Academy of American Poets
Thanksgiving with Richard Blanco's "América"
Traditions, like the times, are a-changin'. Middle schoolers conduct a close reading of Richard Blanco's poem "América" and consider how Blanco's family approached his suggestions for adopting a new approach to their Thanksgiving meal.
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Thanksgiving Acrostic Poems
Students watch streaming video, Holiday Facts and Fun: Thanksgiving, define and discuss acrostic poetry, complete circle map using words associated with Thanksgiving, and create acrostic Thanksgiving poems to be typed in Microsoft Word...
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Sense Poems
Students explore 5 senses poetry. In this poetry writing lesson, students visualize a special day and brainstorm related vivid adjectives and phrases. Students create mindmaps of the five senses to go with their visualization and write...
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Holiday Poetry and Music
Students discuss Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and family traditions. After brainstorming how holidays are celebrated, students write a poem about a chosen holiday and create their own hand-made instrument. They share their poems...
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Six Trait Writing with Kenneth Grahame and Ogden Nash
Third graders complete a unit of lessons on the process of six trait writing. They identify good writing traits, read and evaluate poems, literature, and myths, utilize a rubric to evaluate their own writing, and evaluate classmates...
Hubbard's Cupboard
The Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving
Pupils explore holidays by participating in class singing activities. In this Thanksgiving history instructional activity, students discuss the importance of Thanksgiving Day and read several poems which discuss the history of...
Teacher Vision
The First Thanksgiving - Pilgrim Study Unit
Students explain the origins of Thanksgiving. As a class, they list all the meanings, stories, and images that come into their minds when they hear the word "Thanksgiving." After reading about Thanksgiving, pairs of students create 4...
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Thanksgiving History
First graders decode Thanksgiving vocabulary while learning about the history of this holiday. In this Thanksgiving history lesson, 1st graders listen to a story, trace their hands to make turkey feathers and listen to a turkey poem. ...
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Letter Writing: An English Language Arts Lesson For Writing/Proofreading
Ninth graders write a letter to someone who is deserving of thanks. Peer and self-editing takes place. After the writing process is completed and a copy is made for the portfolio, envelopes are distributed, addressed, sealed, and mailed.
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Make an "I'm Thankful For..." Placemat
Learners compare and contrast what they are thankful for and what the pilgrims were thankful for, and create a Thanksgiving placemat. They read and recite the poem "I'm Thankful For," and create a laminated landscape placemat that...
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Pilgrims: The First Americans
Fifth graders become familar with the pilgrims and first Thanksgiving through essays about important people of the time. In this Thanksgiving activity, 5th graders choose an important figure from the time of the Pilgrims and write a two...
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Poetry
Fifth graders explore poetry. They write a variety of poetry using the writing process. Students choose a topic related to Thanksgiving and write a Thanksgiving themed poem. They write a rough draft and peer edit their poems. Students...
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Five Fat Turkeys
Students sing a Thanksgiving song called "Five Fat Turkeys." In this holiday lesson, students create a Turkey acrostic poem then memorize and sing a turkey song. Students will focus on singing on key, pitch , and seeping a steady beat ...
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Thanksgiving Placemats
Students discuss and list the things they are thankful for this year. They look for these words or things in magazines. They create a placemat with their pictures or words from the magazines. They share them with the class.
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Kindergarteners Study the Four Seasons
Examine the weather of the four seasons, look at seasonal activities, and tell which months are part of each season with this lesson. Your class will play a game, sing a song, and write additional stanzas to seasonal poetry.
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Thankful List
Students practice using free association as a pre-writing technique as they list things that they are thankful for. They share the lists of words and apply them when they write a descriptive essay or poem after identifying commonalities...
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Countries, Food, and Culture
Students examine foods from other countries. In this multicultural instructional activity, students write down names of different restaurants and categorize pictures of foods according to the specific restaurant. For example, Won Ton...
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He Said, She Said, So: What's the Point?
Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin! Upper graders and middle schoolers read the story The Three Little Pigs and other tales related to the story from various points of view. They use the Internet to find more stories from...
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Music And The Related Arts / Fiesta
Second graders investigate the concept of a celebration through the experience of music and culturally relevant conversation. They have a class discussion about thankfulness and tie it the tradition of celebration. Then students listen...
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Sail, Sail, Sail Your Ship!
Students listen to the book, Columbus Day, by Paul Showers and discuss the historical significance of Christopher Columbus. They create Columbus Day booklets, sing a Christopher Columbus song, and develop graphic organizers.
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POP! Goes the Popcorn!
Students complete a variety of activities based on examining corn and popcorn as one of the major crops of Kansas. They journal the results of the multidisciplinary activities in this unit.