November -- It's All About the Balloons and Turkeys (Part 2)

 

Along with Balloons Over Broadway, I read the traditional turkey-themed Thanksgiving kids' books. The books were fun, and so were the activities that went with them. I have listed below the books I read to each grade and some of the more successful accompanying activities. I enjoyed the books but think that my October book choices may have been better. I am trying to give myself grace though and remember that this is my learning-year; I will be able to adjust some books/activities next year. (In fact, I have already been busy reflecting and making changes.)

TK -- One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims -- No real planned activity, but I did learn that of  the 17 TK kids, only one had heard of beets before!!! The next week I had canned beets and gave a piece to anyone brave enough to try. Three of them actually liked them and asked for more!

Kindergarten -- 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving -- They loved the book and worked so hard creating  Lego turkeys afterwards. I was pleasantly surprised with their creativity.

First Grade -- Thanksgiving Is... -- They drew what Thanksgiving means to them (Not my favorite book or activity so it will change)

Second Grade -- For this grade, and the dates their classes fell, we actually focused on Veterans Day (see earlier post) and National Origami Day.  The Paper Crane -- (I showed a youtube reading because I don't have the book and couldn't get it in time. Then they made origami dog faces. They loved it! They are already begging for more origami and I have promised it for centers in January. Here is a link to some great origami animal printables I found: Origami Animals

Third Grade -- Cranberry Thanksgiving -- It's a longer book, so no activity with it. The kids really enjoyed this book. There are others in the series, Cranberry Easter, Cranberry Summer,  Cranberry Christmas,  and more. I haven't read the others but plan to. The one I read was very language-rich with an unexpected twist at the end. I highly recommend it.   

Fourth Grade --  This is the Turkey -- This book was fun, and there was one part where the turkey went flying off its platter and across the room. I chose this book as the kick-off for our new 4th grade tradition of turkey ziplines! I grouped the kids and gave them small turkeys and access to a pile of supplies. They designed and built their contraptions which would then race down a zipline the next week. I was so impressed with the thought that went in to the winning "vehicle" and was not surprised that it won. The kids discussed the need to weight it heavier in the front, have wings, and have ways to have less friction with the line itself. The next week we had several heats and then a championship run. The fourth graders' kindergarten book buddies even got to attend the races. It was great fun! The only thing I will change for next year is a change of racing locations. We need more room for everyone to be able to see.

               

Fifth Grade -- Too Many Turkeys -- I was worried that the fifth graders would find this picture book too juvenile, but they really seemed to enjoy the dilemma that the main character found himself in. It was himself in. It was our kick-off to creating turkey traps. This part of the lesson did not  go as well as I'd hoped. I had them (in pairs) design a trap for their laminated turkey, using any supplies they could come up with. I have decided that those directions were too broad and made it way too difficult for them. They did try, but their designs were very unclear and uncreatable. Next year I plan to assign materials based on a drawing of straws. Once they know their materials, they will draw their design and then build. I have found some templates to give them to make the assignment even more STEM-like.

After getting this all typed out, I have discovered that I am not as disappointed with my November choices as I had thought. There were definitely some glitches, but I already have the fixes in mind. I love that I have the freedom to choose and design these lessons to fit my students' needs and make them fun and engaging at the same time. Being a librarian is so awesome! I'm loving it in the library!