Smart, Seasonal, and Secondary: 3 Thanksgiving ELA Activities for Middle & High School Students

Hello, fellow secondary teachers! Looking for age-appropriate Thanksgiving resources for your classroom that don't involve hand-traced paper turkeys? Well, I know first-hand that the struggle to find Thanksgiving activities and resources for middle and high school students is real! That's why I'm sharing three Thanksgiving resources for secondary students.

Let's start with a short story for upper middle to high school students.

Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O. Henry

The main characters in this short story (Stuffy Pete and The Old Gentleman) will certainly make your students stop and think. What do we all have to be thankful for that we often take for granted? What does it look like to sacrifice something out of love for another person? What does it mean to be selfless? Your student won't see the ending coming, and will certainly be asking these questions after they finish the last line of the story.

Click here to read the story, and click on the photo below to get my word search and crossword puzzle review for the story!

Now, on to a short story geared more toward middle school students.

Turkey Trot by Isabella Gallo When we think of Thanksgiving (and holidays in general), our thoughts usually veer toward tradition and gratitude. In the short story Turkey Trot, Micah joins his sister, Rose, and father on their annual Turkey Trot run for the first time. The run is a challenge for a very unprepared Micah, but full of wonderful surprises and reasons to be grateful along the way.

Click here to read the story. (If you don't have a CommonLit account, you can sign up with your district email address for free.) You can get my word search and crossword puzzle review for this story as well by clicking on the photo below.

And now, let's wrap up the list with something for everyone, regardless of age!

Backward Ad Libs - Thanksgiving Parts of Speech Creative Writing Game

Sometimes, you don't want to invest time in a short story and instead want a quick, fun, and educational activity. In that case, my Thanksgiving-themed Backward Ad Libs Game is just for you.

With Backward Ad Libs, your students will start with a noun, verb, adverb, and adjective drawn at random and write the best/silliest sentence or paragraph that they can!

The best thing about Backward Ad Libs for teachers is that it helps students practice identifying parts of speech and exercise their creative writing skills! It's also fun and low-prep. Just print and cut the cards, and you're ready to play!

Click the photo below and then "view preview" to see the game in more detail and the game instructions.

I hope these resources help you plan some Thanksgiving fun in your classroom this Fall! Until next time,

Lauren