Kindergartners replicate interaction between Wampanoag Indians, Pilgrims
Kindergarten students from Caln Elementary take the stage as Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians.
Giving thanks during the holiday season held new meaning for kindergarten students from Caln Elementary School after learning about the Wampanoag Indians and Pilgrims during November – and then recreating some of their history.
Students learned that, with the help of the Native American Indians, the Pilgrims were able to harvest their crops. From these crops, the first feast was held in the autumn of 1621 to celebrate the colony’s first bountiful harvest. Students also learned about what foods were served and what activities were part of the celebration.
After the students’ performance on stage, they returned to their classrooms with teachers, parents and guests to sample foods fit for Indians and Pilgrims.
The lessons served as a prelude to an event on Friday, Nov. 22 at 1:30 p.m., when the students displayed what they had learned, participating in Caln Elementary School’s Annual First Thanksgiving Literacy Celebration. The students performed in front of their families and friends in the school’s gymnasium.
The students wore the Pilgrim and Wampanoag attire that they designed based upon what they learned in class. Student leaders directed their classmates in songs and poems that were shared with the audience. After the program, students and their teachers invited their guests back to their respective classrooms to sample foods that were eaten at the First Feast, such as homemade butter, corn bread, pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie, creating an appetizing educational experience.
