Thanksgiving Themed Learning in Kindergarten
I’ll admit it, I have been doing those old fashioned thanksgiving projects for years. You know the ones: paper headbands and vest, thanksgiving feasts, making paper teepees... We are all on a journey of learning how to be more culturally responsible, and for me last year was when decided it was time to move to something more authentic, and, well… factual.
I wanted to do better for my students and expose them to information and learning opportunities that would allow them to experience what it was really like for Settlers and Native America children during the first Thanksgiving. In the end, after searching lots of products and reading countless articles, I decided to do activities that allowed my little learners to experience hands-on authentic skills such as writing their alphabet with quill pens, making paper quilts, planting corn, constructing finger bows (made from rubber bands and straws), and stitching paper clothing depicting the traditional clothes worn during this time in history, and foods they ate such turkey.
Build a Shelter STEM Challenge
One basic need that all people share is shelter. Creating shelters to protect from the elements was a problem common to both the Settlers and the Wampanoag. My student engaged in a small group STEM challenge where they attempted to create a model of their own shelter.
To begin the activity, we read books and watched videos to see how people in the past built shelter and we began to brainstorm ideas of what the students could build.
Next we explored our available materials. I provided foam bases, pipe cleaners, bundles of twigs, ribbon that looked and felt like tree bark, small boxes, tongue depressors, popsicle sticks, and lots of glue! The students
The students worked on their shelters for a week, tinkering and improving as they went. The students then worked to create homes from trees as made by the settlers.
Wampanoag Beads
Wampanoag wore beads fashioned from two kinds of shells. White beads were made from the whelk: a sea snail with a spiral shape. Purple beads were made from the quahog, a clam with purple and white coloring. The clams were harvested in the summer, their meat consumed, and the shells were then worked into beads. Wampum beads were difficult to make. Drilling (with stones) could shatter the clam and the dust from the drilling contained silica that cut up lungs if inhaled. Water was used to limit the dust. The shells were ground and polished into small tubes with a stone drill called a puckwhegonnautick. They were placed on strings made of plant fiber or animal tendon and woven into belts, necklaces, headpieces, bracelets, earrings—a variety of adornments depending on the status of the wearer. We made our own beads out of clay and turned them into necklaces.
You will find dozens of great activities in our Thanksgiving Thematic Unit and supporting products. Click on the links below.
Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
Product Description
Thanksgiving Activities for every area of your curriculum.
The perfect cross-curricular Thanksgiving Theme Unit celebrating the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people that worked through conflicts to celebrate a day of thankfulness.
Are you looking for successful tried and tested activities that will thrill the students in your classroom or homeschool setting.
This Thanksgiving unit is strategically linked to Core Standards! It is divided into areas of literature, media, music, art, literacy activities, math activities, worksheets, science activities, creative writing, word wall words, and guided reading. The activities are clearly written, easy to use, and need limited amounts of preparation.
Literacy Activities:
Hop To It: Identifying Letters and Sounds
Hop To It: Reading CVC Words
Turkey Lurkey: Producing and Generating Rhymes.
Turkey Twist: Kinesthetic Practice With Letter Recognition
Dinner Rush: Naming & Generating Beginning Sounds
Thanksgiving Races: Developing Fluency
Rhyming Worksheet
Math Activities:
Turkey Guesses: Making Estimates
A Feast For All: Counting Objects to Show Physical Representation of Numbers
Thanksgiving Feast: Counting Forward From a Given Number in a Set of 10
The Turkey Dance: Identifying Numbers and Recording Results.
Thanksgiving Parade: Ordering 1-10 Ten Frames
The Turkey Bowl: Comparing Groups of Objects
Songs
Gobble Gobble Gobble
5 Fat Turkeys
I Like Turkey
A Very Fine Turkey
The River is Flowing
Rock a Bye Baby
Writing Prompts/Word Wall (Style Choices)
Thanksgiving
I am Thankful For
Thanksgiving Vocabulary Word Wall
Art Projects
Handprint Turkey
Easy Construct Pilgrim
Draw a Turkey
Guided Reading Books
Happy Thanksgiving
Social Studies
Pilgrim Kids: Compare and Contrast Facts
Wampanoag Kids Compare and Contrast
Native American Cultures and Social Study Ideas
© Kathy Crane Kindergarten Kiosk
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And be sure to check out our great theme supporting supplements.
Also Available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
Product Description
Writing Center For Thanksgiving
Help young children become writers by having a writing center that is filled with learning activities that are easy to set-up and change! Both you and your students will love the predictability of these writing center activities.
Vocabulary cards for this packet include
Thanksgiving Words:
November, pie, hat, apple, cornucopia, Indians, Native Americans, pilgrim, pumpkin, turkey, family, football, leaves.
Contents include:
Can Have Are Labels & Worksheets
Thanksgiving Write a Story Task Card
Write a Story Worksheets
Label-It Task Card
Label-It Student Worksheets
Make a List Task Card
Make a List Student Worksheet
Make a List Word Wall
Write The Room Task Card- Sight Words
Write the Room Word Cards
Write the Room Task Card- Alphabet
Write the Room Word Cards
Write the Room Worksheets
Backwards Words Task Card
Backwards Words Worksheets
Backwards Word Word Cards
QR Words/Letters Task Card
QR Words/Letters Worksheets
QR Sight Words
QR Alphabet Letters
© Kathy Crane Kindergarten Kiosk
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Writing Center Little Red Riding Hood Themed Writing Activities
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Product Description
Turkey Research and Report Let's Talk Turkey
Turkeys are fascinating birds. Help your students learn more by conducting a digital research study on turkeys. This activity will be a great companion to your November Thanksgiving studies.
Contents Include
Turkey Research Have Can Are Live
Turkey Diagram
Turkey Report
Turkey Guided Drawing
Completed Turkey Report Book
© Kathy Crane Kindergarten Kiosk
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Thanksgiving Themed Writing Activities
Fall Writing Activities for Preschool
Alphabet and Sight Word Cards for November
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Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
This Harvest unit; pumpkins, potatoes, corn, apples and more is classroom tested. The Harvest Unit is divided into areas of literature, media, music, art, literacy activities, math activities, worksheets, science activities, creative writing, word wall words, and guided reading. The activities are clearly written, easy to use, and need limited amounts of preparation.
Literacy Activities:
Pumpkin Rhymes: Producing Rhyming Words
Harvesting Spuds: Identifying Uppercase Letters
Harvest ABC Train: Letter Identification
The Country Store: Clapping Syllables
Pumpkin Letters: Writing Alphabet Letters
Math Activities:
Ordering Baskets: Ordering objects from least to greatest.
Harvest Sorting: Sorting potatoes or apples into groups
Harvest Balancing: Experimenting with a balance
Number Bingo: Identifying the numbers 0-12
Patterns Worksheet
Writing Prompts/Word Wall
Label-It: Pumpkin
Pumpkins
Photo Harvest Word Wall Words
Guided Reading Books
The Pumpkin
Science
Pumpkin Report: Recording Observations
Art Projects
Potato People
Potato Truck Portfolio Page
Construct Pumpkin
Pumpkin Puppet
Songs
One Potato
I Like Potatoes
The Pumpkin Patch
Poof
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