You will find Thanksgiving worksheets that contain a number of different activities using a dedicated set of vocabulary words related to the Thanksgiving celebration, including word search, fill in the blanks, scrambled words, word wall flash cards, acrostic poems, crossword puzzles, and more. The collection also includes six different packs of Bingo cards, which can be used during discussions of the topics. Last but not least, a KWHL (know, what, how, learn) diagram is included to help students pick a topic to explore in more depth. Abraham Lincoln is actually credited as the founder of this National holiday. Last 1/3 of billion of turkeys gave their life for this holiday. Even if they were set free, they don't have a great chance of getting away because they can't fly and they are super slow.
Print Thanksgiving Worksheets
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Why do we Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving? Worksheet
This historic feast lasted three days and the main food items are recorded as being lobster, salted fish, smoked meats (similar to Beef Jerky) and freshly caught wild game. A variety of other freshly harvested vegetables were served as well.
Multiple Choice Questions
Historians determined that turkey became a staple at modern Thanksgiving feasts because they were likely to have been eaten at the first celebration in 1621.
Short Answer Questions
Why would a President decide to "officially pardon" a turkey on Thanksgiving? Is this a joke or is there a more developed reason behind this decision?
Why Do We Celebrate Thanksgiving?
The Thanksgiving Holiday is essentially an ode to an instrumental piece of our early American heritage that reminds us to find gratitude in things big and small.
Celebrate Thanksgiving - Multiple Choice Questions
In the New World, early American settlers and Pilgrims had many differences that set them apart. Perhaps the largest difference was the religious belief that each group had.
Short Answer Questions Worksheet
As recounts of the historical Thanksgiving made its way to the future, many Presidents began to recognize this event and had Thanksgiving feasts planned during different times of the autumn season.
What is Black Friday?
This is a day that is notorious for deep discounts, sales and special promotions made by stores, in order to try and boost sales and entice customers to shop at their store. S
Black Friday - Multiple Choice Questions
Originally, it was used to discuss a financial crisis that occurred in 1869. During the first Macy’s Parade in 1924, the term resurfaced again as parade hosts began advertising specials and sales that would be offered the following day.
Black Friday Short Answer Questions
In recent years it has ranked anywhere from the 5th to the 1st busiest shopping day of the entire year, allowing marketers to turn large profits and kick off the holiday shopping season!
Have You Ever Heard of Cyber Monday? - Reading Worksheet
This is the time when many consumers begin using on-line retailers to do their holiday shopping and like black Friday are offered drastic discounts and promotions for shopping on this day.
Multiple Choice Worksheet
The theory behind Cyber Monday is that since most people would be returning home from Thanksgiving vacations and going back to work that they would begin doing their holiday shopping using the Internet.
Cyber Monday? - Short Answers
Many people have come to criticize the use of this term and there have been several anti-consumerists who have attempted to barrage cyber Monday with boycotts.
Why is Thanksgiving Always on a Thursday? - Reading Worksheet
The fact that Thanksgiving always falls on a Thursday is very convenient for many people. This ensures that students and people who work get an extra long weekend because they are usually off on Friday following Thanksgiving as well.
Always on a Thursday - Multiple Choice Questions
The truth is that before 1863, Thanksgiving was celebrated on whichever day the President decided it should be. Georgia Washington declared a feast of Thanksgiving in 1789 and every year Presidents thereafter followed suit.
How did Thanksgiving Become Synonymous with Parades - Reading Worksheet
What occurred between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians in 1621 was not called Thanksgiving. In fact, they referred to it as more of a harvest festival and there were certainly no parades like the ones we have come to know in modern times.
Multiple Choice Questions
Throughout the 1930’s, the tradition of parading on Thanksgiving grew, although some things changed. Live animals were replaced with the impressive helium balloons as a concern for safety to the bystanders, and character balloons were introduced.
Short Answer Questions
During World War II there was not much celebrating going on and using extra helium and rubber for something frugal like parade creation was strongly discouraged.
Who Were the Pilgrims?
Many people think that pilgrims are any of the people who traveled on the Mayflower ending up at Plymouth Rock back in 1620.
Multiple Choice Questions
When the English colonists decided to flee England, they were not all chasing the same goals. Some were indeed seeking religious freedom while a great many others were seeking to better their quality of life.
Who Were the Pilgrims? - Short Answers
The Pilgrims were in fact a multi faceted group of individuals. A great many of them were unhappy with the religious practices set forth under King James and envisioned a church community that was more relevant to early Bible teachings.
Fun Facts - Reading Passage
Turkeys might taste good on the festive table- but they aren't the brightest birds in the world.
Fun Facts - Multiple Choice Questions
Pilgrim outfits often consist of big, bold black buckles on their shoes, trousers and dresses. This is actually a marketing accessory that was added to their persona many years ago!
Fun Facts - Short Answer Questions
Over 650 million pounds of turkey are eaten in the United States on Thanksgiving Day alone!
Why Did The Pilgrims Celebrate Thanksgiving with the Native Americans?
A great reading comprehension passage for students.
Celebrate Together - Multiple Choice Questions
The Indians taught the New settlers how to forage for food and crops, smoke meats to keep them fresh and edible as well as preserve the food sources after harvesting.
Celebrate Together - Short Answer Questions
Governor William Bradford was the leader of the Pilgrims. As a way to show gratitude and celebrate the amicable relationship they had ensued with the Indians, he invited the Indian Chief named Massasoit and just under a hundred Indians to the celebratory feast.
How did the First Thanksgiving Differ from Modern Thanksgiving? - Reading
In fact sweet potatoes, yams, cranberries and pumpkins were not even part of the Indian diet at the time and the only corn they grew was only good for grounding into meal.
The First Thanksgiving - Multiple Choice Questions
The original feast started out as a fast. For three days the Indians and the early Colonists fasted in order to pick the autumn harvest and prepare their foods for storage.
The First Thanksgiving - Short Answer Questions
Today Thanksgiving is often about socializing and getting together with friends and family.
Facts and Myths Reading
Use the Internet to determine whether the following statements are facts or myths about Thanksgiving. For those that are myths, write a correct statement about topic related to Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Feast
The Thanksgiving meal is one of the favorite events for most people during this holiday. Describe what you like best about the Thanksgiving feast.
Thanksgiving and Football
One of the traditions of Thanksgiving is watching football on television. Describe the traditions you have during Thanksgiving.
Time for Reflection: Haiku
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the good things in your life and share this with family and friends. Write a haiku about Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims
The origin of Thanksgiving in America was when the pilgrims invited the local Native Americans to participate in the harvest festival. Write an essay about what it would have been like to be at the festival.
What is Thanksgiving?
There are many celebrations and holidays that are celebrated around the year in the U.S. But there is nothing more American than the Thanksgiving holiday! We celebrate it each year, but have you given a thought as to why we do? Let's get a clearer of the holiday together! Thanksgiving is a federal holiday that is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. Thanksgiving holiday is being celebrated annually on and off since 1789. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated for the harvest and blessings of the past year. Thanksgiving was first observed in 1621 on a harvest feast that was shared by the English Colonists of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people. In the United States, there are lots of traditions followed on Thanksgiving Day. People gather together and share meals together. A typical meal comprises turkey, bread stuffing, potatoes, cranberries and pumpkin pies. A Thanksgiving Day parade is also held every year in remembrance of the Thanksgiving celebrations.
The History Behind Thanksgiving
There's a good reason why Thanksgiving is the second-most-favorite holiday in the United States after Christmas. Before you even think of searching for "when is Thanksgiving in 2022," take some time to understand the holiday's historical origins. Yes, you may still gather with your loved ones to express your gratitude. However, it is critical to know what you're celebrating and unlearn certain long-held assumptions. So, ready to uncover the history of Thanksgiving? Read on.
How It All Started
The diary of William Bradford, the first governor of Plymouth, contains most of the information we have regarding the early American immigrants. On the Mayflower, the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock in 1620, where they formed a colony and started farming. They were blessed with a plentiful crop the following year and decided to commemorate the occasion with a three-day festival.
A meeting between the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony and members of the Wampanoag tribe occurred around this period. However, the Native Americans were not invited as distinguished guests. Many historians now believe that Wampanoag warriors were alerted to the whereabouts of Pilgrim colonies by celebratory gunfire and yelling.
In response to the Wampanoag's belief that they were under assault and following a diplomatic covenant of mutual defense with the Pilgrims, Wampanoag sent 90 troops to the settlers' assistance.
Modern-Day Era
In 1789, President George Washington issued a proclamation designating November 25th as National Thanksgiving Day, with no reference to the 1621 celebration. Now you may wonder, if Indigenous people and Pilgrims could sit down to a feast and celebrate with each other, then why can't modern-day Americans do the same?
In 1863, after a successful effort to promote this theme, Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in honor of the harvest. There were fictitious depictions of benevolent Pilgrims eating amicably with Indigenous tribe members in paintings, plays, and writings that started to appear. As we know it, Thanksgiving origin myths that have been meticulously revised yet incomplete distort history, the celebration, and the devastating consequences of colonialism.
What's With the Turkey?
Most individuals didn't learn this in primary school, but the Pilgrims were likely eating more wildfowl at the first Thanksgiving celebration—more like goose or duck, but definitely not turkey. So, if the turkey wasn't served at the first Thanksgiving and was on the verge of becoming America's national bird, how did it come to grace every family's Thanksgiving table over time?
One story holds that Queen Elizabeth ate roasted goose during a harvest celebration. In fact, the queen was so delighted when she learned that the Spanish Armada had sunk while on route to attack England that she ordered a second goose to commemorate the occasion. As a result, the goose became the most popular bird to eat during the harvest season in England. Later, roast turkey supplanted roast goose as the season's official festival dish.
Even after all these years, people of the United States still adhere to the fantasy account of how the Pilgrims and Native Americans celebrated their first encounter in 1621. The more tragic legacy of the early 17th century is obscured by today's Thanksgiving, which is marked by schoolchildren's construction of paper turkeys, family turkey dinner, and a story of companionship and collaboration between the colonists and Native Americans.
Now that you know the complicated history of Thanksgiving, there are things you can do to celebrate the occasion in a meaningful manner while still respecting and honoring Native Americans. Additionally, you may create new traditions with your family and friends.