Thanksgiving 2009 Lesson Plan

Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day, presently celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, has been an annual tradition in the United States since 1863. Thanksgiving was historically a religious observation to give thanks to God, but was established as a secular federal holiday in 1941.

The first Thanksgiving was celebrated, in 1621, to give thanks to God for helping the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony (today Plymouth, Massachusetts) survive the brutal winter. The first Thanksgiving feast lasted three days providing enough food for 53 pilgrims and 90 Native Americans. The feast consisted of fowl, venison, fish, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin, and squash. William Bradford's (Plymouth governor) note that, "besides waterfowl, there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many," probably gave rise to the American tradition of turkey at Thanksgiving.

- Wikipedia

Lesson Plan Information
Title: What happend at the "First Thanksgiving"?
Objectives:To understand:
- the facts and myths that surround the First Thanksgiving in 1621 at Plimoth Colony.
- historical research methods
Concepts: Thanksgiving, colony, Pilgrims, Plimoth, Plymouth, Wampanoag
Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8
Subject: U.S. History / Holidays
Materials: Access to the Internet.
Handouts: "Investigating the First Thanksgiving" Quiz
Time Needed: Two 50-minute class periods
Provided by: EducationWorld.com, Submitted by Gary Hopkins
Link: http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/dailylp/dailylp/dailylp029.shtml

 

John F. Kennedy was Assassinated - November 22, 1963

Lesson Plan Information
Title: The life and times of president John F. Kennedy
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will:
- Understand the values that Joseph and Rose Kennedy instilled in their children.
- Identify reasons why we remember JFK today.
- Consider the effects of family culture, environment and community on personality.
Grade Level: 6-12
Subject: US history 20th Century
Handouts: Map of John F. Kennedy National Historic Site in Brookline, Massachusetts; readings; photographs; health document.
Time Needed: Two 50-minute class periods
Provided by: U.S. National Park Service
Link: http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/33jfk/33jfk.htm

Abraham Lincoln Was Elected President of the United States - November 6, 1860

Abraham Lincoln successfully led his country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery.

- Wikipedia

Lesson Plan Information
Title: Abraham Lincoln on Slavery and Race
Objectives: Students will:
- examine letters and speeches of Abraham Lincoln in order to understand Lincoln’s position on slavery.
- understand the connection between the historical context and Lincoln’s views.
- understand the influence of race on politics in the antebellum era.
Grade Level: High School, Grades 10-12
Subject: American History / Social Sciences
Materials: Access to the Internet.
Time Needed: Two 50-minute class periods
Provided by: History Now (Author: Roberta McCutcheon)
Link: http://www.historynow.org/12_2005/lp1.html

Halloween 2009 Lesson Plan

Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Celtic tradition and the Christian holy day of All Saints, but is today largely a secular celebration. Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes and attending costume parties, carving jack-o'-lanterns, ghost tours, bonfires, visiting haunted attractions, pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films.

- Wikipedia

Lesson Plan Information
Title: The History of Halloween
Objectives: Students will learn about the origins of the Halloween holiday.
Concepts / Vocabulary: Relic, Secular
Grade Level: 6-9
Subject: Social Studies / Holidays
Materials: Plastic bowls, Halloween stuffed animals and figures, peeled grapes, a head of cabbage, a big carrot, Halloween candy, Halloween scary music and a stereo.
Handouts: History of Halloween flowchart, ghost story.
Time Needed: 45 minutes
Provided by: Educator's Reference Desk (Author: Tiffany Bender)
Year: 2002
Link: http://www.eduref.org/Virtual/Lessons/Social_Studies/Holidays/SSH0201.html

Jonathan Swift, The author of Gulliver's Travels, Died

Jonathan Swift (1667 – 1745) was a prominent Anglo-Irish satirist, best known for his famed novel Gulliver's Travels.
- Wikipedia

Lesson Plan Information
Title: Gulliver's Travels
Objectives: Students will understand Jonathan Swift's, and other authors', attitude towards undesirable outcomes of advances in science.
Vocabulary: abstraction, bizarre, nepotism, perspective, satirist
Grade Level: 9-12
Subject: Literature
Materials: Poster or display board, markers, glue, paste, tape; biographical reference works about writers.
Time Needed: Two class periods
Provided by: Discovery Education, authors: Kirsten Rooks and Mary McLean
Link: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/gulliver/#

Columbus Day 2009 Lesson Plan

Columbus Day is the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas, which occurred on October 12, 1492.

- Wikipedia

Lesson Plan Information
Title: Columbus Day (Native American Perspective)
Objectives: Students will:
- recognize how Columbus' discoveries effected the Native Americans.
- write a story about Columbus' first step on American ground from the Native American point of view.
Grade Level: 4-5
Subject: Columbus Day / Native Americans
Materials: Christopher Columbus book, stamps, reader's theater, map of the world, water colors, paint brushes, glue
Handouts: Reader's theater
Time Needed: 1 week
Provided by: TeacherLINK @ Utah State University (Author: Jamie Huggard)
Link: http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/Byrnes-celebrations/columbus.html

German Unity Day 2009

The Day of German Unity is a national holiday in Germany, celebrated on 3 October, which commemorates the anniversary of German reunification in 1990. Each year, there is a Citizens' Festival (German: Bürgerfest) on that day in addition to the traditional celebrations at Berlin.

- Wikipedia

Lesson Plan Information
Title: Has the Wall Truly Tumbled Down?
Objectives: Exploring the Destruction of the Berlin Wall and the Invisible Barriers that Remain
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subject: World History, Social Studies
Materials:
- Student journals
- Robert Frost poem "Mending Wall",
- Copies of "Haphazardly, Berlin Wall Fell a Decade Ago"
- Computers with access to the Internet.
Provided by: The New York Times Learning Network; Author: Alison Zimbalist.
Link: http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/1999/11/10/has-the-wall-truly-tumbled-down/