Thanksgiving Mini Unit

THANKSGIVING MINI UNIT

Mini Unit – Thanksgiving Copyright Schoolio Learning Corp – www.schoolio.io 1 THANKSGIVING IN CANADA: A MINI UNIT

Mini Unit – Thanksgiving Copyright Schoolio Learning Corp – www.schoolio.io 2 Lesson 1 – Origins of Canadian Thanksgiving

Discussion:

How did Thanksgiving first come to be? ü Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated at a different time and for different reasons than Thanksgiving in the United States. ü Canadian Thanksgiving is actually much older than the American one!

Giving Thanks: ü Indigenous peoples had celebrated the fall harvest long before white settlers arrived in what is now Canada, but didn’t call it “Thanksgiving”. ü When white settlers arrived, they followed the practice of being thankful and celebrating the successful fall harvest that would help them survive the long, harsh Canadian winters.

Early Thanksgivings: ü In 1578, Sir Martin Frobisher sailed from England in search of the Northwest Passage.

▪ After his crew’s arrival in Nunavut (now Canada’s most northerly territory) Frobisher’s men gathered, ate, and took part in a Church of England service, where they gave thanks for surviving the journey, and finding this new, beautiful land.

▪ This early Canadian Thanksgiving kicked off with a Nunavut, Canada feast of biscuits, salt beef, and mushy peas!

Mini Unit – Thanksgiving Copyright Schoolio Learning Corp – www.schoolio.io 3

What is The Northwest Passage? The Northwest Passage was one of the most severe challenges of early maritime exploration! It was the search for a route by sea from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean through the Arctic Waters of what is now Northern Canada. It was a dangerous journey through the Arctic Archipelago, dodging tens of thousands of icebergs.

ü In 1604, a group of French settlers ignored warnings that winter ice would trap them on Île-Ste.-Croix, an island in the Bay of Fundy.

▪ They pressed forward and ended up isolated on the island for months; half of the group of settlers died of scurvy before being rescued by Indigenous Canadians.

▪ Those who survived moved to Port Royal in what is now Nova Scotia, where Samuel de Champlain mandated a series of feasts he called the Ordre de Bon Temps, or “Order of Good Cheer.”

▪ Designed to keep the settlers’ spirits up, the feasts kicked off with a Thanksgiving feast event in 1616 that included the Mi’kmaq people.

Mini Unit – Thanksgiving Copyright Schoolio Learning Corp – www.schoolio.io 4 Wild turkeys were an important source of protein for First Nations throughout North America. ü Specific peoples who hunted wild turkey include the Huron- Wendat, Haudenosaunee, Ojibwe and Potawatomi. ü Hunting methods differed from nation to nation; for example, the Huron- Wendat used snares and bows and arrows, while the Haudenosaunee relied on snares. ü Similarly, methods of preparation also varied. The Potawatomi pickled, then smoked, turkey meat, while other groups roasted, boiled or stewed the birds.

Over the years, Canada continued to observe occasional Thanksgivings to celebrate important events such as the end of the War of 1812.

Thanksgiving became a national affair (happening every year) in Canada starting in 1859

It wasn’t until 1957 that Canada’s parliament set the date as the second Monday in October, making Thanksgiving annual and national.

Though plenty of Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving, it isn’t a public holiday in three of our provinces: Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.

Practice Work: All About Thanksgiving

Mini Unit – Thanksgiving Copyright Schoolio Learning Corp – www.schoolio.io 5 All About Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in Canada is on the (circle): 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

______day in the month of ______.

This year it is on: ______.

Who was already celebrating the fall harvest long before European settlers arrived?

Indigenous Peoples French Settlers Samuel de Champlain

What was Sir Martin Frosbisher looking for when he celebrated his first Thanksgiving?

Nunavut Dictionary Discovery: What is an archipelago? The Northwest Passage ______

______Turkey

______

Mini Unit – Thanksgiving Copyright Schoolio Learning Corp – www.schoolio.io 6 Lesson 2 – Turkey Facts

Discussion: Male Wild Turkey How much do you know about turkeys? ü Size and Colour: ▪ Wild Turkeys are very large, plump birds with long legs, wide, rounded tails, and a small head on a long, slim neck. ▪ Turkeys are dark overall with a bronze-green iridescence to most of their plumage. Their wings are dark, boldly barred with white. Their rump and tail feathers are broadly tipped with rusty or white. The bare skin of the Female Wild Turkey head and neck varies from red to blue to gray.

ü Habitat: ▪ Wild Turkeys live in mature forests, particularly nut trees such as oak, hickory, or beech, interspersed with edges and fields. You may also see them along roads and in woodsy backyards. ü Diet: ▪ Turkeys are omnivores. They eat What Does That Mean? nuts, berries, insects and even small reptiles like lizards and snakes. Omnivore: an animal that eats both plants and meat. ü Behaviour: ▪ Turkeys travel in flocks. ▪ Turkeys search on the ground for nuts, berries, insects, and snails. They use their strong feet to scratch leaf litter out of the way.

Mini Unit – Thanksgiving Copyright Schoolio Learning Corp – www.schoolio.io 7 ▪ At night, turkeys fly up into trees to roost in groups. ▪ Male Wild Turkeys do not provide any care for young. Newly hatched chicks follow the female, who feeds them for a few days until they learn to find food on their own. As the chicks grow, they band into groups composed of several hens and their broods. ▪ Winter groups of wild turkeys sometimes exceed 200 turkeys.

Did you know….?

ü Turkeys have a hierarchy: What Does That Mean? ▪ Turkeys have a very strict social pecking order Hierarchy: a system in which established at a very young age. people are ranked one above the Once the order is established, it other according to status or doesn’t change for their whole authority. lives together as a flock! ▪ Young male turkeys engage in a grueling two-hour battle of intense sparring. The winner gains alpha male status and the right to bully the losing turkey for as long as it lives.

ü Turkeys could be triathletes!

▪ Wild turkeys can fly short distances at 40 to 50 miles an hour.

▪ Wild turkeys can also run 12 miles an hour and, completing the triathlon…

▪ They are actually good swimmers. They move through the water by tucking their wings in close, spreading their tails, and kicking.

Mini Unit – Thanksgiving Copyright Schoolio Learning Corp – www.schoolio.io 8 ü The Wild Turkey is one of only two domesticated birds native to the New World (the other is the Muscovy Duck). ü Turkey fossils have been unearthed across the southern United States and Mexico, some of them dating from more than 5 million years ago!

Media Recommendation: A Swimming Turkey- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rbj_gWdhrs Turkey Sounds- https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wild_Turkey/sounds

Practice Work: This is a Turkey

Mini Unit – Thanksgiving Copyright Schoolio Learning Corp – www.schoolio.io 9 This Is A Turkey

Write some facts you learned about turkeys in the boxes, then colour the turkey! Fact #1: Fact #2:

Fact #3: Fact #4:

Mini Unit – Thanksgiving Copyright Schoolio Learning Corp – www.schoolio.io 10 Lesson 3 – Let’s Talk Turkey

Discussion:

Have you ever heard the saying, “talk turkey”? What does that mean? ü Today the term 'talk turkey' means to discuss something frankly and practically. ü When someone 'talks turkey' they get to the point. ü The term often refers to settling a business deal and discussing money or payments.

The origin of “talk turkey” isn’t completely clear but seems to come from colonial times. Historical accounts suggest the phrase came about from the day-to-day bartering between colonists and Indigenous peoples over wild turkeys.

Practice Work: Let’s Talk Turkey

Mini Unit – Thanksgiving Copyright Schoolio Learning Corp – www.schoolio.io 11 Let’s Talk Turkey

Choose the questions that best fit your student’s age and grade level.

1.

+ =

2. + =

3. Shaquille is helping to set the table for Thanksgiving Dinner. There are four people in his family, and his aunt, uncle, and 3 cousins are coming for dinner, and so are his two grandparents. For how many people should he set the table?

4. If Thanksgiving is on October 12 and Halloween is on October 31, how many days are left until Halloween on Thanksgiving Day?

5. A wild turkey is approximately 100cm long. If there are 6 turkeys all in a row, how many centimeters long would they be?

6. If 100cm is 1m, how many meters would the answer to #5 be in total?

Mini Unit – Thanksgiving Copyright Schoolio Learning Corp – www.schoolio.io 12 7. The turkey needs to bake for 4 hours and Jaymee’s dad puts it in the oven at 1:00. The pie needs to bake for 90 minutes. What time should Jaymee put the pie in the oven so that everything is ready at the same time?

Mini Unit – Thanksgiving Copyright Schoolio Learning Corp – www.schoolio.io 13 Lesson 4 – My Thanksgiving

Discussion:

All families are different with their own special traditions, culture, beliefs, and family history.

Not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving as a holiday but even among those who do, their traditions and celebrations may look very different.

Today we’re going to look at how you and your family experience Thanksgiving!

Practice Work: My Thanksgiving

Mini Unit – Thanksgiving Copyright Schoolio Learning Corp – www.schoolio.io 14 My Thanksgiving

All About Me A Picture of Me on Thanksgiving:

My Name is: ______

I am ______years old.

My Favourites

Colour: ______

Food: ______

Animal: ______

Best Friend: ______

My Thanksgiving

I spend Thanksgiving in this place: ______

______

I spend Thanksgiving with these people: ______

______

On Thanksgiving we eat these foods: ______

______

On Thanksgiving we do these special activities: ______

Mini Unit – Thanksgiving Copyright Schoolio Learning Corp – www.schoolio.io 15 Lesson 5 – Giving Thanks

Discussion:

What do you have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving? You can probably think of a lot of things! ü Family ü Friends ü Pets ü Sports/Hobbies/Activities ü School or Homeschool ü Safety ü Health ü Warmth ü Food ü Love

We are going to make a craft today that combines art with gratitude!

Activity: Thanksgiving Wreath

Mini Unit – Thanksgiving Copyright Schoolio Learning Corp – www.schoolio.io 16 Thanksgiving Wreath

1. Cut out as many leaves from the templates as you wish. Use colourful construction paper or colour them with markers or paint with paints.

2. On each leaf write something you are thankful for this Thanksgiving.

3. Attach the leaves together in a circle.

4. Use a piece of string to make a hanging loop at the top.

5. Add any other decorations you’d like (feathers, beads, stickers, etc.)

Mini Unit – Thanksgiving Copyright Schoolio Learning Corp – www.schoolio.io 17 Templates

Mini Unit – Thanksgiving Copyright Schoolio Learning Corp – www.schoolio.io 18