The First Thanksgiving
By Erin Brereton,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Info-packed, interactive look at Pilgrim life.
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What you will—and won't—find in this website.
Community Reviews
Based on 1 parent review
Very good tool to use aroung Thanksgiving Holiday
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What’s It About?
The First Thanksgiving site, sponsored by book publisher Scholastic, includes videos, images, and historical background on both the origin of Thanksgiving and life during that era. Users can check out a slideshow illustrating the differences between the Pilgrim and Wampanoag settlements; take a virtual tour of the Pilgrim village; and find out how Native Americans helped the Pilgrims survive.
Is It Any Good?
THE FIRST THANKSGIVING offers teachers and students an in-depth look at the pilgrims' journey to America and subsequent lifestyle -- and, of course, there's plenty of information about the first Thanksgiving feast. Younger kids will enjoy the site because a narrator supplies much of the background about the ship, daily life for both the Pilgrims and the Native Americans who they met, and the feast.
However, older kids can also access written content, including user-submitted questions about pilgrim life that have been answered by a member of the Wampanoag tribe. To keep kids interested, the site also contains some interactive elements -- including quizzes and a short script they can perform. Online interaction: Occasionally the site hosts web chats, where students (with teachers' help) can submit questions for fictional historical characters to learn more about early settlers and Native Americans. Teachers and students can sign up to receive letters from Thanksgiving characters by providing an email address.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why the Pilgrims initially come to America. What principles was the country founded on?
Why was the first Thanksgiving meal and meeting so significant? How did the groups work together to ensure that the Pilgrims survived once they'd arrived in America?
The site contains a look at how housing and other things differed for the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe. What are some major ways that both groups' lives were different? How are cooking, daily chores, and other things different for us today?
Website Details
- Subjects: Language & Reading: reading comprehension, text analysis, Social Studies: history, timelines
- Skills: Self-Direction: academic development, personal growth, Thinking & Reasoning: analyzing evidence, applying information
- Genre: Educational
- Pricing structure: Free
- Last updated: November 5, 2015
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