Okay, hear me out! I’ve always thought Thanksgiving is a teacher’s dream holiday because it’s a perfect blend of classroom fun and the much-needed break just around the corner. Plus, it gives us a chance to focus on gratitude, build classroom community, and sneak in some learning without the pressure of big tests looming overhead. Honestly, it’s the perfect time to inject some Thanksgiving-themed activities into your classroom that not only get students excited but are also educational. Thanksgiving offers the perfect backdrop for a little learning and a lot of fun. Luckily, I have 4 Thanksgiving activities for upper elementary to help make this holiday season smooth and stress-free for both teachers and students!

#1 Math and Reading No Prep Pack

As the Thanksgiving break nears, keeping upper elementary students focused can feel like a full-time job on its own. However, this Thanksgiving Math and Reading No Prep Pack is at your rescue!

This festive, 20-activity bundle is packed with engaging Thanksgiving activities for upper elementary! Each math and reading exercise is perfect for keeping your 4th and 5th graders sharp without adding any extra stress to your plate. 

Thanksgiving Reading Activities

Students will cover so many essential skills while working on these Thanksgiving reading activities in this fun but engaging packet! Many students love eating turkey for Thanksgiving! However, they don’t know how or why turkey became a Thanksgiving dinner table staple. Luckily, students will be able to read all about the history of the turkey as they work on finding main idea and supporting details. 

Additionally, students can get creative with a festive Thanksgiving roll and write, a fun pumpkin pie-themed synonym and antonym practice, or a part of speech color by code! Honestly, there are so many engaging reading activities to choose from. Students will have a blast practicing essential skills while getting into the holiday spirit!

Thanksgiving Math Activities

Let’s face it: trying to teach math in the days leading up to Thanksgiving break feels like pulling teeth – especially when students are more excited about turkey than multiplying numbers. However, math can be a treat in itself with these Thanksgiving activities in this pack!

Students will practice writing and solving multiplication equations based on tasty Thanksgiving desserts, complete a fun Turkey Trot while skip counting by 4’s, and practice rounding numbers with a festive turkey number line. Plus, so many additional math activities are included that students will want to complete them all! 

This Thanksgiving Math and Reading No Prep Pack will turn those pre-break school days into a fun, festive way to practice skills and keep students engaged.

#2 Thanksgiving Close Reading Passages

Although the holiday season in the classroom can be busy, teachers don’t want their reading students only doing “busy work.” Thankfully, these Thanksgiving Close Reading Passages create meaningful reading practice while also celebrating the turkey season!

Students will dive into Turkey Time! The Truth About the All-American Bird close reading lesson. Upper elementary students will love learning the fun, turkey-themed facts while they hone critical close reading skills. 

Close reading takes time and practice! This lesson follows a step-by-step close reading model, complete with a teacher guide, differentiated reading passages, and text-dependent questions. Additionally, the text-dependent questions challenge students to make inferences, cite evidence, and draw conclusions. 

Plus, with everything from vocabulary practice to written responses, this resource has everything you need to teach the entire week before Thanksgiving break. Truly, teachers can just print, go, and watch students dive into the material! 

#3 Thanksgiving Reading Comprehension Passages

Cornucopia?! It’s tough for students even to pronounce cornucopia, much less understand what it is and its meaning. Cornucopias are always seen around fall or harvest time, but very few people know why. However, students will love discovering the Horn of Plenty: The Meaning Behind the Cornucopia with these high-interest Thanksgiving Reading Comprehension Passages.

No matter the time of year, upper elementary students need to practice reading comprehension regularly. Truly, strong reading skills are the foundation for success in every subject. Consistent practice helps them retain and apply what they learn in more complex texts. Luckily, Thanksgiving is the perfect time to dive into the history and symbolism of the cornucopia!

I have found that a step-by-step close reading model works great when practicing reading comprehension strategies. This allows students to engage in multiple readings of the text—first to understand what it says, then how it conveys that message, and finally to explore its deeper meaning.

Many times, students struggle with reading on their grade level. Luckily, the passage is differentiated at two levels. This ensures that all students can engage with the text and access the same content while practicing close reading skills.  There is even a digital option with a Google Classroom version included!

Honestly,  this Thanksgiving activity for upper elementary students is the perfect opportunity for students to learn about a fall-themed staple while keeping their focus on academics before the fall break!

Grab these FREE annotation printables to make teaching close reading skills easy!

#4 Thanksgiving Writing Tall Tales

Lastly, this fun writing activity is a student favorite! November is such an inspirational time for creative writing, and this resource is just the thing to spark students’ imaginations! These Thanksgiving Tall Tales Story Starters lets students craft their own over-the-top turkey tales while learning all about the features and characteristics of tall tales along the way. 

My students always loved this as a Thanksgiving-themed writing center! It includes four entertaining story starters, planning sheets, and an easy-to-follow teacher guide. Since figurative language is such a key part of creative writing, students will also work on hyperboles, similes, and metaphors as they create their own hilarious stories. 

Once students write their tall tales, they can combine the columns to create one giant, laugh-out-loud story! Additionally, teachers can display the tall tales on a classroom bulletin board or hallway display for fun Thanksgiving decorations! You can also find numerous other ways to implement the tall tales into your classroom here!

Truly, Thanksgiving is the perfect time to blend holiday fun with meaningful learning. These four Thanksgiving-themed activities are designed to do just that! From the no-prep math and reading pack to the engaging close reading passages, each resource is crafted to keep upper elementary students focused, entertained, and learning through the festive season.

Not ready to plan Thanksgiving activities yet?

Pin this post for later so you can return to it when you need Thanksgiving-themed ideas for your upper elementary classroom!