Thanksgiving AG Lessons

Students Learn about the Geography of their Thanksgiving Dinner!

It is November... that means harvest is in progress, the temperatures are cooling and Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Are you looking for a fun holiday themed lesson? Visit National Ag in the Classroom (NAITC) to search lesson plans!

Yesterday, students from Summit Schools participated in a NAITC lesson called The Geography of Thanksgiving Dinner.

To begin, students made a list of common Thanksgiving foods and determined where those foods are primarily produced. Top producing states include; turkey (Minnesota) cranberry sauce (Wisconsin), mashed potatoes (Idaho), deviled eggs (Iowa), green bean casserole (Wisconsin), wheat (Kansas), pumpkins (Illinois) and sweet potatoes (North Carolina).”

They identified climate, soil fertility, access to resources (land, water, etc), and demand as the requirements/limitations for raising plants and animals in different regions across the United States.

According to the NAITC lesson research, “Thanksgiving did not become an annual tradition until 200 years after the pilgrims celebrated their first harvest season. The first Thanksgiving was a three-day festival of eating, hunting and celebrating.”