How to Teach the Truth about Thanksgiving and Columbus Day

When I think back to elementary and middle school, when it came time to learn about Columbus Day and Thanksgiving, I have positive memories. Memories of making turkeys by tracing my hand then writing what I’m thankful for in the middle and reciting the poem “In 1492.” We had a party celebrating these holidays and learned that Christopher Columbus founded America when in reality the Native Americans had lived here for thousands of years previous. We also learned about Thanksgiving and learned that it was a celebration for the pilgrims. All of the information we learned about was very positive and at this time I truly believed that these were happy stories. In reality we are not taught the correct information, which in return confuses children when they eventually find out the truth. I do, however, believe that we must protect these young ears to an extent because most young kids can’t handle the graphic nature of the truth, but as teachers we should not lie to our students but explain the truth as best as possible.

 

As a teacher I would develop a lesson plan that was designed with different activities to teach my students the real meanings behind each holiday. I feel that it is important for students to know why they get these days off from school and what and who they are celebrating.  A few activities that I found interesting and educational were to get your students online so they can take a virtual tour of Plymouth Plantation if you are not close to enough to actually visit! Another great idea would be to have the kids create their own village and settlement; this gives the students a chance to see what life was like at this time. There are so many hands on approaches to teaching students the correct information about Thanksgiving, Columbus Day, and any other historical holidays. We should always be truthful with our students and find ways to educate them the right way.
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