Marquette University

Lesson Plan Template (REVISED 8/15/13)

Social Studies Toolkit Lesson 4
Thanksgiving

16 December 2015
Social Studies/Grade 4/90 minutes

Section A. Lesson Preparation

Objectives/Learner Outcomes and Assessments (formal and informal)
1. Students will be able to identify and differentiate the different lifestyles of the Pilgrims
and the Wampanoag Indians. Students will read and take notes on their assigned lifestyle
then interview the other. They will be indirectly assessed through sharing with the class
the things that they learned. Then the final 20 minutes will be spent working on their own
and with the class to decide how they would arrange a small 800-foot space to
accommodate 2 adults and four children.
Standards Addressed
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.3
Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text,
including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.7
Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs,
diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how
the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears?
Materials/Resources/Technology List all materials/resources/technology needed to support
instructional procedures in this lesson.
Paper
Pencil
Laptops
Printed copies of interviews
Yarn
Section B: Introduction to Lesson
Purpose The purpose of this lesson is to gain a better understanding of the different
lifestyles that the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians had. It is important for them to be
able to compare and contrast the two and put themselves in their position.
Prior learning Students will have just gotten done reading Three Young Pilgrims by
Cheryl Harness. They already know about the basics of Thanksgiving and they are
familiar with the hardships the Pilgrims experienced during their first winter. They will
build off their readings from the prior lessons when reading the interviews and listening
to their classmates share their findings.
Connections to personal/cultural/community assets Students can connect the lifestyles
of the Pilgrims and Indians to their own, They will especially be able to make

connections towards the end of the lesson when they have to figure out how they would
live in an 800 foot space with 6 people.
Section C: Content/Procedures/Sequence (Include estimated time for each activity)

Content outline

Instructional strategies/learning tasks/sequence of activities (include

what you and the students will be doing that supports diverse student
needs)

1. Independent
reading time.

1. Students will enter the classroom and have laptops set up at

each desk. The website, http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic
%5Fthanksgiving/daily%5Flife/ will be pulled up on each
computer as well so students wont have to struggle to get to
the website. From there each student will look at the piece of
paper on their desk that says either Pilgrim or Wampanoag
Indian. They will take notes on the daily lifestyles of their
designated group.

2. Partner share

2. Students will turn to their partner next to them and compare

their lifestyles. They will add notes on how the other lived.

3. Small group
interview/
notes

3. Students will divide into groups and read their interviews to

their group members. Group members will take notes on what
the student reading shares, adding to the notes they took during
the independent reading time and partner share.
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/collection/firstthanksgiving-readers-theater-ideas
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/nativeamerican-perspective-fast-turtle-wampanoag-tribemember

4. Class
discussion

4. We will return to a whole class group discussion on what they

learned during their time reading and interviewing about what
daily life was like in Plymouth colony. There will be a large
graphic organizer on the board that I will fill out while
facilitating and students will also have a copy of a blank Venn
diagram to fill out. I will facilitate by asking questions on
housing, clothes, and food, etc.

5. Extended
Activity

5. The lesson will conclude with one final activity. I will have
placed Xs in four corners of the room and have one student
stand on each x. From there I will have a roll of yarn and
connect the four students. Then I will write the prompt on the
board. The average Pilgrim home was about 800 square feet
(the size they see inside of the yarn box), how would you
arrange furnishings in a home about this size to accommodate

two adults and four children? They will have about 5-10
minutes to work on a visual then they can share any ideas with
the class.
6. Exit ticket

6. Students will be allowed to leave once they finish their exit

ticket with the following question, Would you rather live your
life as a Pilgrim or a Wampanoag Indian and why?

Section D: Closure
Summary of lesson How will you bring the lesson to a close? (One-two statements that
you will say at the end of the lesson)
The lesson will come to a close with their exit tickets. As I give out their exit tickets I will
provide a brief summary of what we did during the class and some of the conclusions
they came to about the different lifestyles. I will talk about how just as Pilgrims and the
Indians had different lifestyles, many of us in the classroom all have different lifestyles
and became friends regardless too. Then I will get their attention by telling them the next
day I will introduce their student action project.
Assignment No independent work will be assigned after this lesson.

Section E: Self-Assessment and Reflection (To be completed only if and after you teach the
lesson)
1. Was the lesson successful? What DATA or EVIDENCE support your conclusions?
2. Based on your conclusion above about what your students know and are able to do
(individually and collectively), what next steps in instruction are you planning?
a. For the class as a whole:
b. For individuals with specific learning needs within the class