K.1b

K.1	The student will recognize that history describes events and people of other times and places by
	b)	identifying the people and events honored by the holidays of Thanksgiving Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, and Independence Day (Fourth of July).

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Thanksgiving

• Explain why we celebrate Thanksgiving. Explain the people who celebrated one of the first Thanksgivings were the Pilgrims, who lived long ago in the past.
• After reading a book and sharing pictures, review the type of houses the Pilgrim’s had. The Pilgrims' houses were diferent from those of today.
• Make a Venn diagram on the board comparing the Pilgrim houses with the houses of today. Write student responses in the appropriate section. (For example: if a student should respond by saying “TV room” put the word under the “today” section.)
• Tell students to fold drawing paper in half. Label one side “past” and the other side “today.” Students will draw an example of the characteristics of each house.
• Read a teacher-selected book that shows clothing of the past.
• Discuss how different Pilgrim clothing was compared to the clothing of today.
• Review the names and pieces of clothing. Discuss colors Pilgrims might have worn.
• Pass out coloring sheets. Encourage students to use traditional Pilgrim colors, not just black.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

• Ask students what they think peace means. Write their ideas down in an idea web format. Write the word “peace” in the middle.
• Display a picture of Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Explain that Martin Luther King, Jr. was an African-American, who worked so that all people would be treated fairly.
• Read a teacher-selected book about Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Ask the students to discuss the accomplishments of Martin Luther King, Jr. Review why we still celebrate his accomplishments on his birthday.
• Explain a dove is a bird that represents peace. Make a dove by following these instructions:
  -Fold a white paper plate in half and glue.
  -Free cut a white circle from white construction paper and glue it to the end of the folded edge.
  -Free cut a white triangle from white construction paper and glue it’s point to the other end of the folded edge.
  -Make a small orange beak with orange construction paper and glue it to the white circle face.
  -Use crayons to decorate the eyes and the wings.
  -On the back, glue a strip of paper that says “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wanted peace for everyone.”

Presidents’ Day

• In this activity, students will listen to a story that communicates that the leader of our country (the United States) is called our President. We address him as Mr. President. You may want to include other fun facts about the elected President, such as where he lives, his family members, and his pets’ names.
  -Begin by reading a teacher-selected story about a President of the United States, such as George Washington or Abraham Lincoln.
  -After reading a book, show students the pictures you cut out from newspapers and magazines of the current President. Ask the students to help you label each picture. Appropriate labels might include: This is the President of the United States. His name is . . ..
• Ask the students to copy in their journals the following statement (or something similar): The President is the leader of our country. Students should also illustrate a President and write his name with his picture.
• Review the information students learned about the President of the United States. More information is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/.
• Ask students to describe some of the activities they think the President does in his job. Discuss all appropriate answers.
  -Tell students that they are now going to pretend that they are the President. They will get to write and illustrate what choices they would like to make as President. Make a classroom book using the student responses.
• Review with students that Presidents’ Day is a day to honor all Presidents of the United States, especially George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Independence Day

• Explain that Independence Day is a day to remember when the United States became a new country. It is sometimes called America’s birthday. Explain that it is a summer holiday celebrated on July 4th.
• Read a teacher-selected book about Independence Day.
  -Summarize facts from the book as it is read. Ask students what colors they saw most in the book (red, white, or blue). Tell the students that red, white, and blue are the colors of the American flag. The flag stands for freedom.
• Have students discuss what freedom means to them.
• Compare the first American flag believed to have been sewn by Betsy Ross to the flag of today.
• Color a handout of a drum red, white, and blue. Students can draw in the middle of their drum what they love about America.
• Share drums and the student drawings with the class.

WEB SITES

http://teacher.scholastic.com/thanksgiving/index.htm
Learn about the first Thanksgiving at this interactive site.

http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/history/us/MLK/
Time lines, activities, crafts, and coloring printouts about Martin Luther King, Jr. are available at this Web site.

http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/history/us/pres/
washington/index.shtml
Time lines, activities, crafts, and coloring printouts are available about George Washington.

http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/history/us/pres/
lincoln/index.shtml
Time lines, activities, crafts, and coloring printouts are available about Abraham Lincoln.

http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/presidentsday/
An educational virtual museum for primary students about Presidents' Day can be found at this site.

http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/themes/july4th.shtml
Arts and crafts, activities and ideas, WebQuests, songs and poems, and resource sites about Independence Day (Fourth of July)are avavailable at this Web site.

http://chumby.dlib.vt.edu/melissa/posters/posterset.html
Social studies curriculum resources poster sets for kindergarten are available at this Web site.

LITERATURE LINKS

Thanksgiving

Sorensen, Lynda.
Thanksgiving. The Rourke Book Company, Inc., 1994.
This book explores the history and traditions associated with the Thanksgiving holiday.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Frost, Helen.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The Rourke Book Company, Inc., 1994.
The use of simple text and photographs in this book presents the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the celebration of this national holiday.

Presidents' Day

Roop, Peter.
Let's Celebrate Presidents' Day. Millbrook Press, Brookfield, Conn. 2001.
This book describes how Presidents’ Day is celebrated and looks at the achievements of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Frost, Helen.
Presidents Day. No city: Pebble Books, 2000.
Simple text and photographs in this book explain Presidents’ Day and why we celebrate this day to honor those who have been president.

Independence Day (Fourth of July)

Frost, Helen.
Independence Day. No city: Pebble Books, 2000.
Simple text and photographs explain Independence Day and discusses how and why we celebrate this day to honor the founding of the United States.