Lesson Name: Thanksgiving Door: Looking at Traditions in Different Cultures Resources: Atwell, Debby. The Thanksgiving door. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 2003. Supplies: Red construction paper (door) 12 x 18 --cut into 4ths White paper for in back of door (writing) 8 1/2 x 11 cut in 1/2 Pencils Document camera and hook up (optional) AKS: predict story events and outcomes based on title, illustrations, background knowledge, and story structure; check predictions (GPS, ITBS, CE) (3LA_B2009-16) listen to, read, comprehend, and identify a variety of literary and informational texts (GPS) (3LA_B2009-10) listen and respond to literal, inferential, and evaluative questions of a variety of literary and informational text presented orally (GPS, ITBS) (3LA_A2009-3) retell, summarize/paraphrase stories, and relate setting, characters, and events to real life (GPS, CE) (3LA_B2009-19) make connections (text-to-self, text-to-text, text-to-world) using significant details from the text (GPS) (3LA_I2009-93) use organizational structures for conveying information (chronological order, cause and effect, similarities and differences, questions and answers) (GPS) (3LA_G2009-86) explore holidays and traditional celebrations of the target language cultures (GPS) (EMLA_C2009-19) compare similarities and differences (GPS) (3SS_B2008-10) write a response to literature that demonstrates understanding of the text, formulates an opinion, and supports a judgment (GPS) (3LA_I2009-91) use the media center and available technology as sources of information and pleasure (GPS) (3LA_J2009-100)
Blurb to Teachers: After burning their Thanksgiving dinner, Ann and Ed head for the local cafe, where they are welcomed by an immigrant family into an unusual celebration that gives everyone cause to be thankful. Students will listen to the read aloud and then create their own Thanksgiving door where they write what their Thanksgiving traditions are. If they do not celebrate Thanksgiving, they may respond by writing a letter to the characters thanking them for opening their door or write about another celebration they observe and its traditions. If time allows, students will share their writing.
Lesson: Essential Question: How do your Thanksgiving holiday traditions compare with others? Tell students that we are going to listen to The Thanksgiving Door. Have students make predictions from the cover. Write on chart paper or white board. Identify: Front cover, back cover, spine, title, author, illustrator, title page, copyright, publisher (we do this for every book) Read the book using document camera (large class I want everyone to see the details in the pictures.) Go back to predictions and see which ones were accurate. Model your thinking process on the differences in your Thanksgiving holiday and the ones shown in the book. Particularly look at the pictures with students. This will help them with the next activity. Student Activity: Each student will have a red paper (door) and a white paper. See cutting instructions above. Students will write/draw/label on the white paper what someone would find if a stranger came to their Thanksgiving door. This activity could be also done in Microsoft Word or using magazines/newspapers for pictures. The red paper will be the door. They can decorate it to look like their front door. Then staple/glue to the white paper so it looks like a door opening to their Thanksgiving. If time allows, have students share their Thanksgiving Door with their elbow partner.
Extra Activity (Day 2): Find books/sites/pictures that have fall festivals/holidays from other cultures. Have students look through them to see what customs are different. Small groups can make a web with types of food, days of festival, special costumes, and unique items for specific festivals. Festivals and book suggestions: August Moon Festival (Chinese) China (Fiesta!). Singapore: Marshall Cavendish International, 2006. Days of the Dead (Mexican) Mexico (Fiesta!). Singapore: Marshall Cavendish International, 2006. Tet Trung Thu (Vietnamese) Vietnam (Fiesta!). Singapore: Marshall Cavendish International, 2006. Succoth/Sukkot (Jewish) Israel (Fiesta!). Singapore: Marshall Cavendish International, 2006. Kwanzaa( African) Doering, Amanda. Kwanzaa: African American celebration of culture. Mankato, MI: Cpastone Press, 2006. Pongal (Indian) India (Fiesta!). Singapore: Marshall Cavendish International, 2006. Yam Festival/Iriji (African) Chusok (Korean) Korea (Fiesta!). Singapore: Marshall Cavendish International, 2006.
Jones, Linda. Kids around the world celebrate! The Best feasts and festivals from many lands. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2000. o use table of contents, index, glossary, guide words, and appendix to locate information in books and reference works (GPS) (4LA_J2009-98) Cool online site with ebooks in different languages. This one is about fiestas and festivals in English. Great for pictures to compare cultures http://www.childrenslibrary.org/icdl/bookpage?bookid=tanfsts_00280006&pnum1=1&twopage=true&rou te=text_english_festival&size=0&fullscreen=false&lang=english&ilang=english