I've heard from many people over the years that Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday. It is definitely one of my favorites too and I try to find different ways to approach talking and reading about it in the library.
1st Grade and Thanksgiving
I start off this class by asking students if they have ever watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade themselves - either on TV or in person in New York City. Then we read this picture book biography of Tony Sarg, the puppeteer who imagined and created the giant balloons for the parade. Finally, students have a chance to draw a picture of the balloon they would make. I love the wild ideas that 1st graders come up with - the lions and tigers and dragons, the volcanos and tornadoes and, of course, the wide variety of Pokemon characters.
2nd Grade and Thanksgiving
Despite the fact that cranberries are grown right here in Massachusetts, I never really knew much about how they are cultivated and harvested. This book got me thinking about cranberries and since I think of them as an essential part of the Thanksgiving meal I developed an entire class around them. We start off by discussing what foods do we eat at Thanksgiving that were eaten at the original Thanksgiving... turkey, pumpkin and cranberries are at the top of that list. We read the book and then watch a short video about the cranberry harvest in Massachusetts. We finish up with students taking a quick survey - putting a colored stickie on their favorite cranberry food. Cranberry muffins usually beats out cranberry sauce, juice and dried cranberries.
4th Grade and Thanksgiving
This is my personal favorite. I have been doing this lesson with 4th graders since this book came out. First of all, the book is hilarious and is written in a way that grabs and holds on to everyone's attention. Then it brings up the wonderful concept of writing to the President of the United States about an issue that is important to you. We read the book and then students write letters to the President. I always mail them and usually sometime in December we get a big envelop back from The White House which is always so exciting.
However you celebrate it and whatever you are eating this Thanksgiving, I wish you a wonderful holiday.
Read On!
-Ms. J.
