Following an online activity, scholars complete a Grafitti Wall in which small groups write words and phrases on chart paper pertaining to Pilgrims, the Mayflower, and Thanksgiving. Pupils perform a close reading then answer a series of...

After completing an online activity about the Mayflower, scholars draw a picture about what they know of the Thanksgiving holiday, including a one-sentence summary. A reading of If You Were at the First Thanksgiving by Anne Kamma is...

A great ESL lesson focuses on Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims, and the Mayflower. Printable versions of the Mayflower, a Thanksgiving booklet, a Pilgrim house pattern, and links to other free sites that offer all sorts of Thanksgiving...

Imagine living in the hold of a sailing ship for 63 days, enduring rough seas and autumn storms. As part of a study of the voyage of the Mayflower, class members examine an online resource that details life about the ship, watch a slide...

Two slide shows, viewed side-by-side, permit middle schoolers to compare and contrast the lives of the Pilgrims of the Plimoth colony and the Wampanoags. Four videos take learners on virtual field trips to the Plymouth plantation. And an...

The tradition of the First Thanksgiving is really a story of immigration. Connect the feelings and customs of the early Pilgrims to the experiences of the immigrants in your class with an introduction to the 13 colonies, the Mayflower,...

Scholars examine the first Thanksgiving through books and interviews while they complete a KWL chart. Pretending they are part of the feast, learners craft a scrapbook page that features images related to their experience. Pupils reflect...

Students explore the Pilgrims and the Mayflower Compact. They practice these concepts by examining the school rules.

Fourth graders investigate the hardships Pilgrims faced on the Mayflower and Speedwell. In this Pilgrim instructional activity, 4th graders listen to an account of the Pilgrim's voyage from Plymouth, England to present day Massachusetts....

Students create a model of the Mayflower. In this early childhood lesson plan, students engage in dramatic play while reenacting the Pilgrims and the Mayflower. Students listen as the instructor reads On the Mayflower by Kate Waters.

Second graders use a meter tape to compare the length of the Mayflower to a basketball court and make homemade butter for crackers. Afterward, all students sit inside the makeshift Mayflower's dimensions and enjoy their Pilgrim butter.

Students build a miniature replica of the Mayflower. They make the boat float in a cup of water while studying the concept of gift giving on Feast Day.

Students discover the importance and history behind the Thanksgiving feast. Using walnut shells and toothpicks, they construct models of the Mayflower and simulate giving them to the Native Americans for helping the Pilgrims survive.

Students examine the main goal of the Pilgrims and the first amendment of the Constitution. They read and discuss "The Mayflower Compact," role-play excerpts of the reading, and write a journal entry.

Fifth graders write journal entries and a story based on the Mayflower era. They identify the roles of both the Pilgrims and Wampanoags in their writings.

First graders summarize similarities and differences of life in England and America for the Pilgrims by reading a mini-book. Then, they write a journal entry in first person on what it is like to be a pilgrim in England and in America....

Students examine the characteristics of a pilgrim. They discover what it was like traveling on the Mayflower as well. They create their own Mayflowers and share them with the class.

Spark some lively conversation about American holiday traditions and debunk accepted notions about the first Thanksgiving at the same time. After reviewing the mainstream version of the Thanksgiving story with your class, offer some...

Students read historical documents. In this freedom instructional activity, students discuss the freedoms they have, such as whom to play with at recess, and how the pilgrims must have felt when they landed in America. Students read The...

Class members use the Internet to research the history of Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada, as well as the traditions surrounding the Thanksgiving-style celebrations of the Hebrews, the Chinese, and in Ancient Greece and Rome.

Students gain a deeper understanding of what the early colonists experienced in search of a new life in America while giving them a taste of historical methodology. This is an engaging way to assess what your students know about the...

The Pilgrims may have arrived in North America by way of the Mayflower, but chances are, your class members' ancestors came to the United States in another way. Guide them through an exploration of their own heritage, countries of...

Students examine the facts and myths that surround the "First Thanksgiving" (the harvest celebration of 1621) at Plimoth Colony. They study the role that historians play in the collection and dissemination of history and use their...

Third graders access information from a website about the Pilgrims trip on the Mayflower and discuss the number of people on the ship and the time they spent on the ship. They draw, label and measure the Mayflower to perspective.