6th – 9th grades
GT
Daugherty, James (1950). The Landing of the Pilgrims. New York: Random House.
The Landing of the Pilgrims is an excellent resource book about the pilgrims.
Information from actual journals is used to recount the story of the pilgrims and their
search for religious freedom in America.
Theme: The hardships and traditions of the pilgrims.
Classroom Focus: The life of the pilgrims and the founding of Thanksgiving.
Genre: Informational
Awards: None
Rating: Excellent
Instructional Uses:
Technology: Using the internet, have the students conduct research on the pilgrims.
There are several excellent websites devoted to this topic, including the following site
located at: http://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/colonization_plymouth.html.
This site offers information on many subjects including: The Plymouth Colony, The
Mayflower, The Pilgrims and has many maps available for viewing.
Social Studies: Using the above listed website and any others, divide the students into
research teams and assign a topic to each group. The students are to gather as much
information as possible and report to the rest of the class. Possible research topics might
include: Why did the pilgrims come to America? Describe the Mayflower? What was
the Mayflower Compact? What was the Mayflower’s original destination, did it meet the
destination, why or why not? Who was Peregine White? What were the Salem witch
trials?
Health: Re-create a 17th century feast much like the original Thanksgiving. Research
who attended the original Thanksgiving and what the significance of the feast was.
Determine what types of foods were served. Bring in some of these foods for a
classroom feast. Invite parents to attend the feast if desired. Much information about the
original Thanksgiving and an authentic recipe can be found at:
http://www.pilgrims.net/plymouth/thanksgiving.htm.
Art: The Native Americans taught the pilgrims to preserve food by air drying it. Make
dried fruit and vegetable hangings to decorate and scent the classroom.
Related books: A Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple
by Kathryn Lasky, The Mayflower Adventure by Colleen L. Reece.
Other books by James Daugherty: Magna Carta, Andy and the Lion, Of Courage
Undaunted.
Louise Stearns