Engage Your Upper Elementary Students with Thanksgiving-Themed Lessons - and Have a Work-Free Break
Upper elementary teachers, are you ready for the Thanksgiving season? As we approach the holiday, both students and teachers eagerly await the first long break from school. Vacation-itis gets worse the closer you get to break.
How to Have a Work-Free Break
Vacations are great - but only if you actually take a break. It is so easy to bring work home over holidays and tell ourselves it will just make life better when school starts. Let’s flip that to find ways to be ready for after break before we even close for the holiday.
Here are some things you can take do before break to ensure you have a work-free vacation:
I always planned to finish all chapters or units a few days before break.
The last two days of school, I planned thematic lessons that broke from our normal routine - but kept the learning going. As I didn’t grade these activities, I could clear out my grading and plan for the next week before having off for the holiday.
I highly recommend this routine to other teachers for all holiday breaks. There is nothing worse than going home with days of work to catch up. Otherwise, you end up not feeling rested and rejuvenated.
Have Students Begging to Learn with Novelty
Now, if you really want to leave for break with nothing in your hands, you need to keep students interested and focused during classes all the way. Movies just don’t cut it - the kids who aren’t interested in a movie will find other ways to entertain themselves.
Instead, go for novelty. Our brains are hardwired to notice things that are new and different. In fact, our brain rewards novelty with dopamine, which in turns motivates us to continue to explore new things to keep get “rewarded.”
Video games are so popular because they follow this pattern. The player finds something new, and often they are rewarded by something in the game, such as a new level being unlocked. The brain encourages the player to continue exploring these new levels in hopes of getting a reward, like points or prizes.
So how can you use this in your classroom? Researchers found that novelty increased the brain’s ability to build connections during the experience and up to 15 - 30 after the novelty ended, therefore improving subjects’ memory.
Researchers also learned subjects’ memory improved the most when new information was mixed with familiar information. Subjects’ memory of slightly familiar information was 19% better on tests given 20 minutes later if new information was mixed with previously known material. (For more information, read this article - Buffer, May 16, 2023)
Use Thematic Learning to Add Novelty to Your Classroom
Adding novelty to your lessons can be simple. You just need to change up your routine. You could change the environment - if weather permits, do a lesson outside or swap rooms with a teacher buddy. Another way is to break your routine. Forget your normal activities and do a lesson that is completely different from what you’d normally do.
Having a few days of thematic learning is a quick way to break that routine and inject novelty. That is why I always planned two days of themed-lessons before each big break. The themes don’t always have to be directly related to the holiday, but I usually tried to find a theme the made sense for the season.
For Thanksgiving, I used popcorn or turkeys as my theme. By focusing on a related topic, it makes it easier for the lessons to relate to all students instead of the holiday itself, which some students may not celebrate.
My favorite Thanksgiving lessons are available in my TPT store. These were a hit with my students year after year. I like to keep my lessons simple - I don’t want to spend a fortune buying supplying - or hours searching for special materials. These lessons making it easy for you to plan thematic days with little prep.
Language Arts
Thankful Turkeys: A Thanksgiving Craftivity Writing Project
Encourage gratitude and improve writing skills with this engaging craftivity. Students write about what they're thankful for, creating a memorable turkey-themed display. This resource fosters meaningful reflections while making learning fun.
Turkey vs. Bald Eagle Paired Passages
Students love weird history facts. Spark students’ curiosity with this resource, which has them practice close reading while exploring the strengths of both birds and craft an opinion essay on their choice for the national bird.
Thanksgiving Dinner Craftivity Fiction Book Report Project
Transform reading into a delightful experience with this crafty book report project. This resource lets students review plot, setting, and point of view in any text while creating a unique 'Thanksgiving Dinner.'
Math
Thanksgiving Dinner Grocery Shopping Decimal Math Activity With Differentiation
Engage students with practical math skills by simulating grocery shopping for Thanksgiving dinner. This resource covers adding, multiplying whole numbers, and decimals. Teachers can easily differentiate the activity using included 'coupons.'
Popcorn Volume: Exploring Volume & Dimension
Make math come alive with this fun, hands-on volume and dimension exploration using popcorn kernels. Ideal for 5th-grade and up, this activity reinforces the relationship between volume and dimension.
Science
Popcorn Acids and Bases Science Experiment
Foster scientific curiosity and hands-on learning with this engaging experiment using everyone's favorite snack, popcorn! This resource explores acids and bases using household items, making it simple for both you and your students.
Being organized that last week before break will help you walk out the door empty-handed for Thanksgiving. Grab these thematic resources in a money-saving bundle in my TPT store and get ready to enjoy your break!