November is here, and this post features some fresh ideas and activities to try in your middle school language arts classroom. November offers plenty of seasonal themes you can utilize to boost student engagement. Veterans Day, Election Day, and Thanksgiving all offer excellent opportunities to connect reading and writing lessons to current events.
While middle school students have outgrown the “cutesy holiday craft” activities, there are plenty of ways to incorporate November themes into purposeful language arts lessons. The key here for teachers is to maximize student engagement by using ELA resources that center around top-of-mind subjects your students are already interested in.
November provides us with an amazing backdrop with the changing seasons. Cooler temperatures and falling leaves are great inspirational points for journal prompts and creative writing. Sometimes it feels like November gets overlooked between Halloween and Christmas, so before we speed into winter, let’s take a minute for November.
I love this quote by Lauren DeStafano. To me, it sums up fall and all the beauty that surrounds us. In addition to appreciating the beauty that fall brings, I am also appreciating that my children get to participate in the fall activities that bring them joy. My superintendent has shared the idea that “every day we get to be together is a gift.” After the challenges teachers have faced over the past few years, I appreciate sentiments like this more than ever.
If you are looking for some November classroom inspiration or if you just need to save a little time on lesson planning, I have several season-themed language arts resources that I use with my middle school students. The ELA resources featured below are my favorite activities to use during the month of November.
This 8-page, 13-character printable script tells the story of a homeroom that tries to band together to collect food for the annual school food drive. Conflicts arise as the students become more focused on winning the pizza party for the classroom that donates the most items. This Thanksgiving reader’s theater inspires discussion about the true meaning of giving and includes worksheets for reading comprehension, vocabulary work, and journal prompts.
See full description on TPT.
Teach your students about the significance of this holiday while also practicing fluency, reading comprehension, and writing. I created this reader’s theater activity to offer my students a unique perspective for our Veterans Day lesson. It is based on an interview with my stepdad, who served in the military during the Vietnam War. In addition to the printable PDF script, the resource includes activities for fluency, comprehension, context clue word work, writing, summarizing, and research.
See full description on TPT.
Do your students need more practice to enhance their focus and comprehension with close reading passages? This November Close Reads for BIG KIDS includes reading passages around the topics of Election Eay, Thanksgiving, Veterans Day, and more. Engage your students and evaluate their reading abilities with these high-interest reading passages.
See full description on TPT.
Download this free printable PDF veteran interview worksheet to encourage your students to visit with the veterans in their lives. You could even use it as an extra-credit activity that can easily be completed over the phone or in person.
Download Freebie.
