The Woman Who Gave Us Thanksgiving
Discover the incredible story of Sarah Josepha Hale, the woman who tirelessly campaigned for decades to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. Families will explore the power of persistence and persuasion, culminating in writing their own persuasive letters for a holiday they wish existed.
The lesson goal is learners will discover the remarkable efforts of Sarah Josepha Hale and how her long-term campaigning established Thanksgiving as a national holiday. They will grasp the effectiveness of persistence and persuasion, then apply these skills by crafting their own persuasive letters for a new holiday.
What You Need
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Learning Guide
Step-by-step guidance. No preparation required.
- 1
Introduction5 Min
- Ask who made Thanksgiving a national holiday and how long it took.
- Move on when The child has made an initial guess about who made Thanksgiving a national holiday and how long it took.
Photo by Monstera Production on Pexels - 2
Explore & Plan8 Min
- Introduce Sarah Josepha Hale, the author of 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'.
- Explain her 17-year campaign for Thanksgiving, culminating in Lincoln's 1863 proclamation.
- Look at the timeline on the worksheet, discussing Hale's long-term effort.
- Move on when The child understands who Sarah Josepha Hale was and the length of her campaign, showing curiosity about her methods.
Photo by Tara Winstead on Pexels - 3
Discussion6 Min
- Define 'persuasion' and 'campaign' using simple language and examples.
- Ask them for examples of times they tried to persuade someone, and what reasons they used.
- Move on when Student can explain what persuasion means in their own words and give an example of how someone might try to persuade another person.
Photo by Monstera Production on Pexels - 4
Activity9 Min
- Explain the challenge: create a new holiday and write a persuasive letter.
- Help brainstorm ideas for their new holiday and who to convince.
- Guide them to list three strong reasons for their holiday on the worksheet.
- Have them write or draw their persuasive letter using the worksheet.
- Move on when Student has completed their persuasive letter, including the holiday name, three reasons, and who they would send it to, either by writing or drawing on the worksheet.
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels - 5
Summary2 Min
- Celebrate their completed letters and reflect on the power of persistence and persuasion.
- Move on when Student shares one key takeaway from the lesson, such as the power of persistence, persuasion, or Sarah Josepha Hale's role.
Photo by KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA on Pexels
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