Books and More to Be Grateful For

Books and More to Be Grateful For!

November is always my favorite time of the year to teach because such great conversations can be heard buzzing around the room. Students, regardless of their socioeconomic background, can always share things that they are grateful for! This is a special time of the year for teachers to lead children, who may not feel so thankful, to find reasons they have to give thanks. Family, friends, loved ones . . . I always try to point out things that they have to be grateful for in their everyday lives, not just for Thanksgiving, but throughout the year. A home to live in, food to eat, and a bed to sleep in are things that shouldn't be taken for granted.

Thankful Giving Project

My students always do a project for the homeless during the holidays. In the days preceding Thanksgiving, we bake cookies in our classroom for shelters so others will be able to have them for dessert on Thanksgiving Day. Not only is the act of giving important, but also we turn it into a math project by having “teams” of students pack the cookies and place three in a baggie, tie them, and then tally their bags. The final activity is a multiplication contest to see who bagged the most cookies!

Grateful for Books

I also love reading Thanksgiving themed books to my students. It sets the tone of the season. Here are some of my favorites that you may want to share with your class!

Grades K-2

Giving Thanks by Sharon Coan
If You Sailed on the Mayflower by Ann McGovern
Thanksgiving by Dana Meachen Rau
Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland
10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston
Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano
Thanksgiving Is by Gail Gibbons
Turk and Runt: A Thanksgiving Comedy by Lisa Wheeler

Grades 3-5

What Was the First Thanksgiving? by Joan Holub
Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving by Joseph Bruchac
Sarah Gives Thanks: How Thanksgiving Became a National Holiday by Mike Allegra
1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving by Catherine O’Neill Grace

Author bio

Sharon Coan, Editor

After 21 years of classroom teaching experience, Sharon Coan joined Teacher Created Materials as an editor in 1989. Growing into the role of editor-in-chief, Sharon oversaw the growth and development of the supplemental curriculum materials TCM produces today. Now retired, Sharon serves in a strategic planning role for the company with an emphasis on new technologies and alternate delivery systems.