Thanksgiving Reading Fun

Are you looking for some last minute turkey reading fun? I want to share some of my favorite books to use each year with our turkey theme. I also created a quick freebie you can use with each book, just to keep things easy for you!

 

 

I LOVE this book, and so do my kiddos. It's the perfect book to read if do a "disguise a turkey" project. (Check out THIS POST from Melissa over at Mrs. Dailey's Classroom if you're looking for some disguise inspiration!) The turkey's costumes are funny and kids really get the humor in this book. I like to go back and reread the book closely, looking for the things the animals say that relate to what costume the turkey is wearing. The story structure lends itself well to a problem/attempts/solution structure. I created a simple retelling sheet, as well as a response sheet for students to come up with their own costumes for turkey. This is an easy alternative to a big turkey disguise project.



These next books go together - I have two of them, but I didn't know there was a third! The Great Turkey Race tells about how the turkeys save themselves from being eaten on Thanksgiving  and how they decide to be good friends and save another turkey who hasn't been so nice! In The Amazing Turkey Rescue, the turkeys are back at the farm working to save their friends the chickens from the mean fox that has showed up. These are both great books to use for character traits, as well as story structure and problem/solution. I created some discussion cards you use to have your kiddos turn and talk - or with a small group - to talk about the stories. I also like to compare and contrast the two stories, as well.

 



My final favorite book is not about turkeys - but about being thankful. It lends itself to a wonderful writing project. In the book, the daughter looks through her mother's scrapbook, asking about all the wonderful things she has done, and asking which is her "most thankful thing?" Of course, the Mom's most thankful things is her daughter, which brings the story to a wonderful ending. At the start of our writing activity, I ask my students to list some of their most thankful moments. Then we go through the list and talk about each one. This not only helps us be ready to choose our MOST thankful moment, but the oral discussion helps students be able to add details to their ideas when we start our writing. After everyone has one most thankful thing, we start our writing. We use a topic sentence, some details and have a great writing activity that not only shows what we are thankful for, but also helps me to get to know my students a little better, too.



 You can grab all this turkey fun in one place, by clicking {HERE}.  And you can head over to this post and see what I've got planned for some informational turkey reading and writing! Happy Thanksgiving!