Use these ideas, perfect for November, to connect students to gratitude and practice essential literacy, math, and thinking skills. The buttons and links for each idea open to a Wixie template you can assign (log in) as a teacher, or use as a student, immediately.
Gratitude
Thanksgiving is really about gratitude; the feeling of appreciation for the things we have and receive. And feeling gratitude actually makes us happier because it helps us recognize the good in our lives.
Make a Daily Note
Ask students to write a note about what they are grateful for each day of November. Students can use the Gratitude Note template to get started.
Wixie Note of Gratitude Activity
Students can also use the Gratitude Journal to document their thanks.
Design a Mandala
Mandalas include imagery that reflects both who we are and who we want to be. Have students create a mandala to reflect things they are grateful for. Ask students to apply radial symmetry and elements of color, shape, and balance to create a mandala showing things you are grateful for.
Complete a thankful poem
Encourage students to write a poem about what they are thankful for this November. Students add text on each of the lines to complete the poem and use the paint tools and images to add a border and support images for their poem.
Wixie I am Thankful Poetry Template
You can also assign the THANKFUL and GRATEFUL acrostic poetry templates to challenge students to identify things they are grateful for that start with the letters in these words.
Have students decorate with original artwork and images and record narration. Send home the results via email to families or encourage students to log in at home or on a parent’s phone to share.
Acting with Gratitude
While feeling gratitude is great, acting on that gratitude is better. Help students begin thinking about what feeling grateful could lead to with a quote activity.
Wixie Reflection Prompt Activity
Write a Thank You Note
A great way to get started simply is to create, write, and send greetings in Wixie. Wixie includes a range of thank you card designs in the Templates > Stationery > Thank You folder.
It's easy to have students design their own thank you card covers using scratch art templates in Wixie. Students simply use the Eraser tool to “scratch” and design their cover greeting.
Wixie Autumn Plaid Scratch Art Template
Students could also use the Pumpkin Friendly Letter to express their gratitude to a friend or family member.
Wixie Pumpkin Friendly Letter Template
Connect to Literature
Literature is a great way to incorporate and support meaningful learning experiences. Combine your favorite books with Wixie to inspire your learners and engage them in creative project work.
Balloons Over Broadway
Inspire your students with this fun story by Melissa Sweet about Tony Sarg, the inventor of the balloons behind the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
After reading, assign the Balloons Over Broadway activity. Have students complete the sentence stem with their idea for a new balloon design.
The perfect balloon for next year’s parade is a ________."
After naming their idea, students can use the paint tools to design their perfect balloon.
Wixie Balloons Over Broadway Adaptation Template
Combine the pages into one collaborative class book and present it as a virtual parade to your students to celebrate their hard work.
Turkey Trouble
After reading this fun story by Wendi Silvano, have students use the design tools in Wixie to create a disguise so their turkey won’t be discovered.
Wixie Turkey Disguise Activity
Because of an Acorn
This wonderful story by Adam Schaefer & Lola M. Schaefer is an excellent introduction to how everything in life is interconnected and makes for a great way to kick off explorations of different life cycles.
Have students get started with the Pumpkin Life Cycle activity. In this activity, students drag the images and labels to the boxes to show the pumpkin's life cycle.
Wixie Pumpkin Life Cycle Activity
How to Catch a Turkey
What would your students do if a turkey was on the loose in your school? After reading this fun tale by Adam Wallace, ask your students what they would do if a turkey was on the loose in your school.
Have your students create a how-to guide to catch a turkey, of course, without harming it. Students can also use the How to Catch a Turkey activity to organize the steps in their process and then use a book template to write the story.
Wixie How to Catch a Turkey Organizer
If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620
Place your students in 1620 with Ann McGovern's story about life on the Mayflower and the challenges the pilgrims faced. Explore the questions proposed in the book with your students, like:
• What would you take with you on a long journey?
• How do you think the pilgrims felt moving to a place they didn't know?
• What would you do when you first arrived?
Have students use an Empathy Map to take on the perspective of a pilgrim journeying on the Mayflower.
Celebrate with Writing
Traditions and family events lend themselves to fun and engaging writing activities that encourage students' growing skills as writers.
Craft a Memory Book
Get togethers with family and friends at Thanksgiving can lead to powerful memories. Have students capture these with memory books or small moment stories.
Write a Suitcase Story
Thanksgiving is a day often spent with family. Have your students use this time to learn more about their ancestors. Encourage students to interview someone about where and when their family came to this country. Then, have students write a suitcase story, sharing their experience, journey, and objects they know or think they might have taken with them.
Design a Thanksgiving Comic
Comics are a fun and approachable way to get all of your learners writing! The limited amount of text requires students to be thoughtful of the words and graphics used to tell their stories.
Seasonal Poetry
The Wixie Curriculum library includes a folder filled with poetry templates you can use to support student writing this month!
Wixie 5 Senses Poetry Template for Thanksgiving
You can also browse the options in Wixie's Template library or assign one of these poetry forms:
• Haiku
• Diamante
• Five Senses
• Cinquain
Every Day Can be a Digital Learning Day
Make digital learning part of every day with fall and Thanksgiving-themed activities for math, literacy, creativity and more.
Harvest Paint-by-Number - Number Identification
Ask students to use the paint bucket and corresponding number key to complete the harvest scene.
Wixie Harvest Paint-by-Number Activity
Every Month-by-Month folder, including November, contains a range of activities to build number sense and counting. You might also assign:
• Add and Count Feathers
• Pumpkin Farm Ten Frame
Turkey Paint to Mirror - Symmetry
Students learn about symmetry by using the paint bucket to complete the other half of the turkey.
Wixie Turkey Paint-to-Mirror Activity
Turkey Tangram - Geometric Transformations
Have students play with the turkey tangram puzzle in Wixie. Students move and rotate the shapes to fill a silhouette, helping them build and practice powerful math skills.
Solve a Sudoku - Reasoning
Sudoku puzzles are a great bell ringer that builds essential math skills. To solve a sudoku, with numbers or pictures, students must count objects and compare sets of objects.
Wixie Thanksgiving Sudoku Puzzle
Wixie has a medium difficulty version too!
Build Words from “Thanksgiving” - Phonics
Students use the cloned letters to see how many 2, 3, 4, and 5-letter words they can create from the word “Thanksgiving.”
Wixie Make Words from Thanksgiving Activity
November Word Search - Word Recognition
Ask students to have fun finding and circling words in the November-themed word search.
First Thanksgiving Cloze - Reading
Students show their understanding of the first Thanksgiving by completing the cloze activity. Students drag the words from the list at the bottom of the page to complete the story.
Draw your own Turkey - Arts
Take a creativity break and encourage students to draw their own turkey. Assign the Starter Bird template and let your students' imaginations soar.
Play the Piano - Music
Have students practice reading music and hearing pitch as they listen to "She'll be Comin' Round the Mountain" and try to play it on their own.
Thanksgiving Coloring Choice Board (mouse skills)
Have students practice their mouse skills by filling areas with color using the paint bucket tool. Use this choice board to find the right image for your learners or share the URL to give them choice.
Wixie Thanksgiving Coloring Pages
What will your students create?
These ideas are just the beginning. Many students travel over the Thanksgiving Holiday, and you can take the opportunity to discuss weather and climate in different areas. Then, have student pack a suitcase with clothing an objects that match the location they are visiting or want to visit.
The Month-by-Month folder and other folders in the Curriculum Library includes so many ideas to get you and your students started. We can't wait to see what your students do and create with Wixie.
Have a safe, happy and healthy November.
PS - Please tag social posts with #Wixie so we can see and celebrate the work you are doing!
