Are You Ready to Ship Your Students Off to a New World?

Yes, the last few weeks have been very busy! 

I'm VERY tired, and so are the kids, but we've got a couple more school days to survive!

It's time to pull all the stops out! Time for high-interest activities that involve conversation and movement. Here are some ideas:

I'll be pulling out this activity from my Science and Social Studies Printables for November.

We'll also be reading informational text and learning about wild turkeys! Turkey Fact Booklet  (This is also in the Science and Social Studies Printables for November.)

 

I like to let the children work in pairs or small groups while creating these informational text booklets. This encourages conversation about the information they are learning and encourages them to use their new vocabulary.

Looking for more turkey fun? Try this Turkey Mini-Bundle, which includes that turkey informational booklet you saw above!

Finally, we'll be practicing our reading, writing, word work, and math skills with these Fun, No-Prep Activities for Thanksgiving.

 

Planning ahead? 

Check out some of these posts: (See the images for the links!)

How are you keeping the children focused during this busy time?

Writing Thank You Notes

When we left before our holiday vacation, we had just had our holiday party, and lots of gifts were given to the class. (Instead of giving gifts to each other, everyone brought in a gift for the whole class! We got recess games, craft materials, gluesticks, whiteboard markers, books, crayons, erasers, and more!)

My college-aged daughter came in to help out at the party, and one of her tasks was to keep a list of who gave what present to the class.  (Just like a wedding shower!)

It's time for the thank you cards! 

I think Thank You Notes are becoming a lost art. But they are worthwhile and valued.

The parts of a Thank You note:

The Heading:  since this is a note, not a letter, all that's needed is the date, not an entire return address.

The Greeting:  Dear ______,  that's it! (Don't forget the comma!)

The Body:  I was always taught that the body of a thank you note has two basic sentences. 

The first sentence is very specific:  Thank you for the _______.  The only time you're not very specific is when it's money or a gift card.  Then you just say thank you for the money. 

The second sentence tells what you are going to do with the item. 

It's ok to add another sentence or two, just friendly stuff, but those two sentences are essential to a thank you note.

The Closing:  Your friend,  Your classmate, Sincerely, or if you're writing to family... Love, (Don't forget the comma!)

The Signature:  Your name.

That's it!

I made a few Thank You Note Cards for you to copy. Just fold the pages to make them into card form.  You can download this a sampler HERE.

For a more comprehensive set of Thank You Note Cards, see HERE:

Enjoy writing your Thank You notes!

Hanukkah Game Board

Looking for a little something to help your kids celebrate Hanukkah?

 

This game can be used in many ways in the classroom!

Brain research tells us that frequent repetition helps transfer information from short-term memory to long-term memory. (I prefer "Practice Makes Permanent" to "Practice Makes Perfect"!)  

I use board games like this to practice sight words, math facts, sentence fluency, task cards, or any skill that needs practice! The children just roll one die, but before they can move their place marker that many spaces, they have to perform a task. I sometimes have a selection of cards the children can choose from, and sometimes, I have a specific skill for them to practice. Here are some ideas for practice cards: Practice Card Bundle, Word Work Bundle, or Reading Celebration Game.

Just click this link to download your Hanukkah Game Board

You might want to try this related resource: Hanukkah Two Syllable Nonsense Word Game to practice the important skill of reading nonsense words.

Want a little more on Hanukkah and other seasonal holidays? Try this collection of informational texts and Winter Holidays Reader's Theater

or looking for something digital?

Try this Boom Learning 

December Holidays Around the World

 How do you bring Hanukkah into your classroom?