Barta, J.

Dever, Martha Taylor

English

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gO'rnapatthethECOlof,tioitresuzejolm:thintutataciisIIrrsgT;rr(,(il~.---------------------aGIVING THANKSObserving Thanksgiving, Kwanzaa, and Day of the DeadMartha T. Dever and James J. BartaTraditionally in America, ThanksgivingDay is recognized as a time for givingthanks and celebrated in customaryways, While Thanksgiving is an impor-tant holiday, it is not the only way peopleacknowledge and reaffirm their gratitude forwhat they value and enjoy in life. Since virtuallyall cultural groups have celebrations inwhich they give thanks, teachers shouldincorporate a study of a variety of thesecelebrations in their curriculum.Holidays can be meaningful events inthe lives of children. However, when hol-idays are observed in classrooms, theyshould provide accurate informationrather than stereotypical images of thecultures that celebrate them, 1 and be integrat-ed as part of a more global study of culturaldiversity.2 Some scholars suggest that theholiday curriculum has a place in elementaryclassrooms if the activities provide studyrather than an endorsement of celebrations 3and if the historical and cultural meaning ofcelebrations is not lost. 4The purpose of this article is to describe aprimary grade curriculum unit organizedaround the theme of "giving thanks" andencompassing the holidays of Thanksgiving,Kwanzaa, and Day of the Dead. Consistentwith guidelines set forth by the NationalAssocia~on for the Education of Young Chil-dren," this thematic unit provides integrated,developmentally appropriate learning experi-ences that encompass holidays and oth. . . erexpres-SIOnsof thanks-gIvmg from different cultures.History and TraditionsEach of the holidays-- Thankscri' Kand D f th e-vmg, waozaa," ay 0 e Dead-encompasses traditions ofgrvmg thanks that are historically significant to aculture or group of people Thanksa;' .Am' h . t>-'vmglsanencan arvest celebration that dates back to1:1~20s. Kwanzaa is a celebration of African~nc,an roots that began during the 1960s His-parucs ill the United States remember their dead~cestors on Day of the Dead which h Itsill ancient Mexi , as I rootsco.6 social studies & the young learner november/december 1997Thanksgiving DayIn search of religious freedom, the Pilgrimsarrived on the shores of what would becomeMassachusetts in November 1620. The land wasinhabited by Wampanoags, an Algonquin-speak-ing people living along the coasts of what are,now Massachusetts and Rhode Island. They livedin round-roofed dwellings made of poles coveredwith bark, and called wigwams. TheWampanoags were accomplishedhunters and gardeners who befriendedthe Pilgrims and taught them how tofish hunt and plant crops successfully., , ,The Pilgrims suffered greatly duringtheir first year in America, andmany died from hunger or disease.The settlers had brought wheat toplant, only to discover that it w~uldnot grow in the rocky New Englansoil. Squanto, a Wampanoag who spokeEnglish stayed with the PilgrimS for, itseveral months and taught them sUl~able plants to grow-beans, pump ,com, and squash. The following. .tautumn Captain Miles Standish mVl -, ags toed Squanto and other Wampano ,join the Pilgrims for a celeb~ation inthanksgiving for the harvest.Most Americans still celebrate .gratl-Thanksgiving as a time to express.tude. During a traditional celebration,fri ds gather toextended families and en a1enjoy being together and share a m~ .. d hildrensOther traditions may mclu e c '_ad on teleVlgames and viewing football and par es s-;«:.. dinner may leasion. A traditional Thanksgiving .' sandture some of the foods shared by the Pil~ UIUP-the Wampanoags, such as turkey, com, an Pkin or squash.KwaMM ~~~Kwanzaa was originated in 1966 by M..Ron a1har-and was inspired by a traditional agn~u1t~r cenve~t festival observed thr~ugh?ut Afric:d ~ latetunes. This seven-day festival IS observDecember and early January.During the Kwanzaa festival, Afric~Americans and others celebrate family• "~ ••• ";;o •• ," •• ~'~.-."'~-"'.:'--"'.7;.--' " _..•.. ~..~~.... ' ...- "0' •During the Kwanzaa festival, AfricanAmericans and others celebrate fami-ly and ancestral values, and offer grat-itude for what they have in life.One symbol of Kwanzaa, thekinara, is a wooden candle holdercontaining one black, three red, andthree green candles. The black candlerepresents the rich color of AfricanAmerican skin, the red candles repre-sent struggles that people often face,and the green candles remind partici-pants to look to a prosperous future.The candles also represent the sevenprinciples of Kwanzaa-unity, self-determination, collective work andresponsibility, cooperative economics,purpose, creativity, and faith. Eachday of Kwanzaa focuses on one of theprinciples, and one candle is lit. Kwan-zaa culminates with a feast duringwhich families give thanks for foodand each other. 7Day ojthe DeadMany Hispanics in the United Statesare deeply connected to the culture ofMexico, and continue to celebrate theancient holiday of Dia de Muertos orDayof the Dead. Catholic mission~-ies, believing the celebration to be eviloriginally tried to uproot it. But Day ofthe Dead-its rituals influenced byCatholic beliefs and practice-contin-ues as a holiday of thanksgiving forthe souls of departed relatives.A traditional Day of the Dead holi-day begins at horne with familieswo kinr g together to prepare an ofren-da, or offering. Many families preparean alter in their homes, where theyplace articles such as clothing or pho-tographs honOring the dead. Candlesare placed on the alter to light theWayfor the dead, and drinks areoffered to quench theirthirst.Children play an impor-tant part in the prepara-tions for Day of the Dead.They help clean up andbeautify local cemeterieswhere processions are heldto honor those buried there.They also help decorate the altarand prepare skeleton masks to beworn. During the somber procession,special prayers are said for the deadwhile facing in particular directions-north for ancestors, west for women,south for infants and children, andeast for men. The procession is fol-lowed by dancing and feasting duringwhich people give thanks to thosewho have died."A Unit on Giving ThanksThis unit begins by connecting chil-dren to what they understand best,their own experiences. After sharingpersonal thanksgiving traditions, theunit addresses the origin and meaningof our national Thanksgiving holiday.Connections are then made to twoother cultural thanksgiving celebra-tions-Kwanzaa and Day of the Dead.The following activities are intend-ed to guide individual, small group,and whole group study, and should beused selectively based on the age,level, and interests of the students.Individual subject areas and relatedskills are naturally integrated withinthe contexts being studied. The role ofthe teacher is to pique curiosity, helpstudents discover information, andprovide activities for shared learningas young children begin to understandthe meaning, origin, and contempo-rary significance of these holidays.The Learning Spiral, consisting ofEngagement, Investigation, and Shar-ing activities, has been used a:' ~.framework for organizing actiVItieswithin the unit. 9 Engagement activitiesare designed to captureinterest and motivatestudents. Investigationactivities guide open-ended exploration of thetopic. Sharing activitiesprovide ways for studentsto communicate what theyhave learned.Opportunities to providemini-lessons on various skills shouldalso be used. For example, whencharting students' responses, teachersmight note specific letters, sounds, orword patterns. A giving thanks journalcan provide continuous and authenticopportunities for writing. Mathemati-cal skills and concepts can frequentlybe integrated into activities.Because this unit focuses on fami-lies and culture, many opportunitieswill emerge to involve parents andcommunity members in the class-room. For example, they might beinvited to visit the classroom andshare their experiences. (Thank youletters to guest speakers can provideanother writing experience followinga guest speaker.) Finally, assessmentshould be continuous and includeanecdotal records, checklists, and arti-facts created by students for both for-mative and summative assessment.Engagement ActivitiesPersonal Experiences. Knowingthat children learn best when connec-tions are made to their lives, begin theunit by inviting children to share per-sonal and family rituals for givingthanks. These might be inform.al orformal practices. Parents can becomeinvolved in this activity as childrengather information to share at school.Provide opportunities for children towrite about the information they havecollected, or to present it in pictorialor graphic form.Shared Reading. Choose a pieceof literature to read to the class. (Seenovemberlde<ember 1997 socialstuilies&lbeYOUl1llleamer 7gcmp~ththcr01tilcins1Z<j<ntJuuttt(l---..selections are An OldFashionedThanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott,The Gifts of Kwanzaa by S. SaintJames, and Days of theDead byKathryn Lasky. Invite children to talkabout personal experiences thatcome to mind during this sharedreading experience. Commonaltiesand differences betweenWampanoag, Pilgrim, and contempo-rary families can be noted and dis-cussed. The process of sharing theirexperiences will assist students inunderstanding the meaning of theholidays portrayed in the books.Investigation ActivitiesLiterature Circles. After discussionof personal experiences, the study ofthe first Thanksgiving can begin withan investigation of the historical fac-tors that led to the celebration enjoyedby the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags.Three Young Pilgrims by C. Harnessprovides excellent content informa-tion for beginning the investigation.Provide the class with several otherhistorical selections. Then ask stu-dents to indicate what book they aremost interested in reading in a smallgroup. (Volunteers and parents Can beenlisted to read to non-conventionalreaders.) Over a few days, have stu-dents read and discuss their bookssharing their thoughts and ideas. '8 social studies & the young learner november/december 1997You can use playgroundequipment to construct awigwam.Making Wigwamsand Pilgrim Houses.Mathematics is embeddedin a variety of experiencesdesigned to help childreninvestigate Thanksgivingtraditions. If possible,begin this activity by read-ing students Tapenum'sDay: A Wamparwag Indi-an Boy in Pilgrim Timesby K. Waters. Figure 1provides directions forstudents to measure anddesign wigwams for a WampanoagVillage. Students might also be inter-ested in creating a life-sized wigwamoutdoors or in a large indoor area ofthe school. This activity could beextended to the design of housescharacteristic of a Pilgrim settlement.Preparing a Feast. Each of theholidays under study involves a feastas part of the traditional celebration.Have students prepare foods for one orall of the holidays using tradi-tional recipes. This activityprovides oPPortunities forstudents to tabulate suppliesneeded, calculate their cost,learn cooking time and tem-perature, and investigate frac-tions as they increase ordecrease recipe ingredients.Comparing Cultures. Asstudents develop an under-standing of the Pilgrims' situ-ation and the events leadingto the first Thanksgiving, helpthem make connections tothe other two thanksgivingtraditions. Seven Candles forKwanzaa by A. D. Pinkneyoffers children a rich under-~tanding of the origin, mean-mg, and rituals of theKwanzaa holiday. Studentscan respond to the story andlook for similarities and dif-2ferences between this African Ameri-can holiday, Thanksgiving, and Dayofthe Dead. They might analyze the simi-larities and differences among theseholidays by creating a Venn Diagram.Creating Masks. Masks worn dur-ing the procession are an importantpart of Day of the Dead celebrations.Students can make masks using papershapes and glue. This activity allowschildren to explore mathematical con-cepts related to informal geometry,such as the names of shapes and theircharacteristics and symmetry. Stu-dents should understand that maskscreated for Day of the Dead are to behonored as commemorating familymembers and more distant ancestors.Invite students to talk and write aboutany traditions in which they partici-pate wearing masks.Sharing Activities ., .Share The Book. This activity IS anideal follow-up to the literature circlesFigure 1Wampanoag wigwam, adapted from Highline Indian Education Materials11" Stripsactivity.Using a variety of materials,students create a presentation of theirbook intended to convince other stu-dents to read it. The resulting artifactmight take the form of a poster, adramatization, a newspaper article, ora wall mural, to name a few possibili-ties. Each presentation should high-lightwhat students have learned aboutthe meaning and origin of the holiday.Artistic,literacy, and mathematicalskillsare some ofthe opportunities forintegration that occur.Writing. Journals provide anopportunity for students to write dailyor weekly about what they are learn-ing.Teachers should also incorporateopportunities for writing thank younotes following a guest speaker orfieldtrip.Dramatic Play. Appropriateprops will invite dramatic play withyounger children. For example, gar-den props might be used for scenar-ios representing how the Pilgrimslearned to plant suitable crops inAmerica. Food props might generateplay around the feast tradition com-mon to each of the holidays.ConclusionTheunit described here introducesbut does not exhaust, possibilities forstudents to learn about thanksgivingholid e-ays and make connections amongc~tures and sub-cultures. Hopefully, itWill ~elp students to appreciate themultitude of ways in which humanbeingsexpress gratitude in their cele-~rations.As such, it provides a modelor engaging students' interest in. a18" Strip for Basemeaningful study of their world, whileguiding them toward awareness,understanding, and acceptance of oth-ers within it. .:.Notes1. M. Sapon-Shevin, R. King, and S. F.Hanhan, "The Holiday-centered Cur-riculum," Education and Society (Fall1988): 26-31.2. L. Derman-Sparks and ABC TaskForce, Anti-bias Curriculum: Toolsfor Empowering Young Children(Washington, DC: National Associationfor the Education of Young Children,1989).3. S. B. Zakariya, "Celebrate the HolidaySeason by Teaching Kids About TheirWorld," The American School BoardJournal (December 1984): 4041.4. P. H. Porter, "Rethinking the Holidays,"Social Studies and the Young Learner(NovemberlDecember 1993): 23-25.5. S. Bredekamp, ed., DevelopmentallyAppropriate Practice in Early Child-hood Programs Serving ChildrenjromBirth through Age 8 (Washington, DC:National Association for the Educationof Young Children, 1987).6. Highline indian Education Program(Seattle, WA: unpublished manuscript)7. A. D. Pinkney, Seven CandlesforKwanzaa (New York: Dial Books,1993).8. D. Hoyt-Goldsmith, Day of the Dead:AMexican-American Celebration (NewYork: Holiday House, 1994.9 D. E. Hobbs, M. Dever, and M. Tadlock,"A Curriculum Learning Tool: TheLearning Spiral," Transescence 23, 2(November 1995): 28-33; M. T. Dever5f~"/ .. J. .</ \ '-. \'\:~/( I '. \, ~ ~'(:"t" :,-:~ ~\.<, . ";':/"" ,.. ,,~ . \ \}~ :!I;: i.l:: :. ., ; ~~'I·:;. '. :!.. '. '::'; .X/" \,,. ,I . ", . __J' ',-.. "~!r·I·,·T~1 '.-r- :.':' •. : .. ~~L..-..:-: ..~.Torn Brown Paper for Barkand D. Hobbs, "The Learning Spiral:Taking the Lead from How ChildrenLearn" (manuscript submitted for pub-lication, 1996).10. B. Fisher, Joyful Learning: A WholeLanguage Kindergarten (portsmouth,NH: Heinemann, 1991).Children's LiteratureAlcott, Louisa May. An OldFashionedThanksgiving. Nashville: Ideals Chil-dren's Books, 1993.Harness, C. Three Young Pilgrims. NewYork: Simon & Schuster, 1992.Lasky, Kathryn. Days of the Dead. NewYork: Hyperion, 1994.Pinkney, A.D. Seven Candlesfor Kwan-zaa. New York: Dial Books, 1993.Saint James, S. The Gifts of Kwanzaa.Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman &Company, 1994.Waters, K. Tapenum's Day: AWampanoag Indian Boy in PilgrimTimes. New York: Scholastic, 1996.About the Authors:Martha T. Dever has experience as anelementary teacher, and is currently anassistant professor teaching graduateand undergraduate COU1-sesin elemen-tary and early childhood education atUtah State University.James T. Barta has experience as an ele-menum) and resource teacher, and iscurrently an assistant professor teach-ing graduate and undergraduate coursesin elementary, early childhood, andmathematics education at Utah StateUniversity.november/december 1997 socialS1lldies&theyoungleamer 9

Giving Thanks:  Curricular Opportunities for Expanding Young Children\u27s Cultural Awareness

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Giving Thanks: Curricular Opportunities for Expanding Young Children\u27s Cultural Awareness

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