1-2-3- Come Make A Thanksgiving Wreath With Me 

Here's a little fall-themed, leaf craftivity, with a variety of writing prompt options.

For November, students can write something that they are thankful for on each leaf. 

For more room, have them complete the writing prompt in the center circle. 

I've included a pattern for that, which you can run off on fall-colored paper. 

I've also included Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Thanksgiving" poem, as another option for the center, so you can fit the poetry genre into your reading block.

"Fall is . . ." is another writing prompt option.  Students can write various adjectives that describe fall on the leaves, and/or write what fall is to them, inside the circle.

Younger students can simply cut and glue leaves to make an autumn welcome wreath. I've included a "Welcome Fall" center circle as well. 

There are also plain and patterned leaves to choose from, as well as a bow option. 

I’ve included my completed samples to help you make a choice.

Adding a school photo as well as some glitter, adds extra pizzazz and that finishing touch. Completed projects make a lovely November, or fall bulletin board too. 

For more writing practice, I've included two, leafy, bookmark-size writing prompts as well, plus my 2 completed samples, so you can quickly make an example to share.

Besides the Ralph Waldo Emerson Poem, I’ve also included a page of his interesting quotes.

Give older students an additional writing assignment; have them choose a quote and explain it, then tell if they agree or disagree.

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to have a look.  Autumn Leaf Wreath.

Today's featured FREEBIE is some sweet turkey-themed one-to-one correspondence cards. 

I've included a full color set, a blank set to program with higher numbers, as well as a black & white set, so that students can draw, glue items, or press on X amount of stickers, as a worksheet activity.  

I use a tub of buttons and a dish of flat-backed rhinestones.  My little girls especially enjoy playing with the "jewels". 

Well that's it for today.  Time to get ready for my grandchildren.  They will certainly bring sunshine to this rainy, cold & dreary November day.  

Wishing you a day filled with lots of love and memorable moments.

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead, where there is no path, and leave a trail." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

1-2-3 Come Do Some "I'm Thankful" Writing With Me!

If you're looking for an alternative to the "I'm Thankful" writing prompt activity, where students write what they are thankful for, on turkey feathers, (I did that for years) you may want to try the Thankful Tree. 

This craftivity offers a twist, as students write the things that they are thankful for in each season.  The tree-top writing prompt pages are larger, so students can write a bit more than on the typical feather. 

It's an interesting and fun way to review the 4 seasons, and a chance to showcase students descriptive writing, by encouraging the use of adjectives.

Here's what to do:

Print off the tops of the trees on appropriate colors of construction paper.  i.e. a green cover page, an orange one for fall, white or powder blue for the winter page, pink for the spring page, yellow for the summer page, and finally, ending with another shade of green, for the last "I'm most thankful for..." page, where students can include things like family, friends, etc.

Via a discussion, review the various seasons and what kinds of things children see and like to do in them. 

To help students with spelling and recall, write a list on the board.

Look at the list and ask students to think of descriptive words that would make those things and activities "come alive". 

List those as well.  This will help jump-start your students' brains, and ensure that they incorporate lots of adjectives in their writing.

Students should compose their rough draft on scratch paper. 

You may want to have them underline the adjectives, so that they can see at a glance, if they have included at least two per sentence. 

If they haven’t, they need to go back and add some. 

Children can work on a page a day, as part of their writing block, or for the writing portion of your Daily 5 activities. 

Remind students to use proper spacing and end punctuation, as well as trace the beginning words of each sentence, underlining the adjectives as they go.

Once they have written their sentences, students cut out their tree trunk and tops for the tree.  They need to make sure the pages are in order.  

Children start with the last page and glue it to the top of the tree, and then staple the rest of the tree-top pages together onto that last page, so that the staple acts as a hinge and the tree-top pages flip up.

To add that finishing touch, students glue their school photo to the hollow of the tree.  Children can also draw seasonally appropriate things to each of the tree tops, like leaves, apples, snowflakes, flowers etc.  They could also use stickers, clip art or paper punch-cut shapes. 

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree by Gibbons, as well as Sutherland's, Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks are great read-aloud books, to go along with this craftivity.

Click on the link to view/download The Thankful Tree.

Thanks for visiting today.  I  design daily and try to blog about the newest items, so I hope you can stop by again tomorrow.  It's time for me to do a little grocery shopping,or my sweetie won't be very thankful for a loving wife, because of a non-existant dinner. 

"I read; I travel; I become." -Derek Walcott