A Simple, Literature-Based Thanksgiving Unit for Your Homeschool
I've got a simple literature-based Thanksgiving unit that I'm so excited to share with you. I call this a "Picture Book Study Bundle", and it revolves around beautiful literature that you will love reading with your children.
These bundle includes simple, one-week units that are created to help connect with your children over literature, but they also have the ability to work in language arts skills as well.
Keep reading to find out how to keep this easy and fun, or to take it a step further and check off language arts for the week, as well!
What's Inside the Bundle
When you get the bundle, it comes with four picture book studies. Each one is one week long, which means four weeks of study for the whole bundle. The books are some of my favorites to teach about Thanksgiving:
- The Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving - This is your typical Pilgrim story - probably the one you grew up with.
- Keepunumuk: Weeachumun's Thanksgiving Story - This book came out just a couple of years ago, and it's beautiful. It's the story of the Pilgrims told from the perspective of the Native Americans (the Wampanoag) who were there when the Pilgrims arrived. I love sharing this second perspective with my children, because it brings on such great discussion.
- Sharing the Bread - This one is a fun one, and it's about coming together as a family to enjoy the meal. You'll love talking about family traditions.
- Thank You, Sarah - This is about a woman who fought really hard to get Thanksgiving recognized as a holiday. It's a unique story about perseverance!
How A Week Works
Everything in a unit revolves around one passage from the book. All of the language arts lessons come from that specific passage, and I find that it provides so much meaning as we dig deeper. Here's what the four days look like:
DAY 1: Read the picture book, ask for a narration, and go over the discussion questions. You'll also begin the copy work. Three copy work options are provided for you so that you can choose which one is best for your individual child.
DAY 2: Dig deeper into the passage. I've included guiding questions to get your child thinking about the language in the sentences and the emotions in the story. You'll introduce vocabulary, which comes naturally as you look closer at the passage. Then, practice spelling. Two spelling lists are provided (beginner and challenge). You can mix and match, pick just a few words - the lists are completely flexible for you!
DAY 3: Review the spelling words as needed. Then, try the provided grammar lesson that comes directly from the passage. Day 3 also comes with an outdoor activity. Every unit has one of these, and I love that so much for our youngest ones. It's so nice to get outside and be intentional about connecting over what we are reading.
DAY 4: Review spelling words as needed and enjoy the bonus activity. This is another hands-on option to connect over the story. It can be anything from a recipe, to a craft, or a simple task. There is a variety, but they're all related to the events in the story.
A Few More Things You'll Find
- Instructions that explain each process, plus a schedule that shows how the skills rotate
- A comprehensive chart that shows exactly what you'll cover: spelling lists, vocabulary words, grammar, figurative language, and copy work practice
- A supply list for the outdoor activity and the bonus activity
- A spelling activities chart that gives you fun ways to introduce and practice your spelling words without just using paper and pencil all the time. It's a great way to mix up your spelling practice.
Get the Thanksgiving Picture Book Study Bundle
Enjoy this literature-based unit for the month of November. Find the Thanksgiving bundle here: Thanksgiving Picture Book Study
I also have other themes for these units including Christmas, fall, camping, and apples. Want to see a complete walk-through of one of these units. Check out my YouTube video where I share the Keepunumuk unit in it's entirety.
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