Huge Carved Pumpkins at Black Oak Casino - Tuolumne City, CA

Huge Carved Pumpkin

Thanksgiving Theme Learning Ideas and Resources

Middle School Thanksgiving Resources

Plan a Thanksgiving Dinner Lesson

Gather food ads from the local grocery store and markets. Give your student a budget to work from and the number of guests they will be serving. Then have them plan their Thanksgiving meal. This uses many math skills (especially multiplication, since turkey is sold by the pound). For a variation on this lesson, have them compare the cost of the meal from two different grocery stores.

Pilgrim Meals and Table Manners

Discuss eating customs and table manners. Did you know that the Wapanoags used to eat whenever they were hungry? It was not usual to find pots cooking in their homes throughout the day. On the other hand, colonists had a fixed timetable for eating their meals, such as breakfast, dinner and supper. The eating pattern of the Pilgrims also differed. They used spoons, knives and fingers to eat, they did not have access to forks.

The First Thanksgiving Story

Watch and listen as the traditional Thanksgiving story is told of the Mayflower's trip across the ocean loaded with over 100 passengers.

Thanksgiving Dinner Geography Lesson

A typical American fast-food restaurant meal would include chicken (first domesticated in China) and potatoes (from Andes) or corn from Mexico), seasoned with black pepper (from India) and washed down with a cup of coffee (of Ethiopian origin). Holly Ramer provides food for thought in her article on turkey cooking methods around the country.

Interactive Thanksgiving Puzzles and Games

Did You Know?

Thanksgiving Trivia

Printable Worksheets

How do you mend a broken Jack-o-lantern?
With a pumpkin patch!

Online Books, Video's, Study Guides and Articles

Why do jack-o-lanterns have stupid smiles on their faces?
You'd have a stupid smile, too,
if you had all your brains scooped out!

Learn About Traditional Pilgrim Clothing

Books to Read

DVD's to Watch

Audiobooks to Hear