1-2-3 Come Do Some Comparison-Contrast Writing With Me

Venn diagrams are a quick, easy and interesting way to introduce and practice comparison and contrast writing.  I designed Venn Friends, as an especially fun way to do that.  These are also a great way for you and your students to get to know each other better. 

I've made Venn friend packets for almost every month, but hadn't gotten around to do one for November.  Laurie, who's done several other packets with her kiddos, e-mailed me to ask if I was going to make one specifically for November.  Of course, and another thing was added to my "to do" list.

I'm never one to procrastinate, so I got right down to business.  Unlike the other monthly Venn Friends, I have more than one option for November.  Students have 3 choices for their Venn friend topper: a turkey, a Pilgrim boy or girl, or a Native American boy or girl. 

You can have a turkey find a turkey partner, a boy Pilgrim find a girl Pilgrim, or a boy Native American find a boy Pilgrim, mixing and matching however you or your students wish.  

As a way to get to know each other, I've included a list of 40 questions that they can ask their partner. 

From there, they choose what information they want to record on their Venn diagram. 

Each student does their own "different" portion of the circle, and then, once they glue their circles together, they take turns recording the similarities that they have with their Venn friend, in the middle "same" section.  (See completed sample.)

To make it easy for students to match up and glue their circles together, I've included both left and right circles.

I designed the Venn friends, specifically so students could get to know a classmate better, but you could certainly have students pretend to be "real" Pilgrims and Native American children, and then compare and contrast that way as well.

However, I do that sort of thing in the Thanksgiving Children's Packet with other Venn diagrams.

When everyone is done, have students come up with their partner to share their Venn Friend. This will give children some public speaking practice, as well as enable everyone to get to know each other a little better. 

Completed projects, look awesome hanging in rows on a hallway wall.  Click on the link to view/download the November Venn Friends packet.  For more Venn diagram activities, click on the link to pop over to that section of my site.

Thanks for visiting.  It's an overcast rainy November day; perfect for pouring over Pinterest boards, in search of some "pinspiration". 

As if my pile of "make this" projects is not big enough!  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE making homemade Christmas gifts though.  Wishing you a snuggly day.

 "Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action." ~W.J. Cameron

1-2-3 Do An Awesome Autumn Activity With Me!

Because my Y5's needed to strengthen their finger muscles, I tried to think of interesting and fun ways to help them do that.  Peeling and sharpening crayons, and then pinching clumps of shavings and sprinkling them on the print of a tree, provided excellent practice; the completed projects looked truly outstanding!

I'd introduce autumn with a variety of books.  After reading a few, we'd have a discussion about the various colors that leaves turn, and why they do so, (chlorophyll was a brand new vocabulary word for all of them). 

They'd transition to some table top activities, and while they were busy, I called students up individually to make their creation with me or a room helper.  Students could also be peeling their old crayons at this time as well. 

I've included  7 different trees with bare branches for you to choose from, or run off a selection on white construction paper and give children a choice. 

Children can add more pizzazz to their picture by coloring their tree with a brown crayon.  This should be done AFTER you have "melted" the leaves on, or the trunk will also melt.

Set this activity up as a center, and call children to the table to shave the red, orange, yellow, brown and green (peeled) crayons with a crayon sharpener.

They made their piles on 5 small paper plates and then pinched a few shavings from each color-pile and sprinkled them onto their tree branches. 

Gently brush any stray crayon shavings onto the tree if they happen to fall elsewhere. As my students "sprinkled" I'd ask them why the leaves turned color?  I was looking for "Because the green leaves lose their chlorophyll."

The teacher or helper gently puts a sheet of wax paper over their tree and presses a warm iron onto the paper.  

If you slowly press the iron in an arched motion, the colors will run together to create more shades and you'll have a thicker looking tree.  If you just press and then lift, the colors won't run as much and this creates a different affect.   When you are satisfied with the way the "melting"  looks, carefully peel the wax paper off.  

My kiddo’s always oohed and ahhed over their beautiful autumn tree.   For extra pop, mount the fall trees on black construction paper.  They make a lovely bulletin board or hallway display.  You can also punch a hole in the top, add a yarn loop and hang back-to-back from the ceiling.  Click on the link to view/download the Autumn Tree Crayon Melts.

Thanks for visiting today.  I design daily and try to blog about it, so I hope you can stop by tomorrow to see the latest FREEBIES hot off the press.  Feel free to PIN away.  If you'd like to take a peek at all of the other educational FREEBIES that I post, click on the big heart to the right of the blog.

"A lot of very successful people are risk-takers.  Unless you're willing to do that--to have a go--fail miserably, and have another go--success won't happen." -Phillip Adams