The History of
a unit study for kindergarten
Caroline Allen The History Of Thanksgiving Unit Study
This is a unit study that I have put together for my own Kindergarten age daughter, and wanted to share it with you! I’ve used lots of online resources and library books for this unit study. If you don’t have a book listed, just try to find one on the same topic.
Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time to stop our regular school work, and take a week to remember the Pilgrims and the sacrifices they made in coming to America.
I hope you enjoy this unit study as much as we will!
Caroline Allen The Modest Mom Blog Deborah & Co.
Books used in this Unit Study
...If You Sailed On The Mayflower in 1620 by Ann McGovern The Story of the Pilgrims by Katharine Ross On The Mayflower by Kate Waters The Three Young Pilgrims by Cheryl Harness Day One
{Read the following paragraphs aloud to your child}
“We are going to learn about the Pilgrims. Do you know who they are? That’s right! They were the people who came to America a long time ago, and every Thanksgiving we stop and remember the sacrifices they made so we could live in this great land.
400 years ago the people who became known as the Pilgrims lived in Scrooby England. They wanted to have freedom to worship God the way they believed God wanted them to, instead of the way King James wanted them to worship.
Today we are going to learn some new things about the Pilgrims and who they were.”
1. Read “...If You Sailed On The Mayflower in 1620”, pages 10-13 about who the Pilgrims were. Ask them at the end if they remember what year the Pilgrims first were called (separatists) and if they remember what year they went to Holland (1608).
2. Print off the Pilgrim paper dolls. If you want your child to color them, choose the black and white version and give them to your child to color. Then glue the outfits on the body, and your child has pilgrim paper dolls to play with!
3. Writing Practice - Create a Thanksgiving Vocabulary Book. Write in the missing words and then let the child draw pictures on each page if they want. 4. Math - Print (and laminate if you can) the Thanksgiving Match Game. Play it with your child as good practice for matching up items and remembering where they are. Talk about how two of each thing makes a pair.
5. Music - You will be learning a song called “The First Thanksgiving”, which is sung to the tune of “The Muffin Man”. Each day you will learn a new verse, so at the end of the week you will have the whole song learned! This would be perfect for singing at your family’s Thanksgiving dinner!
Here is the first verse
The First Thanksgiving (Tune: The Muffin Man) Source
The Pilgrims came to America America, America. The Pilgrims came to America a long, long time ago. Day Two
{Read the following paragraphs aloud to your child}
“The Pilgrims went on a big ship called the Mayflower. There were 120 Pilgrims, and lots of chickens and goats, and even some dogs and a cat! I’m sure the children were excited but also scared to go on a long trip on this great big boat. They had to trust that God would see them safely to America.
The Mayflower was not a fancy boat like you see today. It was not even built for carrying passengers – it was really supposed to carry cargo. On the boat it was wet, cold, dark, and very crowded. A lot of people became sick on the trip.
Today we are going to learn more about the Mayflower and see how different it was from the boats we use today.”
1. Read “On The Mayflower” aloud. Ask them how they would feel if they had to work as hard as Will did. What are some things that Ellen did on the trip to stay busy? How many days did it take until they saw land? (65 days)
2. Read “….If you Sailed On The Mayflower in 1620” pages 14-30 and discuss what you have learned.
3. Watch a video on the Mayflower boat.
4. Craft - Make a Mayflower boat! This is so easy to do, and children love to paint! 5. Math - Use the first page of the Mayflower Math Page. Most kindergarten age children will need manipulatives to help them get the answers correct.
6. Music - Sing the first two verses of “The First Thanksgiving Song”.
The First Thanksgiving (Tune: The Muffin Man) Source
The Pilgrims came to America America, America. The Pilgrims came to America a long, long time ago.
They Sailed on the Mayflower the Mayflower, the Mayflower. They sailed on the Mayflower a long, long time ago. Day Three
{Read the following paragraph aloud to your child}
“It was not easy getting to America. Sickness was common back then, as they did not have the knowledge of how to keep clean, and the doctors did not know nearly as much as they do now. That meant that some adults and children died from being so sick. Some of the Pilgrim children were left without a mommy or a daddy. We are going to read today about the struggles the Pilgrims went through, but how they rejoiced through the trials and kept trusting God.”
1. Read aloud “The Three Young Pilgrims”. Discuss how hard the trip was, the trials that came, but how they kept trusting God through it all.
2. Watch a video on the Pilgrims online.
3. Craft- Make a Pilgrim bonnet or a Pilgrim hat!
4. Math - Print off the Pilgrim color by number picture.
5. Music - Sing the first three verses of the “The First Thanksgiving Song”.
The First Thanksgiving (Tune: The Muffin Man) Source
The Pilgrims came to America America, America. The Pilgrims came to America a long, long time ago. They Sailed on the Mayflower the Mayflower, the Mayflower. They sailed on the Mayflower a long, long time ago.
They made friends with the Indians The Indians, the Indians. They made friends with the Indians a long, long time ago. Day Four
{Read the following paragraph aloud to your child}
“How would you feel if you were on a boat for over 2 months? That is a long time! Think about not being able to go to the park, or run to the grocery store whenever you needed something. I imagine that they were very happy when they finally arrived in America! Let’s read about what they did once they arrived.”
1. Read aloud “…If You Sailed On the Mayflower in 1620” pages 32-44. Discuss all the various things they had to do, like wash clothes and find food.
2. Print off a Thanksgiving coloring picture and color.
3. Math - Select a math lesson from the Montessori Inspired Math Activities website.
4. Handwriting - Trace over the scripture verse from Thessalonians on giving thanks.
5. Music - Sing the first four verses of “The First Thanksgiving Song”.
The First Thanksgiving (Tune: The Muffin Man) Source
The Pilgrims came to America America, America. The Pilgrims came to America a long, long time ago. They Sailed on the Mayflower the Mayflower, the Mayflower. They sailed on the Mayflower a long, long time ago.
They made friends with the Indians The Indians, the Indians. They made friends with the Indians a long, long time ago.
They planted seeds. The corn grew tall The corn grew tall. The corn grew tall. They planted seeds. The corn grew tall a long, long time ago. Day Five
{Read the following paragraph aloud to your child}
“The Pilgrims went without a lot of food until they finally learned how to plant gardens and hunt for their food. The Indians were very helpful in teaching them how to plant a garden in a special way so the crops would grow right. One Indian in particular was a friend to the Pilgrims. He also showed them how to find food in the forest and how to catch fish. Today we are going to learn who this Indian was, and read more about the first Thanksgiving.”
1. Read “The Story of the Pilgrims” aloud. Talk about what the Pilgrims would have done if Squanto had not come and helped them. Who sent Squanto to help the Indians? God had a special plan for these people and wanted them to survive and build a new land!
2. Read “...If You Sailed On The Mayflower In 1620”, pages 73-80. Talk about the food they ate at the first Thanksgiving dinner. What kind of food will you have at your Thanksgiving dinner?
3. Craft - Print off the Indian Paper Dolls and color. Glue the outfits on to the dolls and let your child play with the Pilgrims and Indians together! You could even create a skit and perform for the entire family.
4. Math - Turkey Addition
5. End your Unit Study making a Family Blessing Tree. This should involve the entire family. It is a simple craft, but one that will help you stop and remember how thankful you are, and the many blessings you have been given!
6. Music - Learn the last verse of the “First Thanksgiving song”. The First Thanksgiving (Tune: The Muffin Man) Source
The Pilgrims came to America America, America. The Pilgrims came to America a long, long time ago.
They Sailed on the Mayflower the Mayflower, the Mayflower. They sailed on the Mayflower a long, long time ago.
They made friends with the Indians The Indians, the Indians. They made friends with the Indians a long, long time ago.
They planted seeds. The corn grew tall The corn grew tall. The corn grew tall. They planted seeds. The corn grew tall a long, long time ago.
They had a great Thanksgiving feast Thanksgiving feast, Thanksgiving feast. They had a great Thanksgiving feast a long, long time ago.