Thanksgiving Webquest

To Be A Pilgrim

A Grade 1 WebQuest integrating Language Arts/Social Studies/Technology.
Designed by:Kirsten Shivak


Introduction	Task	Book Resources	Website Resources	Process	Evaluation	Conclusion

Introduction

Have you ever had a new neighbor or moved to a new home yourself? How did you make them feel welcome or how did they make you feel welcome? What kinds of things did they do to be friendly or did you do to be friendly? When the Pilgrims came to America in 1626 they were not prepared for the cold winter ahead of them. The Native Americans came to their assistance. There were no supermarkets, malls, or houses already built for the Pilgrims. They needed to hunt for meat, grow their fruits and vegetables and build their own homes. Life for the Pilgrims, even the children, was different than it is today.

Task

Life for the Pilgrims, even the children, was different than it is today. Everyone had daily chores and responsibilities. What were some of the responsibilities that Pilgrim men, women, boys and girls had? How were their responsibilities different from yours? Why were they different than your responsibilities? What was life like back in the 1600's? You will compare and contrast your life to the life of the Pilgrims.

Extension: You will compare and contrast your life to the life of the Wampanoags.

You will learn more about the life of a Pilgrim by:
1. Reading early Plimoth Letters, visiting related websites and listening to related children's literature.
2. Creating a Venn Diagram showing the differences and similarities in your life versus a Pilgrim's.
3. Applying your knowledge by pretending you are a Pilgrim and are writing a letter to a relative in England-- a more settled country. The letter should be very descriptive and create a "snapshot" on the life a Pilgrim lived in Plimoth.

Book Resources

Read these Thanksgiving and Pilgrim books

	If You Sailed on the Mayflower by Ann McGovern
	Samuel Eaton's Day by Kate Waters (Learn about Kate Waters)
	Sarah Morton's Day by Kate Waters
	Three Young Pilgrims by Cheryl Harness
	The Pilgrims of Plimoth by Marcia Sewall
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Websites and Links

	Background Information: Pilgrim Questions and Answers
	For Children's Browsing: Plimoth on the Web Virtual Tour of Plimoth See the Mayflower II During it's Millennium Sail in August of 2000 Pilgrim Clothing Plimoth 1621
	Teacher Resources: 20/20 Technologies The Plimoth Thanksgiving Story Plymouth: Its History and People Passenger list, Mayflower Compact The First Thanksgiving Proclamation The Pilgrim Hall Museum The Truth About the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving
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Additional Websites Related to Thanksgiving

Process

Activity #1 - After listening to the books listed above and visiting the websites in the resource section, with your 2-4 group members find the answers to the following questions :

1. How did the Pilgrims get to Plimoth? How do we usually travel for long trips? What were some of the things that made this trip so difficult?

2. After taking the virtual tour of Plimoth, how does this town differ from the town you live in (how are your four basic needs met--food, water, shelter, clothing)? Some things to consider are how the homes are made, what the roads looked like, where they got their food, water, the insides of their homes, transportation etc...

3a. How did a Pilgrim man or boy dress compared to today?

3b. How did a Pilgrim woman or girl dress compared to today?

4. What were some of the chores of the Pilgrim women? girls? men? boys?

5. What was school like when the Pilgrim's arrived?

Activity #2 - Within your group, have each group member dictate to a parent helper similarities and differences. The parent helper will help you organize your knowledge using Kidpix in a Venn Diagram.

Activity #3 - Using the template learned for a friendly letter, pretend you are a Pilgrim and are writing a letter to a relative in England-- a more settled country. The letter should be very descriptive and create a "snapshot" on the life you live as a Pilgrim in Plimoth.

Extension Activity #4 - Using the websites in the additional resource section, sample a few and get a feel for the Wampanoag life. How do their homes differ from ours? Get supplies from the back table and make wigwam. Place it on the butcher paper on the table in the hall. When all wigwams are made, we will brainstorm as a class items to add to the community to make it more like the Wampanoag community.

Extension Activity #5 - Working with your four person group, go to the website wordsearch site and print the word search and complete as a group.

Additional websites related to Thanksgiving

Extension Activity #6 -Preparation for a feast. Choose whether you want to be a Pilgrim or a Native American. Make a Pilgrim costume (hat and collar) or a Native American costume (headband and vest)-- templates and materials are on the back table.

Extension Activity #7 - Thanksgiving feast!

Evaluation

You will be evaluated on this WebQuest by how well you perform the assigned activities within your small group.

The major areas you will be evaluated on are:

1. How much you participate in the group.

2. How well you perform your written activities.

3. How well you cooperate with group members.

You will be rated on a scale of 1 to 4 as follows:

"1" - You are a novice group member.
"2" - You are a apprentice group member.
"3" - You are a practitioner group member.
"4" - You are an expert group member.

This rubric can be viewed here.

Conclusion

Life for the Pilgrims was different than it is today. Although we have daily chores and responsibilities, the Pilgrims chores and responsibilities usually took care of their four basic needs-- food, water, shelter and clothing. Although we may obtain our basic needs in a different manner than the Pilgrims did, the basic needs remain the same. Having our four basic needs met is great reason to be thankful! What are some other reasons you are thankful?

Plymouth: Its History and People Passenger list, Mayflower Compact