Teaching upper elementary does not mean you have to miss out on all the holiday fun! I use this Thanksgiving writing activity with my big kids before Thanksgiving break.
My goal in this lesson is to teach students to stop and think hard about all of the things they have to be thankful for.
First, I share this quote with my students. (I found this image after a quick search on Pinterest.)
Often when I ask my students what they are thankful for, they are quick to say their family members. I agree, this is SO important! My husband and daughters are my favorite people in the entire world.
But, not all students have strong family units.
In this lesson I ask students to think about people, things, places, events, and things about themselves they are thankful for.
First, I give each student a bag of Skittles. I use the fun size with 18-24 skittles inside. Then, I have my students sort their skittles by color.
Students follow the directions on the brainstorming sheet. For each color of skittles, they list something they are thankful for.
Then, they can enjoy their skittles!
After completing the brainstorming sheet, students transfer their ideas to the final draft page.
Here, they write each item in a complete sentence. The sentence should explain why they are thankful for that item.
Finally, they color each section of the final draft page to match the Skittle colors.
What ideas do you have for helping students be more thankful this season?
