Consider These Thanksgiving Activities For Your Classroom

By Mary Patterson

Thanksgiving is well-timed (Thanks, Lincoln!) for teachers because we are officially in cold and flu season. If you haven’t gotten the gross cough/nose thing your students are passing around, I tip my hat to you and want to know your secret.

If you know me, you know my natural disposition is not one of seeing the bright side. This is an understatement. But, I do love Thanksgiving because the whole idea is to pause, reflect, and give thanks for what matters, with a side of pie.

I’m a sucker for the political cartoons of Thomas Nast, and “Uncle Sam’s Thanksgiving” from 1869 is a great one to share with your students before you break for the holiday. In this activity, students look at the juxtaposition of Uncle Sam’s imagined Thanksgiving with the realities of Reconstruction.

The symbolism in these cartoons is rich, yet accessible. The introduction helps point out important things to look for, and the source links at the bottom will allow students to enlarge the images and take their time looking at the details. The beauty of using these images, or any images really, is different students will focus on and notice different things. I would wager they point out something you never would have noticed. That’s part of the fun!

These images also invite students to apply this same thinking to the present day: what could Uncle Sam’s Thanksgiving look like in 2023 (the optimist)? What problems does the country face (the realist)? Is there a meeting ground in between? Where will you focus your energy?

One of my colleagues always says teaching is an act of optimism. I think she hits the nail on the head. I hope you will focus your energy on this side of the equation because what could be is something pretty special.

I am rooting for you, always.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mary Patterson is a Senior Content Specialist at the Bill of Rights Institute. She is also a former history and government teacher.