Four Fabulous Thanksgiving books that your upper elementary students will enjoy are also perfect for last minute lesson planning. (I mean, am I the only one who does last minute? Please tell me I’m not!) These books are perfect for read-alouds, partner reading, or small groups.
The Very First Thanksgiving
Although this is a very simply written book, The Very First Thanksgiving is an excellent book for upper elementary to introduce a lesson or a discussion on the first Thanksgiving. Students enjoy the rhyme and rhythm as well as the beautiful illustrations. I personally love sharing the author’s note and illustrator’s note at the beginning of the book with my students. This is a great choice for a read-aloud.
A Plump and Perky Turkey
This is simply a fun book that even upper elementary students love! The story is enjoyable, the rhyme and rhythm are musical, and the illustrations are adorable in this entertaining picture book. This story always brings a smile to my students’ faces and is a perfect read-aloud for those days before Thanksgiving. It is also a great book to use as a before activity to introduce a fun Thanksgiving art activity or a writing activity.
Milly and the Macy’s Parade
This is a great example of historical fiction. This is a sweet fictional story of a little girl who inspired the Macy’s Parade. Milly and her story are completely made-up, nevertheless, it is still a sweet read-aloud for your students. Also, Scholastic has some wonderful freebies to use with this book.
Molly’s Pilgrim
This is probably my favorite Thanksgiving book to use in my classroom. Although the reading level is only 3rd grade, the message of this story makes it a wonderful choice to use with your upper elementary students. So many topics can be discussed, taught, and reviewed with this book: point of view, author’s point of view, compare and contrast, character analysis, and inference. Even more important is the message that is prevalent in this story. Students will easily recognize the theme, “It takes all kinds of Pilgrims to make a Thanksgiving.”
I have uploaded two free graphic organizers to my store just for you! These easy print and go graphic organizers will be a great activity for the last few days before Thanksgiving. Click here to download your free graphic organizers to use with this book. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving items from my store:
