Web Activity Lesson Plans, Thanksgiving, Social Studies, Glencoe

Student Web Activities

Turkey - It’s not just for Thanksgiving anymore!

Introduction
The turkey has a long history in the United States. It is a species native to the Western Hemisphere and was one of the unique discoveries of European explorers, who brought birds back to Europe and made turkey a popular delicacy in the 1500s. Given this, it is not surprising that the legend of the first Thanksgiving feast might include a native bird that was already well known to the Pilgrims settling in New England. Ever since those legendary days, turkeys have been seen primarily as a special holiday food. While turkeys are still a main focus of the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, the bird is not just for that special time of year. Turkey is popular today for many reasons.

Destination Title:

The National Turkey Federation

Note: Clicking on the links above will launch new browser windows.
Need help using your browser for this activity? Click here for tips.

Directions Start at the National Turkey Federation web site. Browse through the links under “About Turkey.” Make sure that you read through the information on Turkey Statistics, Turkey History and Trivia, and the Turkey Industry Structure. Then answer the following questions.

1. Turkey consumption in the United States has increased since which decade?

2. What are the top three turkey producing states in 2001 and how much turkey does each state produce?

3. Why do you think more Americans are eating more and more turkey outside of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season?

4. Where else are turkeys used, besides your holiday dinner table?

5. Conduct a poll of your classmates and see how they most often eat turkey and when. You might ask if it is only eaten during the holidays, what forms of turkey is their favorite, and what is their favorite way to eat leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Collect your data and create graphs to display the information. Be prepared to present a summary of the findings to your classmates.

Back