netTrekker Blog

Thanksgiving

 

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful opportunity to:

1.  Study the two infamous groups involved:  The Wampanoag People and the Pilgrims
2. Use historical investigation to strip away myth and find the true history of the “first Thanksgiving.”
3. Determine what Thanksgiving means to us in light of this historical investigation.

 

Let’s take a look at historical investigations!  In the 21^st Century, students are being taught to investigate and question information.  Here is a section that was built to support these 21^st Century skills:

In Middle

1.  Look under Social Studies for Understanding History and click on that.
2. You will see our outline that includes:  Historical Investigation.  Click on that.   
3. Under Sites:  Historical Investigation, one of my favorite sites is PBS:  History Detectives.  PBS does a great job in its presentation of investigations.  Click on “Detective Techniques” for thorough explanations of the various methods historians and scientists use to explore history.
4. So, equipped to be History Detectives, let’s take a look at our historical Thanksgiving:
5.   Enter Thanksgiving Day History in the keyword box.
6. The 5^thone down:  Plimoth Plantation: The First Thanksgiving:  offers visitors the chance to use the skills of historians to peel away the layers of myth and misconception surrounding “The First Thanksgiving” and discover what might really have happened during the fall of 1621. Peruse multiple primary sources, make educated guesses, and create history in a very real and powerful way. Listen to the English Colonists and the Wampanoag People tell their story as you separate fact from fiction.

It’s important to know that the Wampanoag people are still here; they are not just historical figures.  Enter Wampanoag.  Go to:

1.  The 2^ndresult:  The Wampanoag from the Boston Children’s Museum.  A link is provided to the Wampanoag site that includes discussions on their history as well as current life.
2. The other one I like is The Wampanoag People, authored by Plimoth.org – the official site for the Plimoth Plantation.  Click on the logo to arrive at the home site.
3. Of course, BrainPop has a wonderful site on Thanksgiving, Squanto, Capt. Miles Standish, Wampanoag, etc. and respectfully discusses the unfortunate ramifications.
4. What is the Native American view of the first Thanksgiving?

And who were these Pilgrims? Enter pilgrims.  Go to:

1.  Again, I like the website from the Plimoth Plantation – the 3^rd results down:  The Pilgrims as People.
2. Another good one is the 4^th result – Mayflower.com:  A Brief History of the Pilgrims
3. And Mayflower History:  The 1621 Thanksgiving

 

Equipped with this historical knowledge, consider Thanksgiving as it exists in the American Identity in our present day.  What does it mean to us as a people?  What does it mean to you?

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