This is my first attempt at participating in a linky party and I
couldn't be more excited about it! I love the idea of these linky
parties and being able to get some fantastic ideas on the same subject
from lots and lots of different sources. Too fun and too cool. Whomever
came up with this idea of the linky party gets an A+ in my book!
So - with that said, bear with me and let me know if my etiquette
is off. I apologize in advance for being so technologically challenged!
Ahhh - Thanksgiving. What's not to like? Usually, T-Day involves
eating, family visiting, more eating, napping, and is generally a day
filled with comfort, love and, of course, thankfulness. But now that I'm
in teacher mode - Thanksgiving has an entirely new meaning! Turkey
crafts, turkey glyphs, turkey bar graphs, the history of the turkey
{more specifically, of Thanksgiving Day itself}, writing prompts about
the things we're thankful for - and possibly my favorite - TURKEY
STORIES! I am obsessed with children's literature and could LIVE in
Barnes and Noble. Here are a few of my favorites that I've come across
over the last year as I journeyed through the many classrooms that I
have observed and student taught in:
1. 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving, Dav Pilkey
Without giving too much away, the story is about some sneaky
schoolchildren that visit a turkey farm only to discover Old Mac
Nugget's plan to eat the turkeys for Thanksgiving! I really like the
illustrations in this book and it's just a cute story that's
lighthearted and fun for Turkey Week.
2. The Littlest Pilgrim, Brandy Dougherty
Poor little Mini! She wants to help so much with all of the chores
around the house, but she's just too little! I enjoy this story not just
because it's cute, but also because there are some references to early
American life and could easily be used to tie in some history for
smaller children. I read this with a first grade class last fall and
after we read it, we did a "little" writing activity. My little firsties
finished this writing prompt: "I'm a little helper! At home, I help
with ___________________". They drew a little boy or girl pilgrim at the
top of their writing prompt pages, too.
3. Turkey Trouble, Wendy Silvano
Hee hee!! This one's just too funny. This little turkey tries to
disguise himself as something else - anything else - because he knows
Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I just love funny stories and
this is one of those that is hilarious to me - and to the kiddos I read
it to last fall.
4. If You Were at the First Thanksgiving, Anne Kamma
This is an informative book that's set up in question/answer format
that just describes the life of these early Americans. While
Thanksgiving provides for a great opportunity for craftiness and
cuteness, as a teacher, it's also extremely important to relay the
significance of Thanksgiving and to provide students with its historical
background. This book is from a child's perspective and gives readers a
sense of what it was like during this time. Scholastic does a great job
of putting informative books out about important historical topics such
as Thanksgiving, and this is one of them.
Those are a few of my faves! Hope you find them helpful!
Click here to go back to the host blog of this linky party.
Labels: Holidays, Language Arts, Linky Parties
