Mai Lesson
Ben Franklin's Favorite Bird
Science · 30 min · Any age · You and your child together
Explore the famous (and often misunderstood) story of Benjamin Franklin's thoughts on the turkey as America's national bird. We'll read his own words, compare them to the real wild turkey and critically think about what makes a good national symbol.
What your child gets out of it
- Analyze historical text to understand context
- Distinguish between common folklore and factual information about animals
- Formulate an opinion on national symbols based on criteria
What you need
- Printable worksheet — Print the 'Ben Franklin's Favorite Bird' worksheet from the pack, or draw your own turkey outline and create a 'Turkey vs. Me' chart. (or plain paper)
- Pencils (or pens)
- Crayons or colored pencils — For coloring the turkey and distinguishing parts. (or markers)
- Small pieces of paper — For voting on the national bird. (or index cards, torn paper)
How it runs
- A Famous Question · 5 min
- Explore Franklin's Words · 8 min
- Fact vs. Folklore · 6 min
- Meet the Real Turkey · 9 min
- Our National Symbol · 2 min
Why it matters
Learning to distinguish fact from folklore helps us understand history and current events more clearly, making us better thinkers and decision-makers.
Mai is a tutor your child talks to out loud. Open this lesson in the app and she'll run it with them.
Open in Mai SchoolAlready have the app? Tap the link again from your phone and it opens right there.