1-2-3 Come Do A Few More Thanksgiving Activities With Me

One of the loose ends I just completed was the fall time cards, so if you are looking for analog as well as digital time activities and games, click on the links for It's Turkey Time and Time For Pumpkins.

I've had several visitors inquire if I'm going to start designing some activities for older elementary students. 

It's certainly on my bucket list, as I've taught many grades: PK, K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, (prepped an entire summer for 8th before I was bumped back down, 3 days before school started! ) assisted with MEAPS for 5th, and taught 9th, 10th, 12th + college.   Whatever grade I was teaching at the time, became my favorite. 

I think lots of the writing prompt activities on the site can be given to older students.  Writing is one of my "hot buttons" and I'm passionate about motivating students to WANT to write. I truly believe that if you grab their interest, students will excitedly get down to business.  It's one of the reasons I just designed the Dear Pilgrim Letter Writing packet.

As I was doing research on the Pilgrims I came across the wonderful Scholastic Thanksgiving site.  They teamed up with Plimoth Plantation (this IS spelled correctly) to make a wonderful virtual field trip your kiddo's can go on. 

Among the many cool things they have on the site, are fictional letters written by the Pilgrim child "Lizzie" to her Aunt Constance, as well as several from the Wampanoag. 

I got to thinking that this would make an awesome writing prompt for older el and could even be attempted with lower el with some prior discussion, and examples.

After reading several stories about the Pilgrims, so that your students have some knowledge of their life and times, have them write a letter to a Pilgrim child on the Mayflower.  

My Pilgrim Children packet is chock full of information, as well as a list of the names of the 31 real kids on the Mayflower. 

Write your students' names on the quill tags. Children choose one and write a letter to their "Pilgrim" classmate.  That child receives the letter and then writes one back, as if they were a real Pilgrim child.  This is a great way to practice writing from a specific perspective, as well as explaining point of view.

I spent some time searching the Internet for Pilgrim letter examples that you can share with your students, and compiled a list of links.  I also recommend that you write one yourself, so that your students know what's expected of them. 

Encourage your class to use specific details about the Pilgrims that they have learned.  Click on the link to view/download the Dear Pilgrim Letter Writing Prompt Packet.

Finally, another interesting writing prompt for students would be to have them write about the Thanksgiving vacation of their dreams.  They have unlimited funds to plan an unbelievable (sky's the limit) Thanksgiving.

Brrrring! The bell rings and they are on "holiday" as the English would say.  Where are they going, with whom, what are they wearing, playing, doing, eating, learning. . . ?  It's all in the details and you want plenty of them. 

Writing can be a one-pager where students share their page and you collect and collate the pages into a class book, or have students do lots more writing, by filling in the pages to a fictional fun travel journal. 

I've also included diary pages for yet another writing option.  Click on the link to view/download the "A Feast Of Fictional Fun" Thanksgiving break packet. 

Thanks for visiting.  It's a typical dreary November day, drizzly and damp here in Michigan.  The perfect kind of weather to put another log on the fire and curl up with a good book.   Wishing you a relaxing, warm-fuzzy kind of day. 

"Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received.  Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling.  Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse."  -Henry Van Dyke

1-2-3 Come Do Some Pumpkin Stuff With Me!

Our pumpkin theme was one of my Y5's favorites.  We especially enjoyed all of the fabulous pumpkin books available.  I'd always introduce a theme with a selection of interesting books, many of which, my little ones asked to have read over and over again.  Click on the link for a copy of my October bibliography. 

Songs were also a special part of our day and a great way to get the wiggles out.  

One of our favorites was Pumpkin Round and Fat.  I have a huge collection of puppets that made reading and lessons extra special, so I often helped my kiddo's make a puppet-manipulative of their own. 

When I Googled this poem, to get some ideas, I found a sweet Popsicle puppet idea over at Teacher Mama.  This is my version: Click on the link to view/download the Jack-O-Lantern Popsicle stick puppet. 

I've had several requests for some coin activities involving pumpkins, so I dreamed up an easy-reader entitled, Pumpkin Payment.  Besides reinforcing the penny, nickel, dime and quarter, it also reviews all of the basic 2D shapes kiddo's are required to know, including that crazy hexagon.

Children trace and write the coin words, coin values, as well as the shape words.  They trace the shape and then draw one of their own on the pumpkin.  Finally, they cut and glue the appropriate coin(s) to the matching numbered boxes. 

When everyone has completed their booklet, read it as a whole group to reinforce concepts of print.  Click on the link to view/download the easy-reader booklet, Pumpkin Payment.

For more math extensions, with a 10-frame format, I think your students will enjoy 1-2-3 Count Pumpkins With Me.  

• Students read, trace and write the number and number word. 
• They see a "thing" in a sentence and say it. 
• They spy the number in a sequence and circle it.
• They X-out that many boxes or use a bingo dot marker or stamp. 
• They cut and glue the set/group to the matching numbered box. 

Another quick booklet, that would work well for a Daily 5 activity is the easy-reader Pumpkin On A Vine.  Students read, trace and write the simple sentences and then cut & glue the pictures to the matching numbered boxes.

Finally, Let's Count Pumpkins  covers quite a few Common Core State Standards which includes an easy reader where students read, trace and write the numbers, + circle them in a sequence. 

Children circle capital letters, add end punctuation to the simple sentences, + count the pumpkins in the group/set and color the puffy numbers as well.

This pumpkin math packet also includes trace and write worksheets for counting from 0 to 120, + skip counting by 2's, 3's, 5's, and 10's. There are 2 sets of pumkin number cards to use for sequencing, games, and making equations using the matching math symbol cards.  

You can practice counting forwards and backwards with the pumpkin bookmark that is also included in the packet.  Use this as a whole-group assessment tool too. 

Give each child a bookmark and a candy pumpkin.  Students trace the numbers.  Teacher calls out a number and students put their pumpkin on that number.   You can tell at a glance who is struggling and make a note of it.  As a special treat, students can eat their candy pumpkin when the lesson is over.   Click on the link to view/download the Let's Count Pumpkins math packet. 

Thanks for visiting today.  I design and try to blog daily, so I hope you can stop by tomorrow for even more FREEBIES.  Feel free to PIN anything from my site.  I think sharing truly makes all of our lives easier.  To take a look at all of the helpful educational items that I PIN click on the heart button to the right of the blog.

"Knowledge and understanding are ife's faithful companions who will never be untrue to you.  For knowledge is your crown and understanding your staff, and when they are with you, you can possess no greater treasures."  -Kahlil Gibran