I love teaching about Thanksgiving. The real Thanksgiving – the one with Separatists and English, Wampanog and wildlife, disease and celebration. I’ve been to Plimoth Plantation three times, and it always makes me think about the hardship and confusion and assumptions that everyone involved must have made and experienced.
Before the European travelers ever got off the Mayflower, though, they needed a plan. They knew that they had differing ideas about what they wanted out of life in their newly adopted homeland, and so they decided to create a document that would outline their basic ideal government. The idea was simple, but as the first European-style governing document of it’s kind in North America, it’s an important part of American history. Because it’s so simple, students of all ages can study and learn from it.
That’s why I like to have students examine the Mayflower Compact and then create their own.
I’ve used this plan with young elementary students as a whole-class activity. It’s perfect for students who can work more independently or who are more advanced, too. I’ve created a variety of versions in both print and cursive, blank and scaffolded, so it’s easy to differentiate for students with a variety of needs. This works to use with small groups of students in a cooperative way or to use as a whole-class activity.
It doesn’t have to be used at Thanksgiving time, though I love the seasonality of it. You could also use this at the beginning of the school year or to kick off a new unit. Instead of having your students only mimic the idea of the original Compact, you could also have them create a similar document with the rules they need to function as a class or group for a specific purpose.
Are you teaching about the Mayflower Compact this year? Get a copy of this resource here!
