This week we are learning all about Thanksgiving, the fourth American holiday we have studied this year. Students started the day with a turkey activity book in which they practiced fine motor skills by completing a maze, practiced visual discrimination skills by matching turkeys, learned the parts of a turkey, read turkey facts, and answered questions about turkeys. Our centers will integrate Thanksgiving topics as students will practice symmetry and visual closure skills by drawing the other half of various Thanksgiving pictures, write Thanksgiving compound words, skip count by connecting the dots to create Thanksgiving images or fill in Thanksgiving patterns, and read Time for Kids to learn about Native American tribes.
Through read alouds, independent reading, and discussion we will learn about the significance Thanksgiving. We will discover that the first Thanksgiving celebrated the harvest as the Pilgrims and Wampanoag people shared in a three day feast. Students will learn about the Pilgrims journey on the Mayflower and the Wampanoags’ and Squanto’s role in helping the Pilgrims to survive their first winter in the New World. We will be discussing family traditions, the meaning of Thanksgiving, and what each of us are thankful for.