Social Studies/Performing Arts Lesson Plan
Objective: Using performing arts, students will learn about Thanksgiving and the harvest, people, and time period in which it took place.
Common Core Standards:
6.1.4.D.10: Describe how the influence of Native American groups, including the Lenni Lenape culture, is manifested in different regions of New Jersey.
Vocabulary:
· Pilgrim
· Wigwam
· Fertilizer
· Feast
· Annual
· Harvest
· Colony
· Native (adjective)
· Symbolize
Materials:
· Food
· Pilgrim outfits
· Native American outfits
· Cornucopia worksheet for recording details
Warm up (5 min):
· Have students watch brain pop and write about Thanksgiving. Ask students to write about what they know about Thanksgiving and what they want to learn about them as well.
· http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/culture/thanksgiving/
Mini-Lesson (10-15 min):
· Motivate: Create a KWL chart to provide purpose for the lesson and create an opportunity for students to connect personal and/or prior experiences to Thanksgiving.
o Have students share what they know about Thanksgiving in the K part of the chart. Ask students what they would like to know about Thanksgiving in the W part of the chart. Say: “We will be learning about Thanksgiving over the next few days and answering all of our questions together.”
· Elaborate:
o Say: “In order to understand Thanksgiving, we are going to act out the first Thanksgiving feast to understand the people, places, and time period. Today in our groups, we will be exploring the role of Native Americans and Pilgrims during the first Thanksgiving feast. We will learn about how the feast was prepared, how the feast came to be, and act out the feast. We will work with new vocabulary such as (vocab listed above). Have you ever heard any of these words? Some were in the brain pop video we watched earlier. Did you notice what they are? Do you know what any mean? How do you think they relate Thanksgiving? Turn and talk with a partner.”
· Demonstrate:
o Say: “We are now going to separate responsibilities by group. Group 1 I would like you to be responsible for the harvest. This means that you need to research what was planted and how it was planted. You will then plan how you will act out creating a garden for the class. Group 2 will be responsible for collecting the harvest. You will research how the harvest was collected and prepared for the feast and then plan out how you will act this out for the class based off of the food collected by group 1. Group 3 will be responsible for hunting and gathering. You will research what was hunted and how it was gathered and then you will plan how to act it out in front of the class. Group 4 you will be responsible for planning and decorating for the feast. You will research what was worn, what kind of table was used, etc. You will then prepare the stage for the performance. Some things to consider include while doing research are when was the first Thanksgiving? Who celebrated? What was eaten then? Where did they get food? How did they get food? Use al your senses to complete the assignment and make the performance authentic
Independent Work Time (30-40 min):
· Circulate to confer with students while taking notes or working with a small group in direct instruction.
· Students work in groups to complete the assignment and construct their authentic performance while recoding their ideas and information.
· Once students have completed their presentation, have them get ready for the feast.
Share Session (Usually 5 min, extended to 20 min):
· Have students perform Thanksgiving feast while sharing the information they learned.
· Once performance is complete, class will enjoy feast.
· Guide discussion by asking the following:
o What have we learned about Thanksgiving today?
o How did Thanksgiving shape our nation?
o What are the roles and responsibilities of the pilgrims? Native Americans?
o How did their culture influence what they brought to the table?
Reflection:
· Have students respond in their social studies notebooks what they learned about Thanksgiving and how it compares to the others.
Extended Learning:
· Have students research and collect interesting facts about Thanksgiving today and have them think about and respond to how it differs from the first Thanksgiving.
o http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/culture/thanksgiving/fyi/
Objective: Using performing arts, students will learn about Thanksgiving and the harvest, people, and time period in which it took place.
Common Core Standards:
6.1.4.D.10: Describe how the influence of Native American groups, including the Lenni Lenape culture, is manifested in different regions of New Jersey.
Vocabulary:
· Pilgrim
· Wigwam
· Fertilizer
· Feast
· Annual
· Harvest
· Colony
· Native (adjective)
· Symbolize
Materials:
· Food
· Pilgrim outfits
· Native American outfits
· Cornucopia worksheet for recording details
Warm up (5 min):
· Have students watch brain pop and write about Thanksgiving. Ask students to write about what they know about Thanksgiving and what they want to learn about them as well.
· http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/culture/thanksgiving/
Mini-Lesson (10-15 min):
· Motivate: Create a KWL chart to provide purpose for the lesson and create an opportunity for students to connect personal and/or prior experiences to Thanksgiving.
o Have students share what they know about Thanksgiving in the K part of the chart. Ask students what they would like to know about Thanksgiving in the W part of the chart. Say: “We will be learning about Thanksgiving over the next few days and answering all of our questions together.”
· Elaborate:
o Say: “In order to understand Thanksgiving, we are going to act out the first Thanksgiving feast to understand the people, places, and time period. Today in our groups, we will be exploring the role of Native Americans and Pilgrims during the first Thanksgiving feast. We will learn about how the feast was prepared, how the feast came to be, and act out the feast. We will work with new vocabulary such as (vocab listed above). Have you ever heard any of these words? Some were in the brain pop video we watched earlier. Did you notice what they are? Do you know what any mean? How do you think they relate Thanksgiving? Turn and talk with a partner.”
· Demonstrate:
o Say: “We are now going to separate responsibilities by group. Group 1 I would like you to be responsible for the harvest. This means that you need to research what was planted and how it was planted. You will then plan how you will act out creating a garden for the class. Group 2 will be responsible for collecting the harvest. You will research how the harvest was collected and prepared for the feast and then plan out how you will act this out for the class based off of the food collected by group 1. Group 3 will be responsible for hunting and gathering. You will research what was hunted and how it was gathered and then you will plan how to act it out in front of the class. Group 4 you will be responsible for planning and decorating for the feast. You will research what was worn, what kind of table was used, etc. You will then prepare the stage for the performance. Some things to consider include while doing research are when was the first Thanksgiving? Who celebrated? What was eaten then? Where did they get food? How did they get food? Use al your senses to complete the assignment and make the performance authentic
Independent Work Time (30-40 min):
· Circulate to confer with students while taking notes or working with a small group in direct instruction.
· Students work in groups to complete the assignment and construct their authentic performance while recoding their ideas and information.
· Once students have completed their presentation, have them get ready for the feast.
Share Session (Usually 5 min, extended to 20 min):
· Have students perform Thanksgiving feast while sharing the information they learned.
· Once performance is complete, class will enjoy feast.
· Guide discussion by asking the following:
o What have we learned about Thanksgiving today?
o How did Thanksgiving shape our nation?
o What are the roles and responsibilities of the pilgrims? Native Americans?
o How did their culture influence what they brought to the table?
Reflection:
· Have students respond in their social studies notebooks what they learned about Thanksgiving and how it compares to the others.
Extended Learning:
· Have students research and collect interesting facts about Thanksgiving today and have them think about and respond to how it differs from the first Thanksgiving.
o http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/culture/thanksgiving/fyi/