When teaching students about Thanksgiving you should also incorporate other subjects to maximize learning. This project incorporates the Math Venn Diagram. Explain to students what a Venn Diagram is and show them some examples on the chalk board before you begin. A Venn Diagram is a series of circles that overlap in one or more areas. They show things that are the same and things that are different. Tell the children that with this project you are going to compare what is similar and what is different about the First Thanksgiving and today's Thanksgiving.
You will need the following items to begin this project:
- A chalk board
- Chalk
- Paper for each student
- Pencil for each student
- A story book on the First Thanksgiving
- A discussion of what Thanksgiving is like today
Follow these steps to complete this project:
- Read students a book on the first Thanksgiving. You can get them at the library or you can order one very cheap on Amazon.com.
- Discuss with students what their Thanksgivings are like and what is done to prepare for them.
- Draw a Venn Diagram on the board. You want two large circles that overlap in the middle. Have students copy your Venn Diagram on their own sheets of paper.
- On the outside of the left circle write "First Thanksgiving" and on the outside of the right circle write "Thanksgiving Today". Point an arrow at the overlapping circle and write "Similar". Do this on the chalk board and have the student's copy it.
- Give the students a few minutes to fill out each part of the circle.
- Discuss what each student came up with and write it in the appropriate circle on the chalk board. Students can update their diagrams with the suggestions from the other students.
- When you are finished have the students talk about what they are thankful was invented to make life easier, than it was back when the first Thanksgiving took place.
