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word Thanksgiving. Birds eye view of a large dinner table with plates and food.

This Thanksgiving Fill Up on Accessible Media

Thanksgiving as we know it today began as a multicultural community celebration and harvest festival held by the Pilgrims to thank local Native Americans for their help with the fall harvest. Though the majority of Thanksgiving celebrations today do not resemble the modest harvest festivals of the 1600s, the tradition of eating, along with spiritual reflection and the celebration of community, remains a popular Thanksgiving pastime.

DCMP has resources to help your students learn more about Thanksgiving. These videos will get you and your students off to a good start.

Thanksgiving

ASL
Slide shows autumn colors blurred in the background of text that reads, "Thanksgiving."
6 minutes 17 seconds
Grade Level: 4 - 8
Pastel painting of a pilgrim family gathered around, and setting the Thanksgiving table with a whole turkey, bread rolls, and fruit. Caption. Shared on the very first Thanksgiving Day.
6 minutes 19 seconds
Grade Level: 1 - 4
Man wears polo and stands in a room. His mouth is open in mid-speech. Caption. It's a great day to learn about history.
Constitution Hall Pass
Episode 4
19 minutes 11 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
People dressed in Pilgrim-era clothing stand outdoors near a table filled with food. A wooden structure is in the background. Caption. Of sharing our harvests with family and friends.
Colonial Life
Episode 6
16 minutes 44 seconds
Grade Level: 1 - 6
Cartoon. Closeup of a wolf's face with eyes looking towards camera and mouth slightly open as if speaking. Caption. During the season of the falling leaves.
Stories From the Seventh Fire
Episode 4
12 minutes 20 seconds
Grade Level: 3 - 4
Recently Added
Still image from: Crash Course U.S. History: When Is Thanksgiving? Colonizing America
Crash Course U.S. History
Episode 2
12 minutes 25 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Aerial closeup of a hand with a black pen tracing over a pencil drawing of a cooked turkey and potatoes on a platter.
3 minutes 4 seconds
Grade Level: 4 - 8
Elementary-school aged children sit at single desks in a classroom setting. Caption. Okay, everybody, leave your answer sheets.
23 minutes 17 seconds
Grade Level: 3 - 6
A calendar open to the month of July with a sticker of the U, S flag placed on the fourth day. Yellow text on screen reads, "Independence Day." Caption. One of my favorite holidays is the Fourth of July.
Primary Citizenship
Episode 7
9 minutes 33 seconds
Grade Level: K - 6

Cooking

Woman with short gray hair wearing a denim shirt in a kitchen. She is behind a counter with a variety of clear dishes, the biggest of which has something white in it. Caption. "We're going to push it together with our hands."
Baking Basics
Episode 1
25 minutes 3 seconds
Grade Level: 6 - 12
Closeup of a sealed and labeled package of fresh lamb leg sirloin chops. An index finger points to a net weight of 0.69 per pound on the package label.
Cooking Basics
Episode 1
21 minutes 40 seconds
Grade Level: 6 - 12
Hand places a clear acrylic, decorative sticker on a stamp block sitting on a cutting board marked with gridlines.
Creative Living With Sheryl Borden
Season 66 / Ep 17
26 minutes 49 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Closeup of a person slicing carrots on a cutting board. Caption. Easier to digest than one containing meat.
19 minutes 15 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Closeup of platter of delicatessen meats. Caption. Listeria is most often found in refrigerated food products.
21 minutes 5 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Closeup of a man's hands as he holds various chopped vegetables in his hands. He's wearing a burgundy striped button up shirt. Caption. It's more exciting to put them in stir-fry.
Nourish Short Films
Episode 24
2 minutes 10 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Man, woman, and young boy sitting and talking at an outside restaurant table. Other tables with patrons and green umbrellas are seen behind them. Caption. This is where we civilize our children.
Nourish Short Films
Episode 25
1 minutes 28 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Person holding a bright light over rows of chicken eggs. Caption: Then they are passed over lights and inspected.
Farm To Market
Season 0 / Ep 12
10 minutes 24 seconds
Grade Level: K - 3
Woman stands behind a kitchen island facing camera. In front her, a spread of appetizers and serveware. Caption. This is great for serving a large group of people.
12 minutes 50 seconds
Grade Level: 3 - 12
Closeup of a young boy wearing a white shirt and red vest doing a sidelong glance over his shoulder. Caption. But wants her sons to be able to manage on their own too.
There Is No Food Like My Food
Season 0 / Ep 2
13 minutes 17 seconds
Grade Level: 4 - 8

DID YOU KNOW?

Although many of us associate Thanksgiving with the turkey, the main course at the "First Thanksgiving" in 1621 was most likely venison, or deer meat.

A popular dish in Victorian America, the turkey became the traditional Thanksgiving meal when, in 1863, President Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday.


Thanksgiving as we know it today began as a multicultural community celebration and harvest festival held by the Pilgrims to thank local Native Americans for their help with the fall harvest. Though the majority of Thanksgiving celebrations today do not resemble the modest harvest festivals of the 1600s, the tradition of eating, along with spiritual reflection and the celebration of community, remains a popular Thanksgiving pastime.

DCMP has resources to help your students learn about Thanksgiving and offers this flyer to get your class off to a good start.


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