For many in the United States, November means Thanksgiving – a time of giving thanks, spending time with family, and sharing food (even with its origin story based in inaccurate history). But this year, with the interruption of SNAP benefits for over 41 million Americans by the Trump administration, a holiday centered around sharing food might look very different for many. We’ve gathered some teaching resources and picture books centered on family, food, and food insecurity that we hope will help you discuss these difficult topics with your classroom community. This holiday season, let’s destigmatize food insecurity and uplift our communities.
If you’re looking for ways to reframe your teaching of Thanksgiving around Indigenous perspectives, we encourage you to attend next week’s event:
Decolonizing Thanksgiving in the Classroom
November 18, 2025, 4-5:30pm on Zoom
Join the CHSSP and guest Dr. Browning Neddeau, Associate Professor in the School of Education at Chico State, for an interactive presentation based on the power of storytelling and historical memory. We will discuss reframing classroom practices and rituals about Thanksgiving. Centering perspectives from Turtle Island (a name for North America used by some Indigenous people) will help us decolonize Thanksgiving and spark new conversations about how to authentically make meaning of this holiday with our students.
Ready-to-Use Lesson Plans
Community Health: Lessons on the Environment, Neighborhood Mapping, and Food Justice
This lesson sequence for ninth-grade Ethnic Studies, designed by Belén Vasquez Ochoa-Moreno, asks students to think about how health and well-being are inherently tied to political, economic, and social systems. Students collect information about their own neighborhoods while also learning about historical and contemporary groups, like the Black Panther Party, that fight for food sovereignty and oppose environmental racism.
Vietnamese American Culture and Identity
This inquiry set for tenth and eleventh-grade students was designed by 2023 Educator Fellow Virginia Nguyen. The primary and secondary sources featured in this lesson provide a more comprehensive understanding of Vietnamese American identity and experience. Students learn about the power of food, language, and tradition in immigrant communities. One primary source featured is an interview with Vietnamese Chef Andrea Nguyen.
This second-grade inquiry set asks students to consider how food gets to their plate. Students learn and discuss the multiple cultures and peoples that have historically contributed to the farms and produce of the United States. Students will compare and contrast how food was grown on the farm, who tilled the crops, and how produce is delivered to American grocers and markets.
Food Stories: Exploring Family History Through Food
This lesson, from the UCLA History and Geography Project, introduces students to the concept of food history. Some historians use food as a lens to understand topics such as family life, immigration, imperialism, cultural exchange, and cultural diffusion. In this activity, students act as “food historians,” exploring the history and stories behind one of their favorite meals unique to their family or culture.
Past CHSSP Resource Spotlights:
- Family and Community History: This December 2024 Resource Spotlight includes lesson plans, blogs, and reading recommendations on family and community history.
- Sharing Family Stories: This Resource Spotlight from 2023 features a list of educator resources, academic book recommendations, and picture books that focus on kinship, heritage, and family stories. One second-grade primary source set, How Do Families Remember Their Past?, introduces the concept of primary sources through the stories of a diverse group of families.
- Native American History Resources: This page features a plethora of Indigenous history teaching resources, from ready-made lesson plans to archival sources and reading recommendations.
#KatesBookClub November Reads:
With many of our students losing access to federal food assistance programs, families with food insecurity and homelessness may rise dramatically, impacting the environment in our classrooms.
Picture books can serve as a way for young students to raise awareness about food and income insecurity, and possibly lead to action and change.
Maddi’s Fridge by Lois Brandt, illustrated by Vin Vogel. An older publication, but still relevant today. Best friends Sofia and Maddi live in the same neighborhood, go to the same school, and play in the same park. Sofia's fridge at home is full of nutritious food, the fridge at Maddi's house is empty. Sofia learns that Maddi's family doesn't have enough money to fill their fridge and promises Maddi she'll keep this discovery a secret. Because Sofia wants to help her friend, she's faced with a difficult decision: should she keep her promise or tell her parents about Maddi's empty fridge? (Great class discussion opportunity). Back matter includes a call to action for students with effective ways for children to help fight hunger. Information on antihunger groups is also included.
Most Beautiful Thing, The by Kao Kalia Yang, illustrated by Khoa Le. Based on the author's childhood, this book focuses on grandmother, who is "so old, no one knows how old she is." Her grandchildren believe themselves lucky to be able to help take care of her, clipping their grandmother's fingernails and toenails while she shares stories of her own childhood. The children learn that their grandmother and her three younger siblings were orphaned and often hungry, and that's the reason Grandmother never says no when offered food today. The theme of respect and love for an aging family member is central to this Hmong story. Amazing illustrations.
Pa, Me, and Our Sidewalk Pantry by Toni Buzzeo, illustrated by Zara Gonzalez Hoang. Pa and his grandchild, Jelly Bean, have built a sidewalk library filled with books for readers of all ages. Anyone can bring donations or take something to read. But what happens when their neighbors might need something more than books? Together, Pa and Jelly Bean build a sidewalk food pantry right next to the sidewalk library. They get donations from neighbors who have a lot to give, and leave the doors open for those who may not have enough. Great example of a multigenerational story that celebrates community, generosity, and creative problem-solving.
Saturday at the Food Pantry by Diane O’Neill, illustrated by Brizida Magro. Molly and her mom don't always have enough food, so one Saturday they visit their local food pantry. Molly's happy to get food to eat until she sees her classmate Caitlin, who's embarrassed to be at the food pantry. Gentle way to give students experience of what it’s like to visit a food pantry while keeping a positive message - everyone needs help sometimes.
Table, The by Winsome Bingham and Wiley Blevins, illustrated by Jason Griffin. This title traces the passing of a kitchen table from one family to another. The table becomes a stage on which various stories are told. In the first family, of white Appalachian coal miners, peas need eating; a dress needs sewing; a book needs reading aloud, since Meemaw is illiterate; bills need paying. When Papa loses his job, enough of those bills aren’t paid that the family lose their home. They move into a smaller place, which cannot accommodate the table. The exiled table “finds a new place to stand on the side of the road,” where soon it is claimed by another family. This family also plays out their life atop the table where more memories are formed: crossword puzzles worked on, math homework done, and biscuits eaten. Great writing opportunity for students to describe a family’s history from the perspective of an object.