First Thanksgiving Dramatic Play Activity

General Objective: The students will understand and comprehend the story of the first Thanksgiving.

Specific Learning Outcome: During a dramatic learning activity the students will demonstrate their understanding of the story by acting out the sequence of events.

Materials: Native American costumes (created by the students in a previous lesson), Pilgrim costumes (created by the students in a previous lesson), Mayflower, log cabin, teepee, drums, bow and arrows (age appropriate), corn, fish, long table, food

Lesson: The students have been learning about the story of the first Thanksgiving over the past several days through books, art projects, class discussions, and a Native American visit. This is the culmination of the unit where the students act out the story of the first Thanksgiving. I felt when planning this lesson that children of this age would better understand what it was like back then if they "experienced" it for themselves rather than just listening to a story or watching a movie. In advance of this lesson I constructed a life size teepee and made a Mayflower boat and log cabin out of large appliance boxes. For this lesson half the class dressed as Native Americans and the other half as Pilgrims. The Native Americans began in the area of the room with the teepee (America). They pretended to hunt, fish, plant food, pick berries, play drums and sing an authentic song taught to them by the Native Americans who visited our class. The Pilgrims started out in the area of the room called England. They looked unhappy and explained why they wanted to leave. They boarded the Mayflower and loaded all the necessary supplies. They proceeded to tell and act out what it was like on the boat and how long it took until land was finally spotted. The boys got out of the boat first and "checked out" the new land. The girls remained on the boat while the boys built the log cabin. All the Pilgrims came off the boat and experienced a very harsh winter. Then they encountered a Native American. The Pilgrims acted scared until they realized the Native American was friendly. The Native Americans showed the pilgrims how to fish, hunt, cook food, and plant corn using the provided props. The Native Americans and Pilgrims enjoyed a feast of provided food (turkey, popcorn, stuffing, corn, pie) and gave thanks for their new home and friends.

Pupil Evaluation: The students' understanding was evaluated through their participation, actions, and explanations during the dramatic learning activity.

Reflection/Analysis: The students absolutely loved doing this activity. It kept their attention and interest the entire period. By actually acting out the story they got a better understanding of the events and I feel it made a lasting impression on them which will help them retain the information. I could tell that they understood the information by their actions and telling of the story. The one thing I would change in this lesson is I would allow each child to be both a Native American and a Pilgrim so they get both perspectives. Although they did watch the others act out the story I feel if they would have had an opportunity to actually participate in both sides they would have a better understanding.