Keeping reading activities fun, yet meaningful, can be a daunting task. I usually look to the holiday of the current month (provided there is one) for inspiration. Today I'm sharing two of my favorite Thanksgiving reading resources.
The Thanksgiving turkey is an image that lends itself to a variety of graphic and visual organizers. One of my students' favorites is the Turkey Story Map. You can use almost any book to model how to use the story map graphic organizer. I like to use Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano. I write the book’s title and author’s name on the turkey's body. The feathers are where the students record the main characters, setting, problem, events, and solution. I use this story map two ways. The first way is to distribute a piece of paper with the turkey and feathers already drawn on a piece of paper for the students to fill in. You can download my template here. The second way is to have the students use a pattern or template to trace the turkey's body and feathers on construction paper. They then fill in the story information using markers.
Another turkey-inspired idea is my Gobble Up A Good Book recommendation form. Again, you can use almost any book to model how to use this form with students. One I use often is The Candy Corn Contest by Patricia Reilly Giff. After my students finish a book that they think their classmates might enjoy, I have them fill out a recommendation form. I keep all the recommendations together in the classroom by our reading library. I'm overcome with joy every time I see a student thank another student after reading one of their recommended books!