Teachers Have Class! Issue #12/November 2010 November Teaching Resources and Ideas
Welcome to the 12th newsletter of Teachers Have Class from Unique Teaching Resources!
As I send out this 12th edition of my newsletter, I have a lot to reflect on and be thankful for. I have been blessed by the stories that teachers have shared with me this past year about their own classrooms and the successful strategies that they have used with their own students.
During the past year, I've had the opportunity to work and collaborate on ideas and projects with teachers in New Jersey, Las Vegas, Miami, Sydney (Australia), Edinburgh (Scotland), and Arusha (Tanzania). I am thankful for these talented and dedicated teachers who shared their experiences and expertise with me during this past year.
Before I begin the free resources section of my newsletter, I want to wish all of the American teachers who are reading this newsletter a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Special Reminder:
Reminder: The links to download the free teaching resources that are found in this edition of Teachers Have Class will only be available for 5 days.
After 5 days, the links to these free November and Thanksgiving teaching resources will be removed. Then, I will post this newsletter on my website so that teachers who visit Unique Teaching Resources will be able to read old editions of Teachers Have Class.
Although teachers who visit my website can read all of the previous editions of my newsletter, I only provide these free monthly resources to the teachers who have signed up to receive Teachers Have Class. These free resources are my small way of thanking these teachers for their support and interest.
So, be sure to download your free November and Thanksgiving resources promptly!
Gobble Up Our Stories Creative Writing Stationery Set
Each month I provide a free stationery and worksheet set in my newsletter because many teachers are often looking for thematic worksheets for each month, especially for creative writing.
Below is my Gobble Up Our Stories Creative Writing Stationery Set and the link to download it. The title banner is 5 pages long, which you can assemble and use on your bulletin board display. There are color and black and white copies of the stationery for you to choose from. There are 7 pages in this free PDF November Creative Writing Stationery Set.
THANKSgiving is a perfect time to teach a lesson on letter writing and for students to write thank you letters to someone that they appreciate.
This Thank You Letter Writing Resource Set includes a 5 page bulletin board display banner and color stationery (shown below), as well as a black and white page of the same stationery to use for your students' first drafts.
In my opinion, word search puzzles are not instructional or learning activities. On the other hand, I have found that my students have always enjoyed these mental challenges and had fun completing these types of worksheets.
For this reason, I usually have a printed set of these seasonal puzzle worksheets on hand during a month for an unexpected time that I need a filler activity that will keep my students on task and quiet.
Below are just a few examples of why it is useful to have a quick and quiet filler activity ready on hand so that you are prepared for the unexpected.
the P.E. or music teacher has suddenly gone home sick and you learn that you have lost your only free preparation period of the day
a school wide assembly that was scheduled to last for 1 1/2 hours has only taken up one hour
an unexpected fire drill has occurred and upon returning to the classroom your students are very energetic
November Calendar and Monthly Writing Prompt Ideas
Each month I provide a free calendar set in my newsletter. These free calendar sets could be displayed on a bulletin board or placed inside a pocket chart. Below each calendar set, you will find a list of writing prompts for that month that may spark an idea that you could use with your students.
Below is my November Calendar Set and the link to download it. The November title is a 2 page banner that should fit in most standardized monthly pocket charts that many teachers use. I have designed large November days of the week that you may find useful. The calendar number dates also fit in pocket charts, and I have included a blank square and a birthday square to use. There are 11 pages in this free PDF November Calendar Set.
November Writing Prompts: Are you looking for a creative list of writing prompts and journal ideas to use during the month of November?
Below, you will find a list of general November writing topics and a list of specific calendar dates for November with corresponding creative writing ideas and topics.
I have created this list of Thanksgiving and November writing prompts and ideas for elementary school teachers and students, but many of these creative writing ideas and topics would also be appropriate for other grade levels.
You will find November writing prompts below that contain underlined links. If you click on an underlined link:
You will be directed to another page on Unique Teaching Resources that contains detailed lesson plan ideas for this writing prompt idea.
You will be directed to another website that contains useful information related to this writing prompt idea.
General Thanksgiving and November Writing Prompts:
Fall in love with writing I jumped in a pile of leaves and found … A harvest of good work At the football game Gobble up our stories My pet turkey Thanksgiving thank you letter I am thankful for … What are you and your family most grateful for? Thanksgiving stories If I had been on the Mayflower Describe what you know about the first Thanksgiving dinner.
November Celebrations, Events, Holidays, and Dates in History:
A Week in November National Children’s Book Week is celebrated in November, often the week before Thanksgiving. This week has been celebrated since 1919 and it encourages children to enjoy new authors and books, inspires children of all ages to read a range of fiction and non-fiction, and promotes reading as a positive and enjoyable activity.
Bring a lunch box into school and inside it, place a copy of a book that you want to share with your students. Tell your students that you are looking forward to your lunch today because your husband/wife/friend has packed you a special tasty treat. Inside there is a note, “Here’s some food for your mind, enjoy your lunch!” Share the plot of your book with your students and why you like this book. Have your students do the same activity the next day with books that they have enjoyed reading.
If you want to assign your students a longer activity for National Children’s Book Week, inside your lunch box, have a completed copy of a Cheeseburger or Sandwich book report along with the book and share your book report with your students. Afterwards, your students can complete their own Cheeseburger or Sandwich book reports.
Third Week of November Geography Awareness Week was established in 1987 when U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed legislation that established the third week in November as Geography Awareness Week.
Where in the world would you most like to visit? Find this place on a map and measure the approximate distance from this place to where you live. Explain why you would like to visit this place, how far away it is from where you live, and how you would get to this place.
Where would you most like to live? Find this place on a map and measure the approximate distance from this place to where you currently live. Explain why you would like to move to this place and how far away it is from where you live now.
Third Thursday of November The American Cancer Society sponsors the Great American Smokeout every year on the third Thursday of November. This event challenges people to stop using tobacco and helps make people aware of the many tools they can use to quit smoking for good.
Write a letter a letter to someone you know to urge them to stop smoking.
Write a letter to children urging them of the important reasons to never start smoking.
November 3 November 3 is Sandwich Day. English history reports that John Montagu was the 4th Earl of Sandwich and the sandwich was named after him. The 4th Earl of Sandwich enjoyed gambling and often spent many long hours in London's gambling parlors. In 1762, he created the sandwich, by putting meat between two pieces of bread. This allowed him to remain at the gambling table for long periods of time.
What is your favorite kind of sandwich? Write the directions for making this sandwich. Bring this sandwich to eat to school on November 3!
This would be an ideal time to have your students begin a Sandwich Book Report.
November 10 The television show Sesame Street had its first episode on November 10, 1969.
Who is your favorite character on Sesame Street? What do you like the most about this character?
If you were asked to create a new Sesame Street character, what type of character would you create and why? What would this character’s name be? Describe what the character looks like and how the character acts.
Students should select 3-5 of the Sesame Street Muppets listed on this page and read their short biographies. Then, have your students write a story that includes one or more of the Sesame Street characters in it. The students’ stories should include information that they learned about when they read the biographies about these characters.
November 11 Veterans Day is an annual American holiday honoring military veterans. It is a federal holiday and usually observed on November 11.
Why should we appreciate the men and women who have defended the United States and all of the great work they do?
What sacrifices have veterans and their families made for their country?
November 18 November 18 is Mickey Mouse’s birthday. Mickey Mouse is one of the most famous cartoon characters.
If you could create a friend for Mickey Mouse, what type of character would you create?
What would this character’s name be? Describe what the character looks like and how the character acts.
November 19 The Gettysburg Address is a speech that was made by President Abraham Lincoln and it is one of the best-known speeches in United States history. It was delivered by President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19. In his speech, President Lincoln calls on the people to ensure the survival of America's representative democracy. He begins his speech “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” He ends his speech saying "The government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
Ask students to imagine that they were alive at the time the Gettysburg Address was delivered. Ask them to explain the speech in a letter to a friend, describing the effect that the speech had on them when heard President Lincoln give it.
November 20 Many countries hold Universal Children's Day events on November 20 to mark the anniversaries of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Universal Children's Day is part of the work carried out by UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund. UNICEF's logo consists of an image of a mother and child, a globe, olive branches and the word “UNICEF”.
What do you think the images in UNICEF’s logo represent?
Create a new logo for UNICEF and explain why you chose the images in your logo and what they represent.
Ideas for Read Aloud Books November and Thanksgiving
For books to read aloud to your students for the month of November, I have three books that I have created a complete set of teaching resources for. I have created a separate web page for each of these books that contains details and photographs of the resources that are available for these books.
Click on the underlined book titles below to go directly to the particular web pages that were created for these book titles.
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein This book is a classic that was written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. I enjoy reading this book to my students in November because of the tree theme and using leaf response templates to create an autumn tree bulletin board display. I also use the theme of being THANKful for the people who are GIVING to us that are in our lives.
Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey Dav Pilkey is most well know for his Adventures of Captain Underpants books. He has written and illustrated this Thanksgiving picture book that is similar to the popular Christmas story 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. In this story, the children help rescue eight adorable turkeys from a farm.
The Way to Start a Day by Byrd Baylor In this teaching resource set you will find two different sets of writing resources to use for Byrd Baylor's Caldecott Medal winning picture book. This is not a Thankgiving themed book, but I like to read this book to my students during the months of November or December because in the United States, that is when two of our biggest holidays occur. As I discuss the themes in this book, and important holidays in our country, I have my students research important holidays in other countries. I have created a Country Holiday Wheel cooperative group project based on this idea. This teaching resource set also includes a creative writing topic that refers to the book that is titled: The Right Way to Start a Day of School.
Recent Updates On Unique Teaching Resources
If you are interested in viewing teaching resources that are specific to the month of November, please click on one of the leaves below.
If you are interested in viewing teaching resources that have a fall theme, please also check out the October teaching resources section of my website, as these web pages also contain fall themed resources.
Thank you for your interest in subscribing to my newsletter. Remember to download your free resources within 5 days of the date that it was sent.
Please be sure to check out the other pages on my website for a large variety of other teaching resources that will engage your students in learning and save you valuable time.
Sincerely, Heidi McDonald
Creator and Site Manager Unique Teaching Resources
P.S. My next newsletter will be my December Issue.
I plan to send out this newsletter around November 30, 2010.
If you are interested in viewing teaching resources that have a fall theme, please also check out the October teaching resources section of my website, as these web pages also contain fall themed resources.
