleuth/Education/Early_Childhood/S
ocial_Studies/index.htm
http://www.journal.naeyc.org/btj/200509/mind
es.asp
Intervention
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Review CUM records before Unit
Children with tracking problems need to have
one on one instruction on all websites.
Use manipulative for symbols on all maps
Reflection
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The students had fun learning about the first
Thanksgiving and where it originated from. I
would have liked to had more craft projects to
show that each child was actively engaged.
Towards the end of this project the students
suggested acting out a play for their grade
level. We are still working on it and will be
having it for our parents in two weeks.