Thanksgiving from Discovery Education
One of Thanksgiving’s great traditions is storytelling, whether recounting 
family lore around the dinner table or sharing historical accounts of 
the earliest celebrations of the holiday. Thanksgiving is a great time to 
encourage your students to focus on the role of stories in our lives. We hope
 you and your students have much to be thankful for this year!
Featured Resources
Grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, Assorted Resources
Give thanks—for Thanksgiving! This national holiday, celebrated 
primarily in the United States and Canada, is a day of gratitude 
for the bounty of the harvest of the previous year.
Discovery Education Streaming, Math Techbook, Science Techbook, S
ocial Studies Techbook 
Grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, Full Video [05:17]
Discusses the process of officially establishing Thanksgiving Day 
and its many traditions. The segment details the founding of the 
holiday and the origins of traditions such as the presidential pardon of a turkey.
Learn About the Story of Thanksgiving
Discovery Education Streaming, Social Studies Techbook 
Grades K-2, 3-5, Video Segment [02:19]
Squanto helps the Pilgrims farm the land and tells Bradford how 
he once traveled to England and returned home, only to find 
that his people had all died from the white man’s disease.
Discovery Education Streaming, Social Studies Techbook 
Grades 6-8, 9-12, Video Segment [04:58]
Unveils the fables surrounding Squanto’s story, revealing the truth 
about his enslavement in Europe. The segment also debunks the 
myth that turkey was the meat of choice at the first Thanksgiving.
Discovery Education Streaming 
Grades 6-8, 9-12, Podcast [11:19]
Nowadays, Thanksgiving is an official holiday, complete with its own 
trappings of tradition and mythology. But how much of the conventional 
Thanksgiving story is true? Join Sarah and Katie as they take a closer 
look at the first Thanksgiving.
Apply
Lead a discussion about what the students learned from the resourcesabove and how storytelling can shape history. Were there any parts of
the Thanksgiving story that surprised them? Any myths they’ve thought
were true until now? Use the strategy Myth Bustin’ (Canadian Version)
to solidify their learning. As an extension, allow the students to develop
their own statements to add depth to the exercise. Then, gather students
around tables to build excitement for the holiday with an adaptation of
the strategy Paper Chat (Canadian Version). For this activity, provide
some questions about the history of Thanksgiving and some questions
that will prepare students to start conversations and storytelling
around their own dinner tables over the holiday break. Share your
best conversation starters on social media with #CelebrateWithDE.
 
 
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