Great Classroom Ideas for Celebrating This Holiday

There are so many different writing projects you can do; it is pretty much endless. You can go on and on with the concept of thankfulness of the students. It comes down to giving them activities that let them explore what they value in the world. This may require them to look inside themselves and their daily activities. This can be brought about with prompts, but it comes out quickly when teachers share their own thoughts with their students. Tell them what you covenant and why. You can also make this a mini activity by having them create a Wall of Appreciation which could be as simple as a stick note describing these things.

Crafts are obvious for just about every holiday but writing prompts that have turkeys that you can cut out and place in the classroom are king. It is a good time to look at multiple sides of an argument as well. While we say this is a time for celebration many Native American communities see it as a day of mourning. To that group of people this day represents when they lost their indigenous lands and a great deal of freedom. Exploring this with your students makes for interesting debate and conversation. This is something you would want to talk about with older students.

The History Behind Thanksgiving

The history of thanksgiving has a story behind it. This story occurred in 1620 when a boat was filled with more than a hundred people. This boat was sailing across the Atlantic Ocean because the people wanted to settle in the new world. The people on the boat were sailing to the new world because they wanted to start a new life. They questioned the religion and beliefs of the Church of England. They no longer wanted to be a part of that. At that time, the pilgrims settled in the state of Massachusetts. They had to suffer a lot during their first winter there. These people got late in growing any crops. They arrived at the wrong time. This is the reason why many people died of the disease. When the spring arrived, the Indians taught these settlers to grow corn. They also taught them ways of growing crops in unfamiliar soil. These Indians were good at hunting fish and this was also taught to the settlers.

When the autumn of 1961 arrived, many crops were harvested such as barley, beans, pumpkins, and corn. The bountiful crops was a result of the help of the Indians. The settlers were thankful for it and that is why they arranged a feast. They invited the chief of Iroquois and other members of the tribe to join them for the feast. This is where the trend of thanksgiving started.

When the United States gained independence, Congress suggested that there should be a yearly celebration of the thanksgiving. It should be a day when the whole nation can come out and celebrate. George Washington recommended the date November 26 to be officially celebrated as thanksgiving in 1789. However, the later presidents were not so supportive of the idea.

In 1846, it was Sarah Josepha Hale, who was the editor at Godey's magazine and used her profession to throw light on the importance of Thanksgiving. She wrote an article which encouraged the celebration of thanksgiving. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln decided to set aside the last Thursday of November to be celebrated as the great American festival of Thanksgiving.