Week 12 Reflection

Though over the last week or two the class had begun working on Thanksgiving artwork, this was the first week where we really began to hit the topic of Thanksgiving hard from an academic standpoint. I devoted time during the morning circle routine toward reading some Thanksgiving books to the students, and we also incorporated Thanksgiving projects into every day’s art session.

The students made a number of small Thanksgiving-themed books to read and keep, and we were sure to have one on both the Pilgrims and the Indians. Students would color the pages of a book, four of which were split on one sheet of paper, and would then cut out the pages and staple them together. The class would go over the book as a whole group after the books had been colored, cut, and compiled.

I think the students liked this approach to the topic, because they were adding something to their library of things to read. Furthermore, this gave the visual learners in the classroom something tangible they could hold on to and look at when thinking about the holiday. There was a sense of accomplishment upon finishing up their My Little Thank-You book, as they had to brainstorm things they were thankful for and spell them out in their book. So not only did they color their book, but they were also responsible for the content within it.