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Fall & Fall & Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Writing Writing Activities Activities Themed writing activities for November
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Fall & Fall & Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Writing Writing ActivitiesActivities

Themed writing activities for November

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Table of ContentsTable of Contents• “Show-Not-Tell” - slides 3-6

• “What am I Thankful for?” - slides 8-12

• “Giving Thanks to our Veterans” - slides 13-18

• “Recipes for Friendship” – slides 19-24

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Show-Not-Show-Not-TellTell

A quick lesson to bring life to your writing

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Show-Not-Tell Show-Not-Tell Beginning writers tell their readers, not realizing that

showing the same information makes it much more interesting.

Writing is much more effective when you allow readers to clearly visualize your story, rather than just telling them what is taking place.

Here is where Show-Not-Tell comes in handy. Show the readers the story by using vivid words, dialogue, and sensory details. See

the following page for examples.

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Show-Not-Tell ExamplesShow-Not-Tell Examples

“Mom flung open the screen door, stomped onto the front porch, and yelled at the top of her lungs, ‘Ryan Cooper, get in here this instant, young man!’”

Instead of “Mom was angry,” try this:

Telling:Telling:

Showing:Showing:

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Show-Not-Tell ExamplesShow-Not-Tell Examples

“The icy rain splashed in puddles on the street as booming thunder rattled the windows.”

Instead of “It was a dark and rainy night,” try this:Telling:Telling:

Showing:Showing:

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Show-Not-Tell AssignmentShow-Not-Tell Assignment

Think about your Thanksgiving dinner. Write a Show-Not-Tell paragraph describing the special meal.

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What am I What am I Thankful Thankful for?for?A writing reflection to show

gratitude for the good in our lives.

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What am I Thankful for?What am I Thankful for?

Because life is chaotic, busy, and full of stress and deadlines, it is easy to get bogged down with our to-do lists and forget to think about what we a thankful

for. It is, however, important to be grateful for the good in our lives.

Gratitude: grat·i·tude–noun -the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful He expressed his gratitude to everyone on the staff.

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What am I Thankful for?What am I Thankful for?

On your paper, make a 3-column chart. Label your columns as follows:

Today, This Month, Always

Then, make a list of at least 5 things per column of what you

are thankful for. The items can be small or large. See the example on the next slide

for help if you get stuck.

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What am I Thankful for?What am I Thankful for?

Today This Month Always

1-No HW in Math class

2-The new kid smiled at me

3-I could smell blooming flowers as I walked to school

4-Mrs. Jones wrote “Nice work” on my paper

5-Skittles

1-All B’s or higher on my report card

2-My birthday party

3-My mile time improved in PE

4-Getting invited to the dance

5-I found my lost cell phone

1-My mom and dad

2-My brother Chad (even when he’s annoying)

3-All my extended family

4-My ipod5-Electricity

My Gratitude Chart:

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What am I Thankful for?What am I Thankful for?After your list is compiled (remember that you don’t need to stop at 5 things), review the list

and circle one item per column.

On another sheet of paper, write one paragraph for each item you

circled. Be sure to provide background information so the

reader understands why this item or event is important to you. Also, provide details to explain why you

are thankful.

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Giving Giving Thanks to Thanks to our our VeteransVeteransGiving thanks to those who

most deserve it.

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Giving Thanks to our Giving Thanks to our VeteransVeterans

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"

Veterans Day is an annual United States holiday honoring military veterans. A federal holiday, it is observed on November 11. It is also celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falling on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War 1 (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice)

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Giving Thanks to our Giving Thanks to our VeteransVeterans

Today we honor veterans and current military personnel on Veteran’s Day, giving thanks for their service and sacrifice to the United States. One way to say “thank you” to military men and women is through letters. Many active military are stationed far away from friends and family and receiving mail, even from strangers, lets them know they are appreciated.

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Giving Thanks to our Giving Thanks to our VeteransVeterans

On your paper, you will write a letter to a current military man or woman, or write a letter to a veteran. Follow the format provided on the following slide. First, though, you will want to brainstorm some ideas to discuss in your letter. Consider the following topics:

Your name, age, grade, city, state

Your family information: siblings, parents, any family in the military

Your school, hobbies, sports, activities, interests, etc.

Your favorites: music, teams, tv shows, books, movies

Why you appreciate what he/she is doing or did for our country, how his/her service is impacting your life

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Your address

Date

Dear _______________,

Paragraph 1: Introduce yourself, provide info about where you live, how old you are, tell why you are writing

Paragraph 2: Give some personal information about you and your life. What are your interests? Hobbies? Sports? What would you like someone to know about you?

Paragraph 3: Here you can talk about some of your favorites: movies, music, books, sports, teams, shows, etc. This paragraph allows you to make a connection to someone you don’t know.

Paragraph 4: In this paragraph, discuss their service, ask where they are stationed and what they are seeing. Let them know that you appreciate their service, and how you feel it is impacting your life as a US citizen.

Sincerely,(your signature)Print your name

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http://www.amillionthanks.org

http://www.letterstosoldiers.org

http://www.anysoldier.com

How to contact a service How to contact a service membermember

Visit the following sites that connect civilians to service men and women

stationed around the world.

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Recipes for Recipes for FriendshipFriendship

Try your hand at technical direction writing

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For many people, the best part of Thanksgiving is the food…Roasted turkey, honey glazed ham, savory stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes with gravy. Just thinking about dinner is enough to make you full.

Each of the delicacies on your Thanksgiving table, however, requires a recipe for preparation. Combining an exact combination of ingredients will yield those delicious results that we

look forward to each year.

Writing a RecipeWriting a Recipe

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Writing a RecipeWriting a Recipe

Prep Time:20 Min Cook Time:10 Min Ready In:30 MinIngredients2 cups all-purpose flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 3 teaspoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup shortening 1 egg 2/3 cup milk

DirectionsIn a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat egg with milk; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Turn onto a well-floured surface; knead 20 times. Roll to 3/4-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Fluffy Biscuits

Melissa

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Looking at the recipe card, you can see how it is set up.

There is a recipe title; the prep time, cook time, and total time are provided. You can see the list of ingredients, and then step by step instructions for how to make the dish.

Following the format shown, you will be creating your own recipe. Rather than food, however, you will be providing a recipe for the perfect friendship.

Writing a RecipeWriting a Recipe

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Before you create your recipe, you need to start generating ideas about what makes a perfect friendship. What traits should be included? How much? What ingredients should be left out of the recipe?

Remember, in recipes, proper measurements are very important! Don’t forget to use appropriate cooking terms, too.

The following slide can help with appropriate terminology.

Writing a Recipe - Writing a Recipe - BrainstormBrainstorm

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Measuring Terms: cup, teaspoon, tablespoon, ounce, quart, pint, bushel

Recipe Tasks: mix, stir, fold, knead, combine, let rise, beat, blend, serve

Possible Ingredients: love, compassion, patience, respect, loyalty, kindness, trust, fun, laughter, honesty

Writing a RecipeWriting a Recipe

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I hope you found these writing tasks useful and fun for your students. If so, please take a moment to leave me some feedback at

www.teacherspayteacher.com

Also, please take a moment to visit my storefront:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Melissa-Soeltz/Products

I look forward to working with you again.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Melissa Soeltz