Daily Activities – FDR Established Thanksgiving (1941)
The daily activities created for each of the Today in Georgia History segments are designed to meet the Georgia Performance Standards for Reading Across the Curriculum, and Grade Eight: Georgia Studies. For each date, educators can choose from three optional activities differentiated for various levels of student ability. Each activity focuses on engaging the student in context specific vocabulary and improving the student’s ability to communicate about historical topics.
One suggestion is to use the Today in Georgia History video segments and daily activities as a “bell ringer” at the beginning of each class period. Using the same activity daily provides consistency and structure for the students and may help teachers utilize the first 15-20 minutes of class more effectively.
Optional Activities:
Level 1: Provide the students with the vocabulary list and have them use their textbook, a dictionary, or other teacher provided materials to define each term. After watching the video have the students write a complete sentence for each of the vocabulary terms. Student created sentences should reflect the meaning of the word based on the context of the video segment. Have students share a sampling of sentences as a way to check for understanding.
Level 2: Provide the students with the vocabulary list for that day’s segment before watching the video and have them guess the meaning of each word based on their previous knowledge. The teacher may choose to let the students work alone or in groups. After watching the video, have the students revise their definitions to better reflect the meaning of the words based on the context of the video. As a final step, have the students compare and contrast their definitions to their textbook, dictionary or other teacher provided materials definitions.
Level 3: Provide the students with the vocabulary list and have them use their textbook, a dictionary, or other teacher provided materials to define each term. After watching the video, have the students write a five sentence paragraph based on the provided writing prompts.
Vocabulary/Writing Prompts:
Vocabulary Terms Vocabulary Terms
Tradition
Pilgrims
Harvest
Routinely
Marked
Declare
Firmly
Writing Prompts
1. Have you ever wondered how the holidays we celebrate every year got their start? Does the history of Thanksgiving surprise you? In a five-sentence paragraph explain how the history of Thanksgiving you learned in the video segment is different than one you have learned before.
2. In a five-sentence paragraph, use your knowledge of United States History and economics to explain why President FDR would want to lengthen the holiday shopping season in 1939. How does the amount of time people have to shop for Christmas presents impact the country’s economy.
3. In this segment you learned that the reasons for celebrating a national day of Thanksgiving have changed over time. In a five-sentence paragraph explain what the Thanksgiving holiday means to you as a citizen of the 21st century in the United States of America.
Related Georgia Performance Standards:
Reading Across the Curriculum (Grades 6-12)
SSRC1 Students will enhance reading in all curriculum areas by:
c. Building vocabulary knowledge
• Demonstrate an understanding of contextual vocabulary in various subjects.
• Use content vocabulary in writing and speaking.
• Explore understanding of new words found in subject area texts.
d. Establishing context
• Explore life experiences related to subject area content.
• Discuss in both writing and speaking how certain words are subject area related.
• Determine strategies for finding content and contextual meaning for unknown words.
Economics 9-12
SSEF5 The student will describe the roles of government in a market economy.
a. Explain why government provides public goods and services, redistributes income, protects property rights, and resolves market failures.
b. Give examples of government regulation and deregulation and their effects on consumers and producers.
Grade 8 Georgia Studies
SS8E3 The student will evaluate the influence of Georgia’s economic growth and development.
a. Define profit and describe how profit is an incentive for entrepreneurs.
b. Explain how entrepreneurs take risks to develop new goods and services to start a business.
c. Evaluate the importance of entrepreneurs in Georgia who developed such enterprises as Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, Georgia-Pacific, and Home Depot.
Kindergarten American Symbols
SSKH1 The student will identify the purpose of national holidays and describe the people or events celebrated.
a. Labor Day
b. Columbus Day (Christopher Columbus)
c. Veterans Day
d. Thanksgiving Day
e. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
f. Presidents Day (George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and the current President)
g. Memorial Day
h. Flag Day
i. Independence Day
United States History 9-12
SSUSH1 The student will describe European settlement in North America during the 17th century.
a. Explain Virginia’s development; include the Virginia Company, tobacco cultivation, relationships with Native Americans such as Powhatan, development of the House of Burgesses, Bacon’s Rebellion, and the development of slavery.
b. Describe the settlement of New England; include religious reasons, relations with Native Americans (e.g., King Phillip’s War), the establishment of town meetings and development of a legislature, religious tensions that led to the founding of Rhode Island, the half-way covenant, Salem Witch Trials, and the loss of the Massachusetts charter and the transition to a royal colony.
c. Explain the development of the mid-Atlantic colonies; include the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam and subsequent English takeover, and the settlement of Pennsylvania.
d. Explain the reasons for French settlement of Quebec.
e. Analyze the impact of location and place on colonial settlement, transportation, and economic development; include the southern, middle, and New England colonies.