November offers plenty of seasonal themes to build classroom activities around. Veterans Day, election day, and Thanksgiving all offer excellent opportunities to connect reading and writing lessons to current events. With just a little bit of creativity, you can boost student engagement with ELA resources that center around the topics your middle school students are already thinking about.
While the big holidays and news events are always top of mind, don’t forget that November also provides a unique backdrop of 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 and feel as though it sums up fall and the beauty that surrounds us. In addition to appreciating the beauty that fall brings, I am appreciating every second that my children get to participate in the fall activities that bring them joy and each day they get to be at school. My superintendent has shared the idea that “everyday we get to be together is a gift.” After the challenges teachers have faced over the past two 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 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 focuses on a group of students looking forward to their annual school food drive to support the City Food Pantry. Conflicts arise though as the students are more focused on wining the pizza and ice cream party for the classroom that donates the most items. This Thanksgiving reader’s theater inspires discussion about the true meaning of giving.
See full description on TPT.
Teach your students about the significance of our veterans with this reader’s theater fun pack. This reader’s theater script offers the perspective of veterans day from someone who served in the military. 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 work with close reads to enhance their focus with reading passages? This November Close Reads for BIG KIDS includes reading passages around the topics of election day, 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. Perfect as an extra-credit activity that can easily be completed over the phone or in-person.
Download Freebie.
