Detailed Lesson Plan Preparation

Elementary Education

Name: Holly Berk

Title: What does it mean to be Thankful?
Grade: Kindergarten
Concept/Topic: Social Studies Thanksgiving (Being Thankful)
Time Needed: 30 minutes

Note: A detailed lesson plan is specific enough for another teacher to read and teach
effectively. There should not be any question regarding what to do or how to do it.

Backward Design Approach: Where are you going with your students?
Identify Desired Results/Learning Outcome/Essential Question:
Students will describe what it means to be thankful and express what they are personally thankful for.

NCSCOS/Common Core Standards:

K.C.1 Understand how individuals are similar and different.
K.C.1.1 Explain similarities in self and others.
Assessment Plan:
During the lesson, each student will be asked to share something they are thankful for. By doing so,
they will demonstrate that they understand what it means to be thankful. When a student shares
something, the other students will be asked to give a hand signal if they are also thankful for what was
said. This active participation will help students to recognize the similarities they have with their peers.

Meeting the student where they are:

Prior Knowledge/Connections:
While many- if not all- students celebrate Thanksgiving, most do not have any background knowledge of
the holiday, its history, or why it is celebrated. During a project for Social Studies this semester, we
asked several students Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving? and many students expressed
misconceptions about the holiday. However, over the next few weeks, students will be learning about
various aspects of this holiday, so they will likely be able to make connections to other lessons in the
unit. I am approaching this lesson with the perspective that my students have little to no background
knowledge of Thanksgiving or what it really means to be thankful for something.
Lesson Introduction/Hook:
To introduce the concept of giving thanks, I will read the book Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by
Margaret Sutherland. This story depicts a diverse group of children explaining what they are thankful
for and why. The book also briefly explains what it means to be thankful for something.

Heart of the Lesson/Learning Plan:

Differentiation/Same-ation:
During the lesson, I will create a list of the things that students share for them to refer back to as they
create their handprint leaf about what they are thankful for. This will support students who struggle
with letter sounds and writing. All instructions will be given verbally to accommodate for ELL students
and students who struggle with reading.
In regards to same-ation, all students will be given the opportunity to share something that they are
thankful for and eventually contribute to our Thankful Tree.

Lesson Development:
After reading Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks, I will ask students what it means to be thankful.
I will take a few responses and support students where necessary. After hearing feedback from
students, I will refer back to the page in the book where it explains what it means to be
thankful.
I will then have each student share one thing that they are thankful for. Students will have the
opportunity to pass, but I will come back to them. At this time, I will also discuss that we are
all thankful for many things and that many of us are thankful for the same things. I will ask
students to give two thumbs up when a friend shares something that they are also thankful for.
During this portion of the lesson, I will point out when many of us are thankful for the same
things. As each student shares, I will make a list on the SMARTBoard, which students will be
able to refer back to later in the lesson. I will end this by also sharing something that I am
thankful for.
After creating our list, I will read it and comment on how many different things there are to be
thankful for and remind students that many of them are thankful for a lot of the same things.
Next, I will introduce the craft activity. I will provide students with a colored paper of their
choice and ask them to trace their hand on it and cut it out. Afterwards, I will ask them to
choose something from the list (it does not have to be the thing that they shared on the carpet)

and write it on their cut-out hand. After this is complete, they will get to go out in the hallway
and add their hand to the Thankful Tree.
I will close the lesson by asking students what it means to be thankful and remind them that we
will continue to talk about this as Thanksgiving gets closer.

Specific Questioning:
What does it mean to be thankful?
What is something that you are thankful for?
Were you thankful for some of the same things as other friends?
Can you think of things that are not on this list that we are thankful for?
New Vocabulary:
Thankful: appreciating something that makes you happy
Concluding the Lesson/Closure/Debriefing:
After all hands are added to the tree, I will ask students to remind me what it means to be thankful. I
will remind them to continue thinking about the things that they are thankful for as Thanksgiving gets
closer.
Materials/Resources:
Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by: Margaret Sutherland
SMARTBoard page
Construction paper
Scissors
Tape
Pencils
Teaching Behavior Focus:
For this lesson, I would like to focus on using positive reinforcements for classroom management. I
hope to remember to give out Dojo points and shells and use those to help keep students engaged and
on task, instead of constantly correcting behavior.

Follow-Up Activities/Parent Involvement:

To follow-up with this lesson, students will be participating in many more Thanksgiving lessons during
this week and the following week.