7 pages.

This little booklet packs in quite a few standards.  Students trace and write the numbers and number words; they read the simple sentences and add end punctuation, then color the pictures in the group/set. Review adding one more to complete the next grouping as students count from 1 to 10.

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

15 pages.

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.

14 pages.

This adorable 3D turkey is an interesting and fun way to have students write about what they are thankful for.  Children write 6 of those things on a colored strip of paper, then staple it into a feather "loop" that they glue to the back of their turkey. 

 1-2-3 Come Do Some Creative November Writing Activities With Me

Are you looking for some November-themed writing activities to plug into your Daily 5 or writing block?  Well you've come to the right place.  I've got a variety of interesting and fun options for you. 

After reading several stories about the first Thanksgiving, have a discussion with your students about the kinds of meals that they enjoy for their Thanksgiving feast.  How are they similar? How are they different?  Do most of them have a traditional or non traditional Thanksgiving? 

Afterwards, have students write about this, by coloring their turkey recording paper and jotting down things about their Thanksgiving meal. 

Remind students to use descriptive adjectives, to help explain what their table decorations, as well as food for their feast, consists of. 

For that finishing touch, have them color, trim and glue the table pattern to the bottom of their completed paper.  I've included my sample that you can share, or make one up of your own, as a fun way for your kiddos to learn a bit about their teacher.

 When everyone is done, call on several volunteers to share their work.  Completed projects make lovely hallway wall decorations displayed in a row.

Click on the link to view/download the My Thanksgiving Dinner Writing Prompt Craftivity.The My Thanksgiving Dinner paper plate craftivity, featured last week, would be a nice companion to this writing prompt as well. 

Another form of writing that students are asked to learn, is giving directions for how to do something. 

The "How to Make a Pumpkin Pie" craftivity, provides interesting practice.  I've included a list of transitions, a graphing extension and an adjective worksheet, as well as a Venn diagram activity for more teachable moments. 

Another writing prompt that's very popular at this time of year, is when children write about things that they are thankful for.  For years, I had my students write these items on turkey feathers then I'd staple them to a big fat turkey on our bulletin board. 

If you're tired of doing something like that, I have several different options for you to choose from.  A super-quick one is the Thankful word craftivity. 

Inside the letters, students write as many things as they can think of, that they are thankful for.  Mount their completed work, on a variety of fall-colored construction paper and you have a quick, easy and awesome bulletin board.

The Thankful Wreath, is another option.  Completed projects turn out lovely, especially with a bit of colorful glitter glue to add that finishing touch.  Students write what they are thankful for on the autumn-colored leaves. 

I have a poem, by Ralph Waldo Emerson, that can be included in the center if you want.  Adding a child's class picture, makes this even more special. 

If you still like the idea of using a cute little turkey craft for your "I'm thankful for..." writing prompt, I think you'll like Tyrone. 

I got the idea for his loopy feathers from Melissa, over at her first grade blog.  To make Tyrone, children write what they are thankful for on the paper strip "feathers" then staple them into a loop, and glue them to the back of their turkey. 

I made up six options for Tyrone's tummy circle:  Thanksgiving quotes, short Christian poems, and simply the words Happy Thanksgiving. You can choose one that's appropriate for your kiddos, or give them a choice.  

Finally, making an I'm Thankful" class book, is another creative writing prompt that I think your kiddos will enjoy doing. 

This activity fits in well with any "bucket filling" theme you may have going on, as students pick a Pilgrim hat card, out of a basket. 

The cards have your students' names on them.  Each child writes why they are thankful for that classmate, and then illustrates their page.  Include real class photographs to make this a classroom-library favorite. 

If you didn't see the  Thankful Tree blog article yesterday, scroll down.  It offers yet another "I'm Thankful" alternative, as this writing prompt has students write about what they are thankful for in the four seasons, working on the use of adjectives, to help make students' writing more descriptive.  

Well that's it for today.  I have much to be thankful for, including the fact that I get to spend a good portion of my day coloring, cutting and pasting away, as I design new activities. 

Although I miss being in the classroom, I still enjoy teaching via this website.  It makes being retired super-fun, relaxing and very joy-filled.   Wishing you a blessed day.

"The trouble with life isn't that there is no answer, it's that there are so many answers."  -Ruth Benedict (Anthropologist)

7 pages.

After reading several stories about the first Thanksgiving, have a discussion with your students about the kinds of meals that they enjoy for their Thanksgiving feast.  How are they similar? How are they different?  Do most of them have a traditional or non traditional Thanksgiving? 

4 pages.

Help reinforce a variety of standards with this quick, easy and fun emergent reader.  I call these strip booklets, because I can fit five pages or strips on a one-page master for easy printing.  These make great Daily 5 activities. 

 1-2-3 Come Play Some Long E Word Games With Me

Word work and vocabulary building was part of my Y5's every day activities.  Daily 5 came along and simplified or complicated things, and gave teachers something else to try and find "stuff" for.

To keep my students interested and semi enthusiastic about word work, I changed the theme of these activities each month, so although the skills were repetitive, there was variety because the theme was different. Doing this little adjustment was very successful and helped avoid tedium.

With that in mind, I wanted to create an activity with a November theme.  When I taught kinders and first grade, we continued to practice vowels at this time, particularly "When two vowels go walking the first one usually does the talking." so I went in search of a symbol that I could use.

A sheave of wheat was pretty prominent and perfect for the ea vowel grouping.  Some of my kiddos were often confused with that long E sound wanting to spell these words with an ee, so I decided to make up a list of words for both.  Need, became needle and the haystack idea was also born. 

The Haystack Howdy packet is a quick, easy and fun way to practice words with a long E vowel sound, which have the double ee or ea letters in the middle of the word.

The packet includes the Needle in a Haystack whole group file folder game, with 130 double ee "needle" word cards, plus an alphabetical list of the words in poster form. 

The cards are small, with 22 on a page for easy printing.  Choose the ones you want your kiddos to work on.

Print, laminate and trim the cards.  Toss them into a container and have students choose 1 or 2.  Using the list, ask for a word. 

The child holding that card, shows it to the class, everyone reads it together, then they put the "needle" into the haystack.

To make the haystack, simply print off a copy, trim and glue to a file folder. (I've included 2 color options, plus one in black & white.)

Using an Exacto knife, cut a slit wide and long enough for the needle cards to be slipped through the slot. 

Hold up the file folder, by putting a small basket in the back.  The cards will drop through the slot and into the basket.  Keep the cards in an envelope, in the folder and tuck into your file drawer.

The Sheaves of Wheat game works the same way,  with 107 ea "wheat" word cards to choose from, plus an alphabetical list of those words. 

There are plenty of other ways to use the cards as well.  For writing practice or a Daily 5 activity, have students choose 3-6 cards and use those words to create sentences. Afterwards, have them select 10 cards to alphabetize. 

If they are not familiar with a word, they can look it up and add it to their writing journal or student dictionary.  Children can also work with a partner and play Memory Match, Slap, Speed etc.  I've included a 4-page tip list of ideas.

For more teachable moments, there's also a background page about the idiom "needle in a haystack" as well as a definition page for the word sheaf.

Finally, whenever a nursery rhyme fit in with a particular theme, I'd plug it in, so I could also review rhyming and this genre. 

I used to have an entire week for a nursery rhyme and fairy tale theme, but as standards became more demanding, I ran out of time.  I'm sure you all can relate with "so much to do, so little time to do it in..."

Adding rhymes here and there, solved the problem.  Because a haystack is featured in the Little Boy Blue nursery rhyme, I've included some activities for that in this packet. 

There's a poster poem of the rhyme in black and white, as well as color, plus 8 pocket chart picture word cards, and a paper "strip" booklet for students to make. 

I call these "strip" booklets because I fit anywhere from 5-8 "strips" on one page that students complete, trim and collate into a mini booklet. 

My kiddos LOVED making these emergent readers that they could take home and practice with.  Click on the link to view/download the Haystack Howdy packet.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by. 

This Nana is in serious need of some snuggle time, with her new grand baby Kaitlyn and little grandson Kaiden, so I'm off to visit my daughter. Wishing you a love-filled day.

"One machine can do the work of 50 ordinary men.  However, no machine can do the work of one extraordinary man." - Elbert
 Hubbard  

43 pages.

This haystack packet is a great way to review words with a long E vowel sound, which have the double ee or ea letters in the middle of the word.

1-2-3 Come Do Some Turkey-rific Shape Activities With Me

Review 2D shapes in fun and interesting ways, with this Thanksgiving "Shape Up!" turkey packet.The packet includes a turkey craft, where the feathers have the various shapes on them. Students write the name of the shape underneath the picture.  Older students can write the attributes of that shape on the back of the feather.

Note the feet of the turkey are pentagons, his beak is a rhombus and the belly of the turkey is a hexagon.  I've provided a shape pattern for the head, but if you want to turn this into a keepsake craft, have students trace their shoe for this part. 

I've included feathers for the standard 2D shapes shown in the picture, as well as feathers with a trapezoid, rhombus, pentagon and octagon on them as well.

For more practice, there's a turkey dice game.  children play in groups of 2-4 and take turns rolling a dice.  Whatever number they roll, is the matching numbered shape that they color.  Encourage children to say the shape words as they play the game. 

There's also a turkey shape slider. Even though this is a shape-themed packet, I've also included "slider" strips for upper and lowercase letters, numbers to 30, counting backwards from 10-1 and 20-1, as well as skip counting sliders for 2's, 3's, 5's, and 10's. 

Sliders are a quick, easy and fun way to whole group assess.  Choose a child to call out a shape, children pull their slider 'til that shape is in the "window" and then hold it up.  You can see at a glance who is having difficulty.

Use the 10 turkey shape cards in a pocket chart, for your word wall, or as a flashcard review.

Make extra sets and cut them up for puzzles or Memory Match and "I Have; Who Has?" games. 

All of these fun, fall FREEBIES, can be found in the  Turkey Shape Craftivities & Games packet.  I hope you and your kiddos enjoy them.

Thanks for visiting today.  It's time for a break to go crunch through some leaves and take a hike through the park. 

Chloe, my poodle pup, has been waiting patiently.  Wishing you an invigorating day.

 "Each life is like a letter of the alphabet. Alone, it can be meaningless, or it can become part of the whole, to achieve true meaning." -- Unknown