The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621. For the next two centuries, it was a sporadic holiday. Congress made it an official holiday in 1941, and modern-day Thanksgiving is on the fourth Thursday in November. Use this holiday to teach gratitude, thankfulness, American history, and the significant role that agriculture played in this early American feast, Thanksgiving meal this year, and food every day!

Learning Options:

From The History Channel: Have you thought about what the newly arrived Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians ate for the autumn harvest celebration, an event regarded as America’s “first Thanksgiving?”

The Turkey Federation has an excellent page for anyone wanting to know more about how turkeys are raised and processed. It includes a video featuring animal handling expert Dr. Temple Grandin, who walks the viewer through the commercial farm and processing process. You can view the video ahead of time and determine if the processing portion is appropriate for your students. It begins at about the 5-minute mark.

Turkey Math - This color by number is available in several formats depending on your student’s level: count, add/subtract 0-2, or multiply to color the Thanksgiving turkey.

This lesson introduces students to six major livestock species, teaches that animals need air, space, food, water, and shelter to survive, and introduces students to the life cycle of a farm animal. From National Ag in the Classroom. You could use this with the KyAEC Animal Care Trivia Lesson.

Students will learn about the domestication and life cycle of the turkey, recognize how turkeys are raised on farms, and identify turkey products. From National Ag in the Classroom.

This Google Slide presentation shares how corn was a vital part of the culture and survival to the Native Americans and first settlers. Students can piece together a corn in history timeline. Be sure to save a copy to your Google Classroom so you can share it with your students.

Growing Native American Heritage: Three Sisters (Grades 3-5)

This activity explores the foods, the customs, and the stories that evolved from the planting of corn, beans, and squash—the Three Sisters—which is a tradition of several Native American tribes from the northeastern region of North America. The lesson also uses myths/legends and traditional stories to teach about American Indians beliefs and cultures. From Food Corps.

In this lesson students will identify common Thanksgiving foods and their farm source, determine if those foods can be produced locally, and locate the common origins of their Thanksgiving day dinner. From National Ag in the Classroom.

In this lesson students will identify common Thanksgiving foods and their farm source, determine if those foods can be produced locally, and locate the common origins of their Thanksgiving day dinner. From National Ag in the Classroom.

There are two versions of this Kentucky Farms Feed Me Virtual Field Trip. The older video visits a farm that produces turkeys for local customers. You can view the field trips and the corresponding lessons. From Kentucky Agriculture in the Classroom.

Looking for more lessons and teaching ideas?