By. Meredith Biesinger
November is a month full of gratitude and thanks! Your students and their families are thankful for you. I know it feels like sometimes all of the little things, or the big things you do, go unnoticed, but they don’t. Here are some tips and tricks to get you through the rest of November!
For the Classroom
Novel November: Do you know what NaNoWriMo is? The acronym stands for National Novel Writing Month. This is a free writing challenge for students and adults. This would be most appropriate for grades 6-12 but could be modified for K-5 students as a smaller chapter book. The challenge is for a student or a class to write a novel in one month! The theme could be gratitude, or your class could develop a story using the five main elements: setting, plot, characters, conflict, and theme. Get creative and brainstorm as a class. How amazing would it be to write a novel in November?!
Other FUN Ideas
Disguise a Turkey: Print off a picture of a turkey that can be colored. Have your students decide how they would disguise their turkey. Will he or she be a superhero, a pizza delivery person, or Super Mario…there are endless options! Students then write a paragraph or two about what their turkey is disguised as and what they are doing. They can decorate their turkey with feathers, paint, markers, crayons, or anything they have at home that can be glued on—this is a fun learning craft for everyone!
Gobble Math: Print off feathers and turn them into a math fact-matching game. Take the time to laminate these, and even use vinyl numbers so this can be used repeatedly! When the students match their feathers with the correct answer, they get to say, “Gobble, gobble!”
Thanksgiving Story Bracelets: Print off “The Thanksgiving Story” and have students make “Thanksgiving bracelets.” Each bead represents a different page in the story. With craft supplies such as pipe cleaners and colored beads, they can make their bracelets while learning about the Pilgrims and the Indians.
Happy Teacher
Thanksgiving break is coming soon! Be sure to take some time for yourself among all the holiday preparations. Look for delicious pre-made items at the store, or have your groceries sent to you! Convenience like this will reduce some of your cooking or hosting preparations. During your holiday break, enjoy some self-care and rest before you go back to the classroom and gear up for three busy weeks of testing and festivities before Winter Break!
We are SO thankful for you!
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