On the Mayflower Lesson Plan

• PRINT
• EMAIL

The photography in On the Mayflower is fantastic. It brings to life the voyage of the Mayflower and the hardships faced by the passengers. Students love imagining that they are at sea aboard the Mayflower. I still remember "sailing" on the Mayflower as a kindergarten student in 1975.

OBJECTIVE
Students will "identify and describe the events or people celebrated during United States national holidays and why we celebrate them." --Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework

MATERIALS

• On the Mayflower by Kate Waters
• hollow blocks
• refrigerator box (You can use these materials individually, or together. It is not necessary to have both to complete this activity successfully.)

SET UP AND PREPARE
The building of the Mayflower itself takes anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, depending on what it is built of, and the amount of detail put into it. You then need to schedule additional time for students to engage in dramatic play.

DIRECTIONS
Working with small groups of students, use your blocks, and/or boxes, to create the Mayflower. (Due to space, you may decide to only build portions of it.) You might decide to lay down some blue cloth for the ocean, or to make provisions with which to "stock" the ship.

SUPPORTING ALL LEARNERS
It is sometimes difficult for young children to understand that the photos are not of the actual Pilgrims, but of actors portraying them. It is useful to have this conversation before reading the book.

LESSON EXTENSION
Make models or drawings of the Mayflower. Scholastic publishes a number of curriculum guides that feature the Mayflower, one of which is listed in Related Resources.

Make labels to put in different areas of the ship. Aft, deck, and rigging could be some of the labels students post.

Related Resources
www.plimoth.org
http://teacher.scholastic.com/thanksgiving/voyage/index.htm
Easy Make & Learn Projects: The Pilgrims, the Mayflower & More: 15 Fun-to-Create Reproducible Models That Make the Time of the Pilgrims Come to Life by Donald M. Silver, Patricia J. Wynne

Jeremy Brunaccioni is a kindergarten teacher in Massachusetts.

• Teacher Store
• 

  The Teacher Store
  	In Their Own Words Grades 4 - 6 by various See below for complete list of titles. Appropriate titles of equal value may be substituted if any of the listed titles are unavailable at shipping time. Set Includes: Abraham Lincoln Benjamin Franklin Lewis and Clark Sojourner Truth Thomas Edison $15.00 You save: 40% Paperback Book Collection | Grades 4-6

  
  In Their Own Words Grades 4 - 6
  Grades 4-6 $15.00
  
• Teacher Store
• 

  The Teacher Store

  Our Country Write & Read Books by Catherine M. Tamblyn Build early reading and writing skills-and teach about our country-with these reproducible nonfiction books that kids help write and illustrate! Just photocopy the book patterns and invite kids to fill in the blanks to create their own personalized take-home books. Topics include the flag, states, presidents, and more. 96 pages. $14.99 Professional Book | Grades K-2

  
  Our Country Write & Read Books
  Grades K-2 $14.99
  

Buffalo Woman, Death of the Iron Horse, Her Seven Brothers, and Star Boy Lesson Plan
I use Buffalo Woman, Death of the Iron Horse, Her Seven Brothers, and Star Boy, as part of a social studies unit on the Plains Native Americans...

Pink and Say Lesson Plan
Pink and Say is used as an introduction to our social studies unit on the Civil War. As a culminating part of the unit, the students create a...

Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books Lesson Plan
I like to use Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books when studying U.S. presidents, and when talking about a love of books and reading. "After...