The week of Thanksgiving lesson plans can be tough. We have 2 and a half days, so what should we do? Do we throw up our hands and make this “fluff time” because there’s not much time and some will leave early for travel? Do we embrace the holiday and take a break from regular curriculum? Or should we carry on with where we are in our unit?
What Are Your Classes Like?
The first thing to consider when planning the week of Thanksgiving lesson plans is… what are your classes like this year?
When I have very active or very chatty classes, that influences what level of chaos or break from the norm I, myself can handle…. and I guess that is directly tied to what my students can handle! If my students won’t be able to focus and learn if I change things up, I may as well not change things up.
But, if I have a class that can go with the flow and take the most out of anything, I will definitely take a break from the norm and offer some different kinds of activities.
Week of Thanksgiving Lesson Plans For Challenging Classes
If you have classes that do NOT thrive when routines are broken, my suggestion is to keep things very close to what you normally do.
Keep your do nows, but maybe give them a holiday theme. Consider using Monday to review something they’ve been working on and giving an assessment Tuesday. This keeps the kiddos who may spin into chaos more calm and focused. And on Wednesday, when some students will be missing and others will be spazzy, give them this edpuzzle. This can be entered as a low stakes grade, and everyone can be calmly in their seat working independently.
Both students and teacher can avoid the drain of soaring emotions and remain productive on these school days.
Ideas For the Week of Thanksgiving Lesson Plans For Focused Classes
If you are blessed with a class or 2 of those kind of students who are eager to learn and have developed the skills of mature students, you can get creative this week! The limits are your creativity (and of course, your time and energy!) Here are some ideas for how you can spend your short week with these classes.
-The goal is to offer a different and broader vocabulary for students to express themselves. Consider creating a vocab list for students to have at their desk with words you think they may commonly use.
-Do a This or That activity in Spanish. Mashed Potatoes or Stuffing? (Use graphics to help aid comprehension!)
-Ask students to color in a turkey, and each feather is something they are grateful for. (These make a great bulletin board!)
-Invite students to write a letter to a teacher or a relative to thank them for something kind they’ve done. (Teachers at my school LOVE getting these! They either ask the student or me to translate, and it’s a way to make connections for all!)
-Challenge students to write a story with a Thanksgiving theme together in groups. (Award prizes for the most creative, the best use of X thing you’ve been learning, best teamwork, etc.)
Best of all, with this type of class, you can take any one of those ideas and turn it into an assessment. Sometimes when we have interruptions to the school week, it can be hard to get enough grades into our gradebook. But here we have some opportunities for students to shine with low stakes grading.
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all enjoy this time of year!
Resources You May Need
Christmas in Spain Digital Escape Room!
Spanish Write, Speak and Listen Activity: Any Level!
Spanish Seal of Biliteracy Test Prep Bundle
