Marquette University

Lesson Plan Template (REVISED 8/15/13)

Social Studies Tookkit Lesson 2
Thanksgiving

26 October 2015
Social Studies/4th grade/50 minutes

Section A. Lesson Preparation

Rationale It is important for students to understand that the Pilgrims were not the first people to
reach the New World and that they are not the settlers. They should learn the hardships they
experienced upon landing in Cape Cod and determine how they chose their destination to be
Plymouth. This history is background information for why the Thanksgiving holiday came to be
and will help clarify any confusion between truth and myth.
Description of Learners 91% of students are economically disadvantaged. 26% of students
have disabilities. Students prior knowledge can be used as a personal asset during this lesson
where they can apply what they already know about the Pilgrims and build onto that prior
knowledge as they explore the content area. One misconception students may have is that the
Pilgrims discovered the land. This idea will be addressed with the help of literature. We will use
the same text as we used in the first class to further our understanding of the Pilgrims. Students
who struggle will be assigned a partner to work with and engage in the lesson with if they are not
already placed in groups.
Objectives/Learner Outcomes and Assessments (formal and informal)
1. Students will be able to identify why the Pilgrims chose Plymouth as their destination.
2. Students will be able to describe why the Pilgrims first winter in Plymouth was
extremely difficult and the role that the native people played in their hardships (positive
or negative)
Standards Addressed

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.9
Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or
speak about the subject knowledgeably.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

Materials/Resources/Technology
Paper
Pencil
Computer
Three Young Pilgrims by Cheryl Harness
Blank post card

Markers
Encyclopedia.com article

Section B: Introduction to Lesson

Purpose The purpose of this lesson is to learn more in depth about the history of the
Pilgrim and their decision to stop at Plymouth. Further, students need to know what the
Pilgrims experienced during their first winter at Plymouth.
Prior learning The day before this lesson, students will have read Three Young
Pilgrims by Cheryl Harness. Students already know the basics about Thanksgiving from
what they celebrate in their own homes or from what community members celebrate.
They will build off their readings from yesterday and apply that information to their
shorter lesson today.
Connections to personal/cultural/community assets This lesson will have the same
connections to personal/cultural/community assets as the previous lesson. Many students
may have family members who recently immigrated to the United States from many
different areas or even just moved to the Milwaukee area. They can make personal
connections to what the colonists may have experienced during their first winter in
Plymouth as one would in Milwaukee.

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. Lesson 1 Recap

1. My students and I will engage in a brief discussion

about what we learned yesterday in class. I will
ask them questions including the following: Where
did the Pilgrims come from and where were they
headed to? What are some reasons why the
Pilgrims wanted to come to the New World? What
benefits were they looking to reap? What were
some hardships they experienced on their trek to
the New World? Why would the colonists benefit
from creating a new colony?

2. Padlet Sharing Time

2. Students will be given a brief amount of time to

share Padlets with 2 other pairs to find any
similarities or differences they noticed and wanted
to add to their own padlet.

3. Read article from

encyclopedia.com

3. Students will read and analyze an article from

www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Plymouth_Colony .
aspx about why the Pilgrims chose and what they
experienced during their first winter and their
relations with the Indians. This article should build
off what the students learned yesterday in their
reading and help them with their next task.

4. Class brainstorm

4. Students will brainstorm first with their partners

then as a whole class what hardships the pilgrims
were facing after landing in New England using
information from the short video and what they
read yesterday.

5. Post card

5. Students will create a post card as if they were a

Pilgrim to send back home writing a narrative
about the conditions they were experiencing and
any personal hardships that happened along the
way. They will use the information brainstormed
from the book we read yesterday and the video
watched in class to create this. They will have time
to start the postcard but finish it later for
homework.

Section D: Closure
Summary of lesson You might have been wondering what do all the things we learned
today and yesterday about the Pilgrims journey to New England and hardships during
their first winter in Plymouth have to do with Thanksgiving? In the next lesson we will
tie what weve learned the past two days to Thanksgiving and everything weve been
studying should begin to come full circle for you.
Assignment Students will finish their postcard with their letter on one side and a
drawing on the opposite.

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