Molly's Pilgrim Thanksgiving Read Aloud and Bonus Thematic Content for 2nd Grade
Celebrate the true meaning of Thanksgiving with Molly’s Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen—a heartfelt story about celebrating differences. This Thanksgiving read aloud resource for 2nd grade includes a variety of Thanksgiving activities that build comprehension, creativity, and math skills while reinforcing key social-emotional lessons. Perfect for the days leading up to Thanksgiving, this unit will keep students engaged and learning while they reflect on the values of gratitude and kindness.
Why You’ll Love This Resource
Engages Students with a Powerful Story: Through the story of Molly’s Pilgrim, students will explore themes of acceptance, kindness, and diversity, all while developing their reading comprehension skills.
Comprehensive Thanksgiving Activities: This resource combines literacy, math, and social studies activities, making it a perfect way to integrate multiple subjects into your Thanksgiving lessons.
Builds Critical Thinking and Creativity: The activities encourage students to think critically about the story, design their own Pilgrim, and express gratitude through thoughtful writing prompts.
Flexible and Easy to Use: Ideal for whole-group discussions, small-group work, or individual practice, these activities are designed for 2nd grade but can easily be adapted for other elementary grades.
What’s Included:
Mini-Literature Unit on Molly’s Pilgrim:
Before Reading Activity: Engage students in predicting and thinking about the story’s themes.
During Reading Comprehension Activities: Focus on key elements like characters, plot, and themes through guided questions.
After Reading Essay Questions: Encourage students to reflect on the story’s message by answering deeper questions.
Venn Diagram Activity: Help students compare and contrast characters or themes.
Design a Pilgrim Activity: A creative project where students design their own Pilgrim, encouraging artistic expression.
Thanksgiving Themed Math Games and Activities:
Turkey Trot Game: Practice addition and subtraction facts as students “trot” across the field.
Thanksgiving Word Math Problems: Apply math skills to solve fun, Thanksgiving-themed problems.
Harvest Doubles, Addition, and Subtraction Game: A game that challenges students to find the biggest and smallest numbers.
Colorful Turkeys Activity: Students experiment with different color combinations on turkey feathers.
Facts Orchard Game: A fun activity where students use math facts to “harvest” apples.
Mayflower Compact Social Studies & Writing Activities:
Class Compact Writing Activity: Using the Molly’s Pilgrim story as inspiration, students will write a class “compact” to outline classroom behavior.
Create a Character Activity: Focus on empathy by teaching students how unkind words can affect others.
Thankful Writing Activities:
Thesaurus Challenge: Students use reference materials to find synonyms for “thankful.”
Many Ways to Say Thanks: Students will write five new ways to express gratitude.
How to Use This Resource:
In the Classroom: Use the Thanksgiving read aloud activities to engage students in meaningful discussions about diversity, kindness, and gratitude through the story of Molly’s Pilgrim.
Centers or Group Work: Set up the math games and Thanksgiving activities in centers or small groups to keep students engaged while reinforcing essential skills.
Thanksgiving Writing Prompts: Encourage students to reflect on what they are thankful for with the thankful writing activities, fostering social-emotional growth.
Cross-Curricular Learning: This unit integrates reading comprehension, math, and social studies, making it a comprehensive and well-rounded resource for the Thanksgiving season.
This Molly’s Pilgrim Thanksgiving Read Aloud & Activities resource for 2nd grade offers the perfect balance of fun and academic learning during the days leading up to Thanksgiving. Your students will love exploring themes of gratitude, kindness, and community through engaging activities and discussions!