Thanksgiving Play or Readers Theater and Songs with Literacy Activities

Make your November and Thanksgiving literacy activities memorable this year with integrated Reading, Writing and Drama and Music activities. These are the most excellent ways to include all students and offer diverse learning activities, while developing reading, writing, speaking and creativity skills. Use the Readers Theater or Play about the Native Americans and the Pilgrims to help children learn how to become friends and celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Integrate READING, WRITING, MUSIC and DRAMA in your classroom for increased learning and skill development.

READING SKILLS SOAR when students sing and read!

READING SKILLS SOAR when students read relatable content.

READING SKILLS SOAR when students sing, read and write!

RESOURCE INCLUDES:

• Small and Large Font Scripts.

Equal parts for Native Americans and Pilgrims using materials from authentic

• Native American folk tales and stories.

11 Songs and Poems on Color and Black and White Posters

• Songs are set to familiar tunes.

• Writing Activities: Mini-Book, Tree Map, Venn Diagram to Compare and Contrast the Pilgrims and the Native Americans.

20 speaking parts that could be shared and/or divided to create less or more as you need for your class.

• Kindergarten-They will need help reading the lines-but can memorize them.

• First Grade-Some students might need help reading them but can memorize them.

• Second and Third graders should be able to read the lines and memorize.

• This play would make a nice musical program.

ABOUT THE PLAY:

It takes about 15-20 minutes to do the whole play.

It includes some authentic Native American poems and stories so that the Pilgrims and Native Americans are both represented equally.

Some songs are set to familiar tunes, some are authentic folk songs that you know.

Try assigning half of your class the Native American parts and the other half the Pilgrim parts. Use the Head bands, or puppets for a presentation. Give the mini-books to the guests as a gift.

LIST OF POEMS AND SONGS:

• “Legend of Day and Night” POEM by all children. Girls and Boys.

• THE PILGRIMS

• (to the tune of “London Bridges Falling Down”)

• Sing a Song of Six Pence (incorporate hand actions)

• Patty Cake (Speech Piece) Students turn to neighbor and play the patting game. Clap-Pat, Clap-Pat)

• Peas Porridge Hot (Pretend to stir a pot of porridge. On Hot and Cold point in the air)

• Ring Around the Rosies –Ask a group of students to demonstrate the game.

• THE PILGRIM SONG (to the tune of “All Around the Mulberry Bush”)

• Story of the Three Sisters (to the tune of “Are You Sleeping?”

• Peace Treaty

• I AM THANKFUL (Mary Had a Little Lamb)

• AMERICA

WRITING ACTIVITIES:

I’m thankful . . .
Circle Map
Tree Map
Coloring Pages for Each Song
Story Book
My Thanksgiving
Please view the preview for all of the pages included.

HOMESCHOOL APPLICATIONS:

Children love learning about the Native Americans and how the Pilgrims and the Native Americans worked together to have a Thanksgiving Feast.

Sing the songs, write, and perform the play for family, on video or for friends.

Easy to use with no prep needed except for printing!