Catholic Thanksgiving Day Lesson Plans on the Eucharist as Thanksgiving

Eucharist means first of all “thanksgiving” (CCC, 1360). I can think of no better lesson to teach to our students this Thanksgiving week than this. There are many images that express the intense mystery that is the Eucharist, but the Eucharist as thanksgiving is the most appropriate for November. A simple connection that you can help your students make is that every time we celebrate the Eucharist, we share a Thanksgiving meal.

The word Eucharist comes from “the Greek words eucharistein and eulogein, which recall the Jewish blessings that proclaim – especially during a meal – God’s works: creation, redemption, and sanctification” (CCC, 1328). We are united as one body, one family sharing in the one bread and one cup of Christ.

Here is a short video to explain the meaning of Eucharist to kids:

Many people assume that the United States has celebrated Thanksgiving Day since the time of the pilgrims as a sign of thanksgiving for the harvest season. This is not exactly true. President Abraham Lincoln instituted the holiday in 1863 during the Civil War. However, he did not have the harvest in mind. He wanted Americans to celebrate the holiday as a sign of unity and thanksgiving to God.

“I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens”

(President Abraham Lincoln, Proclamation, October 3, 1863).

I can think of no American holiday that so closely resembles the symbolism and meaning of the sacrament of the Eucharist. We celebrate Thanksgiving as a sign of American unity and thanksgiving to God who has given us great gifts.

Use the following lesson plan variations to teach your students about Thanksgiving and the Eucharist:

Elementary School Lesson Plan

Objective: SWBAT make connections between Thanksgiving dinner and the Eucharist (food, family, unity, and giving thanks).

Materials Needed: blank copy paper, colored pencils/markers/crayons

Prior Knowledge: experience of celebration of Thanksgiving dinner at home; experience of the celebration of the Eucharist at Church

Learning Tasks:

1. Distribute one sheet of blank copy paper to each student. Instruct them to fold the paper in half (hamburger-style).
2. Instruct the students to label the left side of the paper “Thanksgiving Dinner” and have them draw a picture of their Thanksgiving dinners using colored pencils, markers, or crayons.
3. Pair-share: After they have finished their drawings, invite students to explain their pictures to a partner.
4. Instruct the students to label the right side of the paper “The Eucharist” and have them draw a picture of the Mass. (Hint that they should start by drawing an altar.)
5. Pair-share: After they have finished their drawings, invite students to explain their pictures to a partner.
6. As a class, ask students to point out what is similar about the two pictures they drew. You should especially direct students to see that both pictures will have food (turkey/bread and wine), families (remind the students that the Church is God’s family – he is the Father), unity (everyone shares the meals together as one family), and giving thanks.
7. Ask the students what they will give thanks for at Thanksgiving this year. Instruct them to write those things down on the back of their Thanksgiving Dinner picture.
8. Ask the students what they will give thanks to God for the next time they go to Mass. Instruct them to write those things down on the back of their The Eucharist picture.
9. Close by asking the students, “Do you know what the word Eucharist means?” Take guesses, then tell the students that Eucharist means “thanksgiving!” Invite them to share these pictures and this lesson with their families this week.

Middle School Lesson Plan

Objective: SWBAT make connections between the purpose of Thanksgiving and the purpose of the Eucharist as thanksgiving.

Materials Needed: Copies of the Thanksgiving Proclamation of Abraham Lincoln, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1359-1361, 1352), and the Thanksgiving and the Eucharist graphic organizer (PDF / Word)

Prior Knowledge: the Civil War was fought between Americans during the 1860s and Abraham Lincoln was the President during the Civil War

Learning Tasks:

1. Bell Work: In their journals or on sheet of notebook paper, ask students to answer the question, “What is the purpose of Thanksgiving.”
2. Discuss the students’ answers to the bell work.
3. Explain to the students that the holiday of Thanksgiving was started by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 during the American Civil War. If they have not learned about the Civil War in Social Studies, briefly explain the most important events of the war.
4. Give students a copy of the Thanksgiving Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln, October 3, 1863. Instruct them to read the proclamation once, then read it a second time searching for the answers to the following questions on the  Thanksgiving and the Eucharist graphic organizer (PDF / Word).
5. Discuss their answers as a class. Ask them to relate what they found by reading the proclamation to what they wrote was the purpose of Thanksgiving in their bell work.
6. Distribute copies of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 1359-1361. First ask students to skim until they find the sentence, “The Eucharist means…”
7. Instruct the students to read the excerpts from the Catechism once, then read it a second time searching for the answers to the following questions on the  Thanksgiving and the Eucharist graphic organizer (PDF / Word)
8. Using the graphic organizer, instruct students to complete the final column, “similarities.” *Note: Challenge students to make a connection between the unity of the country symbolized by Thanksgiving and the unity of the Church symbolized by the Eucharist.

High School Lesson Plan

Objective: SWBAT compare and contrast the purpose of the Thanksgiving holiday and the purpose of the Eucharist.

Materials Needed: Copies of the Thanksgiving Proclamation of Abraham Lincoln, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, notebook paper

Prior Knowledge: personal experience of the Eucharist

Learning Tasks:

1. Bell Work: In their journals or on sheet of notebook paper, ask students to answer the question, “What is the purpose of Thanksgiving.”
2. Discuss the students’ answers to the bell work.
3. Explain to the students that the holiday of Thanksgiving was started by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 during the American Civil War. Ask students to share what they know about the Civil War as review.
4. Give students a copy of the Thanksgiving Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln, October 3, 1863. Instruct them to read the proclamation searching for the original purpose of Thanksgiving. Have them write down this purpose on their notebook paper (If students have trouble, ask them to write what President Lincoln said they should be thankful for.)
5. Discuss their answers as a class. Ask them to relate what they found by reading the proclamation to what they wrote was the purpose of Thanksgiving in their bell work.
6. Distribute copies of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Ask the students to find similarities between the original purpose of Thanksgiving and the purpose of the Eucharist. They must use the index to find “Eucharist” and search for similarities. (If students are having difficulty, then you may decide to have them work in pairs. You may also direct them to the key paragraph numbers related to the Eucharist as “thanksgiving” 1328, 1333-1334, 1352, 1359-1340)
7. Discuss the similarities as a class. Ask them to discuss as a class how this changes the way they look at Thanksgiving Day, the Eucharist, or both.

Catholic Mass Worksheets

Want to teach students about the different parts and prayers of the Mass? Invite them into a series of meditations on the Mass using The Religion Teacher’s Catholic Mass Worksheets.