On paper, teaching during November may look easy because of the days off, but it is usually anything but. Students are excited about starting one of the longest breaks of the school year, but you still have a lot of material to cover. I’ve created fun Thanksgiving worksheets for middle school so that by the time the week of Thanksgiving break rolls around, you won’t find yourself exhausted and stressed out.
Thanksgiving worksheets for middle school that your students will love!
The holidays can be inherently stressful for reasons far beyond your classroom, so why not bring in these Thanksgiving worksheets that your middle school students will love completing? I know that worksheets sometimes get a bad rap, but I’m using that phrase because of their print-and-go nature. These worksheets aren’t simple activities that your students will fly through! I know how important rigor is at the middle school level, so there is plenty of critical thinking involved in these activities!
These context clues color-by-number activities are great for the days before Thanksgiving break!
My context clues color-by-number activities were born out of both my students’ love of coloring and the fact that they needed practice using context clues. Students read sentences that are about Thanksgiving and then use context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words. They will then color in boxes based on their answers to reveal a mystery image. These are perfect to use on the last day before Thanksgiving break, but you can also have your students work on these in advance and put them up for a festive display of student work!
Sneak in inferencing practice with text message analysis.
Middle school ELA students can never have too much practice with making inferences. This Thanksgiving text message analysis activity is from my line of text message analysis resources that are very popular with students! Students read a text message exchange about Thanksgiving and then make inferences based on what they’ve read. They also have to cite evidence to support their inferences.
Differentiated reading passages provide great practice at two different reading levels.
Our students come to us with a wide range of reading abilities. While it is important for students to be exposed to grade level texts, it is also beneficial for students to work with materials that are at their reading level. That’s why I created my differentiated reading passages. These resources include a passage at two different reading levels.
In addition to the differentiated reading passages, there is also a differentiated context clues activity that includes an option with multiple choice options and one without. To finish everything out, there are short answer reading comprehension questions and a writing assignment. I have a variety of differentiated reading passages, but my First Thanksgiving and Turkey reading passages are perfect to use the week before Thanksgiving break!
Teaching in November can be a whirlwind, but that doesn’t mean you have to be incredibly stressed out every day or decide to use fun activities that don’t address the standards. I created these Thanksgiving worksheets for middle school teachers just like you who want to have fun with their students while still providing them with enriching learning opportunities. These no-prep activities are a great way to have a stress-free week before Thanksgiving break! And that’s not even the best part! Because I know how beneficial all of these materials are, I put them together in a money-saving bundle so you can use them all!
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