Virginia SOL K.2.e
The Standard
Thanksgiving Day
Virginia Standards of Learning for History and Social Science
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify the November holiday from pictures, stories, and calendar clues. They explain that people give thanks and remember a 1621 harvest gathering shared by English colonists and Wampanoag people.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can name the holiday and give one reason people observe it. The student can describe one past event and one present-day tradition without claiming every family celebrates alike.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think the 1621 gathering looked exactly like modern celebrations or that it began a lasting friendship. They may also assume every family eats turkey and celebrates the same way.
How to Assess It
- Show a November calendar and a picture of people sharing a meal. Ask, "Name the holiday, then tell one reason people observe it."
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Let pairs sort picture cards into 1621 gathering, modern tradition, or both, then explain one choice.
Ask, "How can people show thanks without food?" Record student ideas on a class chart.
Play holiday clue bingo using picture clues such as November, gratitude, harvest foods, family gatherings, and parades.
Compare two family celebration descriptions, then have students name one shared tradition and one difference.
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