These articles and resources have been selected from NCSS publications to help you teach about Thanksgiving during Native American Heritage Month. 


The Mythic Mayflower Compact: What to Commemorate for Year 400
Although many myths have surrounded the Mayflower Compact of 1620, it made a major
contribution to the American constitutional tradition by rejecting the concept of a state-
sanctioned church. Howard Kaplan, Social Education November/December 2020

"Now You Can’t Just Do Nothing: Unsettling the Settler Self within Social Studies Education"
Promising practices offer educators opportunities to confront the perspective of white settler
colonialism that has permeated the study of the history of Indigenous peoples. Christine Stanton, Social Education October 2019


Using Inquiry to Prepare Students for College, Career, and Civic Life: Elementary
Grades - Chapter 2. Models of Instruction: Varying Teaching to Support Learners During Inquiry


"Beyond Pilgrim Hats and Turkey Hands: Using Thanksgiving to Promote Citizenship and Activism"
In this article from the September/October 2010 Social Studies and the Young Learner the authors share four strategies to help teachers reinvigorate their Thanksgiving lessons with rich social studies content aimed at promoting citizenship and activism.

"Harvest Ceremony—Beyond the Thanksgiving Myth"
While the modern story of Thanksgiving describes the original feast as a friendly gathering of neighbors, in reality it had much more to do with political alliances, diplomacy, and an attempt at peaceful coexistence.

American Indian Culture & History from SSYL
From the Social Studies and the Young Learner archives, this special issue on American Indian Culture & History offers articles that challenge teachers to examine long-held misconceptions and others that offer detailed lesson plans that can be put to effective use.