I just realized we are about two weeks away from Thanksgiving break and while I feel ready, it also made me panic a little bit when I thought about all the things I need to and want to do, before then, with my students.
In the midst of all the have-to's , I also like to throw in a few fun activities that tie into the holidays. Activities like this get students excited. One of my favorite things to do is teach my kids the history behind the holidays and these are some of my favorite activities to help with that.
1. Turkey Pardoning Courtroom Simulation:
After reading about the tradition of turkeys receiving a presidential pardon (I love the book: Thanksgiving in the White House. Another book that ties into this tradition is called Pardon that Turkey.), we talk about how the tradition came to be.
Once students learn about the tradition, it is time for even more fun! Students receive a turkey template that they use to create a costume for their turkey. Once the turkey has been "costumed" students write a persuasive essay about why their turkey should be pardoned from the dinner table. Students come before the judge (the teacher) in a courtroom simulation where they must defend their turkey in front of a panel of their peers. The peers will decide whether they believe there is reasonable cause to save the turkey...or not. The judge has the final say. It is so much fun and the students take their writing seriously. This is one of my favorite activities for Thanksgiving time. Click here if you are interested in this resource.
Me in my judge's robe...(my graduation robe) ready to judge some turkeys.
2. Macy's Day Parade:
Another book I love to share at Thanksgiving is Balloons Over Broadway. With this book we do comprehension activities, of course, but we also study puppets and create some of our own. We make foil balloons for the Macy's Parade. I love everything about this activity! Check it out over here.
3. One thing I love about the holidays is all of the traditions. But how much do you know about the different traditions? I wanted to teach my students where the traditions we celebrate with came from. I created a series of comprehension passages in a series of resources called The History Behind the Holidays. These different holiday booklets focus on different traditions and students practice reading comprehension at the same time. Students are then able to extend learning with some holiday themed extension activities based on the specific featured holidays. In my Thanksgiving resource I feature:
Thanksgiving around the World
Who Gave us Thanksgiving
Turkey Pardoning
Thanksgiving Feasting
Please Pass the Pie
Thankfulness and your Brain
Fun Facts
4. Art Chopped Challenge:
Have you ever seen the cooking show Chopped? I enjoy watching it. Contestants are given a basket of food items that they have to use in a recipe that will knock the judges' socks off. It is entertaining to see how they come up with unique and savory dishes.
I love doing an activity that is a spin off of this popular TV show. In this art-twist challenge, students are placed in groups. Each group receives a bag of art supplies and a theme to create a piece of artwork to wow me...the judge. Students compete with other teams in three different Thanksgiving challenges. This is a fun way to bring some art into the classroom during the holidays and also work on teambuilding in a fun competition. You can see this resource here.
Making the holidays special in the classroom, is just as important as making them special at home. I love finding unique ways to bring the joy to my class every holiday season. What are your plans this Thanksgiving?
~April
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