Thanksgiving
Below is a lesson a bout Thanksgiving for third graders. Good luck and enjoy!
Thanksgiving History
Meet Squanto
Students, today I want to introduce you to my friend Squanto. His Wampanoag name was Tisquantum. He was from the Patuxet community, part of the Wampanoag people, in the place we now call Massachusetts.
Before we continue, let’s practice saying these names together. Point to each name, say the parts slowly, and then put them together:
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Wampanoag — WAM-puh-NO-ag
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Tisquantum — tis-KWON-tum
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Patuxet — puh-TUX-ut
Nice work! These sound-outs help us try the names respectfully. Some sounds may be a little different from the way they are written in English.
Wampanoag people had lived in this region for thousands of years. They had their own communities, language, leaders, and traditions. They grew corn, beans, and squash, and they knew how to fish, hunt, and gather food from the land and water.
As a young man, Squanto was kidnapped by an English captain and taken far away across the ocean. He spent years away and learned to speak English. When he returned home, he found that sickness had killed many people in his community.
When the English colonists settled in Patuxet, they were struggling to find food and were unfamiliar with the land. Squanto helped by interpreting, showing them where to fish, and teaching them how to plant corn and use fish to help crops grow. Other Wampanoag people shared their knowledge, too.
Without Squanto’s and the Wampanoag people’s help, many colonists might have died or had to leave. Their knowledge and support were very important to the colonists’ chance to survive.
Squanto’s story is not only a story about helping the colonists. It is also a Wampanoag story about a person, his home, and a people with their own history and traditions. Wampanoag people are still here today.
Meet William Bradford
Students, I’d like you to meet my friend William Bradford. He was an English colonist who came to North America on a ship called the Mayflower in 1620.
Let’s practice saying his name: William Bradford — WIL-yum BRAD-furd. Now try Plymouth — PLIM-uth.
Bradford and the other travelers made an agreement called the Mayflower Compact. It said they would work together and make rules for their new community. In 1621, Bradford became the community’s governor. A governor is a leader who helps people make decisions.
Bradford also wrote about the colony and the people who lived there. His writing helps us learn what the English colonists experienced, but it tells only one side of the story.
The colonists settled in a place that was already Wampanoag homeland. Wampanoag people had lived there for a very long time, with their own communities, leaders, and traditions. Wampanoag people, including Squanto, helped the colonists learn how to grow food and live in the area. The relationship between the groups had both cooperation and hard times.
As we learn about Bradford, let’s remember to listen for more than one point of view.
Bradford’s voyage, compact, governorship, and writing are documented by Massachusetts state archives. Plimoth Patuxet’s educational materials describe the Indigenous context and relationships around the colony.
Squanto (Tisquantum) and William Bradford worked together in Plymouth, but they had different roles. Squanto was a Wampanoag man from Patuxet who spoke English. Bradford was a leader of the English colonists and later became Plymouth’s governor.
Squanto helped the colonists communicate with Wampanoag people and learn about local food and ways of living. Bradford’s writings describe Squanto as an important helper to the colony. Their relationship was useful, but it was also complicated: they came from different communities, and Bradford sometimes worried that Squanto was using his role to gain influence. Bradford’s account tells the story from the colonists’ point of view. Pilgrim Hall Museum
For students: “Squanto helped William Bradford and the Plymouth colonists by sharing his language skills and knowledge of the area. Bradford was a leader who relied on Squanto’s help. They worked together, even though they came from different communities and did not always see things the same way.”
Reading Task 1
THANKFUL TOGETHER
A Thanksgiving Reading & Mini-Lesson | Ages 7+
Name: ____________________________________ Date: __________________
TODAY I WILL
Explain what a harvest is and name one respectful way people can learn about Thanksgiving.
LESSON STEPS | 20 MIN
1. Read together (8 min)
2. Talk about the story (4 min)
3. Take the quiz (8 min)
READ: A Time to Give Thanks
Thanksgiving is a time when many people pause to notice what they are thankful for. Families may share a meal, visit loved ones, help a neighbor, or enjoy a quiet day. People celebrate in different ways, and some do not celebrate the holiday at all.
A harvest is the food people gather when crops are ready. In the fall of 1621, English colonists in Plymouth held a harvest celebration. A written account by an English colonist says that Wampanoag people joined the gathering and that it lasted for several days.
The Wampanoag are Native people whose ancestors have lived in the region for thousands of years. Wampanoag communities are still here today. The 1621 gathering is one part of Thanksgiving history. People may understand and remember the story in different ways, so it is important to listen respectfully and learn from more than one point of view.
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln called for a national Thanksgiving day to be observed each year. Today, many people use the holiday to share food, spend time together, help others, and think about what matters to them.
TALK & WRITE
What is one thing you are thankful for? Name one way you can show care for someone.
I am thankful for ______________________. I can show care by ______________________.
THANKSGIVING CHECK-UP
10 multiple-choice questions
Directions: Read each question. Circle the best answer: A, B, or C.
Score: ______ / 10
1. What does “harvest” mean?
A. Building a boat B. Gathering crops when they are ready C. Making a snowman
2. When was the Plymouth harvest gathering?
A. 1621 B. 1863 C. 2021
3. Which Native people joined the 1621 gathering?
A. Navajo B. Maya C. Wampanoag
4. What does the reading say about the Wampanoag?
A. They lived only in 1621 B. Their communities are still here today C. They came from England
5. How do people celebrate Thanksgiving?
A. Everyone celebrates the same way B. Only by eating turkey C. People may celebrate in different ways
6. What is one reason to learn about different points of view?
A. To listen respectfully B. To skip the history C. To decide that only one story matters
7. What did President Abraham Lincoln do in 1863?
A. Started the first harvest B. Called for a national Thanksgiving day each year C. Built Plymouth
8. Which action shows kindness at Thanksgiving?
A. Taking food from someone B. Leaving a friend out C. Helping a neighbor
9. What is the main idea of the reading?
A. Thanksgiving can be a time to reflect, learn, and care for others B. Every family has the same traditions C. The 1621 gathering is the only part of Thanksgiving history
10. Which sentence is true?
A. The Wampanoag no longer exist B. The Wampanoag have their own history and communities today C. The Wampanoag arrived in Plymouth in 1863
ANSWER KEY
Thanksgiving Reading & Mini-Lesson
1. B Gathering crops when they are ready.
2. A 1621.
3. C The Wampanoag.
4. B Wampanoag communities are still here today.
5. C People may celebrate in different ways.
6. A To listen respectfully.
7. B He called for a national Thanksgiving day to be observed each year.
8. C Helping a neighbor.
9. A Thanksgiving can be a time to reflect, learn, and care for others.
10. B The Wampanoag have their own history and communities today.
TEACHER NOTE
The reading describes the 1621 gathering as one part of Thanksgiving history and acknowledges that the Wampanoag are living communities today. Invite students to share ideas without requiring anyone to speak for a culture or to celebrate a holiday.
Sources for adults: Plimoth Patuxet Museums, “Thanksgiving” (plimoth.org/explore/thanksgiving); National Archives, “Congress Establishes Thanksgiving” (archives.gov/legislative/features/thanksgiving).
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