Topic: Thanksgiving

  • I am Thankful Pack: An Attitude for Gratitude

    I am Thankful Pack: An Attitude for Gratitude

    Practicing gratitude is a wonderful way to celebrate Thanksgiving in the classroom. This pack includes several interactive activities all related to Thanksgiving, being thankful, and focusing on positive character traits.

    This packet includes many interactive activities such as:
    ✔ Writing Activities
    ✔ Ways I am Thankful
    ✔ An Attitude of Gratitude Organizers (3 versions)
    ✔ Favorite Thanksgiving Foods
    ✔ Thanksgiving Mystery Flaps
    ✔ This is Me!
    ✔ Focus on Positive Character Traits Activities
    ✔ Vocabulary Posters
    ✔ Vocabulary Flip Flaps

    There are several activities included in this pack:
    Vocabulary:
    Introduce the 6 vocabulary words with the real-life photo posters included. You could post these posters around the classroom and have students travel around to match up and define the words in their flip flaps or use as a center activity. These posters are excellent for a bulletin board display too.

    Interactive Activities:
    Lots of hands-on activities are in this pack: *Thanksgiving Writing Activities
    ✔ I am Thankful For…
    ✔ My Favorite Thanksgiving Foods
    ✔ A Gratitude Attitude Organizers (3 versions)
    ✔ Holiday Insights Questions
    ✔ Positive Thinking Questions
    ✔ Thanksgiving Mystery Flaps
    ✔ This is Me! Focusing on Positive Character Traits

    When to use:
    ✔ Thanksgiving Lessons
    ✔ Stations/Centers
    ✔ Morning Work
    ✔ Writer’s Workshop
    ✔ For fast-finishers
    ✔ After reading a book that displays positive character traits such as gratefulness or generous.
    Included are several different ”thankful” activities for you to use depending on the age of your students and time allotted for these activities.

    There are also vocabulary posters and flip flaps that focus on positive character traits. After learning about these positive traits have students complete the “This is Me!” describing three of their positive character traits. This is a great character-building activity to get students thinking about themselves and reflect on their own traits.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    There are 3 main activities in this creative resource:

    Thanksgiving Vocabulary:
    Introduce the 6 vocabulary words with the real-life photo posters included. You could post these posters around the classroom and have students travel around to match up and define the words in their flip flaps or use as a center activity. These posters are excellent for a bulletin board display too.

    Informational articles
    Next, have students read the informational articles and character studies where they will meet Squanto, Governor Carver (1st Governor of New Plymouth), John a pilgrim boy, Elizabeth, a pilgrim girl, and Tom Turkey. There’s also a mini-booklet about the first Thanksgiving. You could have students work with a partner or in small groups or even as a center/station activity.

    Thanksgiving Activities:
    Have students complete the Thanksgiving Mystery Flaps and the 6 page Thanksgiving Flip Up Booklet. I usually have them do one page at each center or station. They can use the articles as a reference source to help them complete the pages of the booklet. Lastly, they cut, color, and assemble the booklet. Flip up books can be glued or stapled inside their interactive notebooks, file folder, or a 12 x 18 piece of construction paper folded like a book cover.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

  • Make a Recipe Book: A Fun Project

    Make a Recipe Book: A Fun Project

    Your students will love making this Class Recipe Book Project! Everything you need for this fun project is in here! It includes recipe templates, several front covers designs, parent letter, and teacher directions.

    A few years ago, I tried it out, and it turned out so well, that I decided to make copies of the recipe book for each student in the class and send them home as a special gift. The parents loved them!

    For the front cover, there are several options included in this pack, OR you can get a picture of each student with a white chef’s hat, apron and some simple cooking utensils like a wooden spoon and bowl. You can find an inexpensive paper chef’s hat and apron at Party City.

    To bind it: Print out the front cover, laminate the front and back covers, and bind it like a real recipe book. There are several options included in color and BW for the front cover. Or use one of them as a dedication page.

    Steps:
    Discuss culture, heritage, and traditions with the class to build prior knowledge. Bring up the importance of special meals related to our culture or just our favorite meals at special times or holidays during the year. Have students share their favorite meal with classmates.
    Send home the “Dear Parent” letters and recipe template.
    Many parents just sent a copy of their actual recipe instead of having their child complete the template, so I decided to have all the students rewrite their recipe in the template. If they did write the first one out, I checked it over for grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes and considered it their rough drafts.
    I reminded the students that this has to be written in their very best handwriting because it’s a gift for our parents.
    For older students, you could have them type it up and even prepare a template in Word for them to use, so they all look uniform.
    Make sure they complete the part about why it’s important to their family.
    Take students through the writing process as needed. Conference with them to add more details, check spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
    Be sure to include the teacher’s favorite recipe as well.
    Make copies of all the recipes and dedication page for the entire class.
    Optional: Take a picture of each student wearing a chef’s hat and apron and holding a kitchen utensil.
    Change each picture to Black and White unless you plan to print them in color.
    Print out the front cover included in this pack OR use each student’s picture for the cover.
    Laminate the front covers and a piece of cardstock for the back cover.
    Use a binding machine to bind all the recipe books. Office Max and Office Depot will also bind them for a small fee for each book.
    Show students the finished product. Let them look at them. Praise their hard work!
    Don’t forget to add one to the class library!

    Happy Cooking!