November is such a fabulous month in the school calendar. By now you really know your class and your curriculum are humming along nicely. Then, too, this is the month to celebrate everyone’s favorite warm ’n’ fuzzy holiday: Thanksgiving!

This month at Really Good Stuff, we have plenty of ideas to get you and your class ready for the holiday, and a whole lot more. So go ahead and begin feasting on this month’s offerings.

Out of the Box

Last month we invited you to submit ideas for inspiring students to love reading. Next month, we are calling for your Behavior Modification Ideas. Remember, if we publish your “Out of the Box” idea - or any Activities and Ideas , New Teacher Suggestions, Management Tips, Dealing with parents, or Story of the Month - we’ll send you a Really Good Stuff $25 gift certificate as a token of our appreciation. Plus you’ll be helping countless teachers and students to experience a more meaningful education experience.

 

Out of the Box Ideas on Stimulating Love of Reading

Literary Wax Museum Sheds Light on Book Characters and Settings!
Idea by Charlene, 4th Grade Teacher, Washington, Pennsylvania:
Each year my students participate in a Literary Wax Museum. more...

Super Reader Cards Earn Real Books !
Idea by Melissa, 3rd-4th Grade Teacher, Richmond, Indiana:
To encourage my students to become lifelong readers, I issue them Super Reader Cards. more...

Environmental Print Boosts Reading Awareness.
Idea by Allison 2nd Teacher, Grade DeKalb, Illinois:
To help students become aware of the print that surrounds them, I make a checklist for each student (almost like a scavenger hunt) so they can locate the many places that feature print. more...

Story of the Month

Planning For Veterans Day!
Idea by Tracy, 1st Grade Teacher, West Point, Utah:
Our school was planning some special activities for Veterans Day. We thought our 1st grade students might need a bit of preparation to understand the holiday’s significance. more...

New Teacher Suggestion

Classroom Peace Patrol!
Idea by Cheryl, 2nd Grade Teacher, Escondido, California:
Each year, I establish a classroom Peace Patrol to help mitigate student disagreements. more...

Management Tips

Whimiscal Word Pairs Signal Quiet Time.
Idea by Joni, 1st Grade Teacher, Litchfield, Illinois:
To signal that I need my students’ quiet attention, I play a quick interactive word game with them. more...

Word Display Targets Negative Language Choices.
Idea by Marcy, 4th Grade Teacher, Phoenix, Arizona:
My students and I are always searching for better ways to express ourselves when we speak. more...

Invite Students to Walk with Presidential Dignity.
Idea by Rebecca, 3rd Grade Teacher, Houston, Texas:
To keep my students quiet and focused when walking down the hallway, I tell them to walk like they are the President of the United States of America. more...

Five Finger Countdown Tames a Noisy Classroom.
Idea by Sheri, Primary Teacher, Garner, Iowa:
When chaos starts to take control of my class and the volume begins to escalate, I perform the five Finger Count down. more...

Activities and Ideas

Cook up Some Stone Soup for the Students’ Soul.
Idea by Jeanna, 1st Grade Teacher, Lindsay, Oklahoma:
November is a wonderful time to share the fable of Stone Soup. It’s also an easy recipe to whip up in class. more...

Class Feast Serves Up Reasons to Give Thanks.
Idea by Martha, 1st Grade Teacher, Russellville, Arkansas.:
This is my 33rd year of teaching. About 12 years ago, my mom suggested I serve my class a real meal to celebrate Thanksgiving. more...

Interactive American Flag Honors Historical Facts.
Idea by Cathy, 1st Grade Teacher, Pensacola, Florida:
Our Social Studies unit on America coincides with Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. Our 1st Grade team uses this as a good opportunity to transform a blank wall into an American flag display. more...

Dinner Plate Words Boost Family Talk Time.
Idea by Linda, 4th Grade Teacher, Bethel, Connecticut:
Whenever I encounter unfamiliar words in a lesson or read-aloud, I take a moment to jot them on the board. more...

Imaginary Word Stretchers Spell Success.
Idea by Sue, 2nd Grade Teacher, Wadsworth, Ohio:
Many of my students come to class afraid to write words they are uncertain of how to spell. more...

Recipe Raises Spirit of Cooperation.
Idea by Cindie, Pre-K Teacher, Bolivar, Ohio:
The week after Thanksgiving we have a literature-based unit that uses the story of The Little Red Hen to teach sharing and cooperation."Message Hot Potato" is a fun little game that helps reinforce any target skill you choose. more...

This Game Adds Snap to Vowel Recognition.
Idea by Erica, Primary Teacher, Maricopa, Arizona:
My students used to have a very difficult time remembering which letters were the vowels. I decided to introduce them to a game I call “Clap & Snap!” more...

Appreciation Tree Grows Schoolwide Spirit of Thanks.
Idea by Melinda, Teacher, Rochester, New York:
This year the kids helped to create a Tree of Appreciation around Thanksgiving time. more...

Fine Feathered Activity Offers Practice with Synonyms.
Idea By Christine, 4th Grade Teacher, Pinehurst, North Carolina:
This interactive Thanksgiving bulletin board doubles as a lesson on synonyms. more...

Students Enjoy this Fresh Twist on Routine Review.
Idea by Teri, 4th Grade Teacher, New Lenox, Illinois:
This interactive activity can be used to review facts in any content area. It’s designed to get kids up and moving! more...

Acrostic Turkeys Foster Cooperation and Appreciation.
Idea by Jennifer, 3rd Grade Teacher, Lakeville, Massachusetts:
A few weeks before Thanksgiving, our entire third grade engages in this poetry activity. To begin, each third grade teacher divides his or her class into four or five groups. more...

First Grade Researchers Gobble Up Turkey Facts.
Idea by Mari, 1st Grade Teacher, Waukesha, Wisconsin.:
To introduce the process of research to first graders (this would work for other grades, too!), I check out nonfiction books about turkeys and also place links to student search engines on our network computers. more...

Pie Graph Adds Spice to Math Concepts.
Idea by Jacqui, 1st Grade Teacher, Olympia, Washington:
I enjoy scheduling a lot of fun activities for the days leading up to Thanksgiving. One of my favorites involves planning a pie, tasting contest for math. more...

Turkey Tail Feathers Display Fun Holiday Facts.
Idea by Greta, 1st Grade Teacher, Erie, Pennsylvania:
Here’s a near-effortless way to present a lot of seasonal information students will remember. Begin by posting a large turkey shape on a bulleting board display. Then, cut 25 or more turkey tail feathers from construction paper. Each school day in November, use your feathers to record a fun fact about Thanksgiving. Make certain the fact is in the form of a complete sentence. more...

The Question And Answer Forum

This month's question was sent in by Allison, who teaches in Elgin, Illinois:
I find it hard to have centers in the classroom because some students are misbehaving and not doing what they are supposed to. I love having centers but can be very hard to manage. Are there any good management strategies to help me make sure that my students are doing what they are supposed to be doing during centers?
Click here to respond...

Ask a question.
Would you like to ask a question and have teachers from around the country give you their responses? Click here!

Last month's question was sent in by Amber, who teaches in Asheville, North Carolina:
How can I best manage my guided reading groups or math centers so that I can concentrate and focus on the group I'm working with? I've modeled and practiced, but the students continue to talk loudly due to excitement, or they interrupt my group to ask questions about what to do, even after I've discussed with them several times what their tasks are.
Click here to read what teachers had to say!